2008 Woodie Awards
Christmas is too commercialized
By Crystal Hawkins
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 12/9/05 Section: Opinion
Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays. It is also the most commercialized holiday I know. Every bit of sanity people possess throughout the year is lost during Christmas-time. There is always something that needs to be done; a tree that needs to be trimmed, lights that need to be hung, feasts that need to be prepared and money that does not need to be, but is frivolously wasted. Christmas gifts were normal when I was a child. I lived for Christmas and birthdays then, not because of what they signified, because I got more presents than I deserved. It took quite awhile for me to figure out the connection between the birth of Christ and the presents beneath our tree. Then one day it zapped me like a fork in an electrical socket. There was no connection.
Christmas is a time for dysfunctional families to unite, exchange meaningless gifts and enjoy a delicious dinner around a table that is scarred from years of assorted holiday celebrations that force families to congregate. If your family is anything like mine, there is always that one relative who knows exactly how to initiate a squabble between family members.
And now that you're older and you've picked up that weekend job at the video rental store, your parents think it would be nice for you to buy a distant relative something for Christmas. Not because you want to, because Aunt Whatshername and Uncle Whatshisface sent you that birthday card with a ten dollar bill flattened inside all those years ago. As if finals aren't stressful enough, you are now obligated to buy presents for people you only see during the holidays and hope they appreciate them. It would be like saying thank you, your mom thinks. When in actuality, saying thank you doesn't require money or much thought.
Presents are a huge part in the celebration of Christmas as much as people lie and say they aren't. If you have ever wondered why there aren't many Thanksgiving commercials (if any at all), it is because traditionally, people do not buy gifts for Thanksgiving. Therefore, the stores you practically exist off of close for the day and leave you to fend for yourself.
If you absolutely insist on receiving gifts for Christmas, the perfect solution would be, instead of buying presents for other people, only buy them for yourself. Wrap them if you wish, though it is not absolutely necessary. This way everyone gets what they want and no one will have to guess anymore. Guessing takes the fun out of Christmas and adds pressure. You will never have to fake appreciation for the ugly sweater from your grandmother when you really wanted an iPod. And no longer will you have to smile when you unwrap a pack of socks when you wanted the last season of "Friends" on DVD. If you stop feeding into the commercialization of this one day each year, you will rollick in a much more enjoyable December. If you are wondering how it is that I know how glorious Decembers are without tending to the wish lists of others, I have the bank statement to prove it.
Christmas is a time for dysfunctional families to unite, exchange meaningless gifts and enjoy a delicious dinner around a table that is scarred from years of assorted holiday celebrations that force families to congregate. If your family is anything like mine, there is always that one relative who knows exactly how to initiate a squabble between family members.
And now that you're older and you've picked up that weekend job at the video rental store, your parents think it would be nice for you to buy a distant relative something for Christmas. Not because you want to, because Aunt Whatshername and Uncle Whatshisface sent you that birthday card with a ten dollar bill flattened inside all those years ago. As if finals aren't stressful enough, you are now obligated to buy presents for people you only see during the holidays and hope they appreciate them. It would be like saying thank you, your mom thinks. When in actuality, saying thank you doesn't require money or much thought.
Presents are a huge part in the celebration of Christmas as much as people lie and say they aren't. If you have ever wondered why there aren't many Thanksgiving commercials (if any at all), it is because traditionally, people do not buy gifts for Thanksgiving. Therefore, the stores you practically exist off of close for the day and leave you to fend for yourself.
If you absolutely insist on receiving gifts for Christmas, the perfect solution would be, instead of buying presents for other people, only buy them for yourself. Wrap them if you wish, though it is not absolutely necessary. This way everyone gets what they want and no one will have to guess anymore. Guessing takes the fun out of Christmas and adds pressure. You will never have to fake appreciation for the ugly sweater from your grandmother when you really wanted an iPod. And no longer will you have to smile when you unwrap a pack of socks when you wanted the last season of "Friends" on DVD. If you stop feeding into the commercialization of this one day each year, you will rollick in a much more enjoyable December. If you are wondering how it is that I know how glorious Decembers are without tending to the wish lists of others, I have the bank statement to prove it.
