Christmas Malaise
Once again I find myself entirely disenfranchised by the whole christmas thing, I think it all stems from the way so much of it is forced down one's throat.
Let's break it down:
Christmas is a religious festival of a religion that I am not a part of.
Why therefore should I celebrate it?
Much of the current incarnation of christmas ignores the original purpose of any midwinter festivals and focusses almost solely on giving gifts to one's loved ones on an ascribed date. Gifts which by the nature of our society are almost required to be more and more lavish. The fact that the christmas trading period is integral to the financial success of many businesses over the course of a year is also a cause for concern.
Christmas is financially crippling to the average person and can increase personal debt, just because we're told we have to exchange gifts at a specific time of year.
This is the second year in a row that I have been feeling more and more this way, I'm just not wanting any part of it any more.
I propose a far more sensible and honest system of gift giving without the pressure and huge financial implications both negative and positive. Under this system gifts would be given at any time for any reason, simply because they were deemed to be appropriate for the recipient. This would spread the financial burden on the individual and would support trade all year round. I think it might even help stop children becoming spoilt by getting whatever they want for "christmas".
Let's break it down:
Christmas is a religious festival of a religion that I am not a part of.
Why therefore should I celebrate it?
Much of the current incarnation of christmas ignores the original purpose of any midwinter festivals and focusses almost solely on giving gifts to one's loved ones on an ascribed date. Gifts which by the nature of our society are almost required to be more and more lavish. The fact that the christmas trading period is integral to the financial success of many businesses over the course of a year is also a cause for concern.
Christmas is financially crippling to the average person and can increase personal debt, just because we're told we have to exchange gifts at a specific time of year.
This is the second year in a row that I have been feeling more and more this way, I'm just not wanting any part of it any more.
I propose a far more sensible and honest system of gift giving without the pressure and huge financial implications both negative and positive. Under this system gifts would be given at any time for any reason, simply because they were deemed to be appropriate for the recipient. This would spread the financial burden on the individual and would support trade all year round. I think it might even help stop children becoming spoilt by getting whatever they want for "christmas".