Christmas- Too Commercialised and PC

I'm sure most people will agree that Christmas isn't about giving and recieving or the fact Jesus was born. Nowadays people use Christmas as an excuse to make money go through their fingers quicker than water to satisfy themselves. We use Christmas to get what we want no matter how expensive and not enough people appreciate charities which do their best to supply things to homeless people or poorer countries.

We should focus on giving and not so much recieving. Appeals going on this Christmas are things such as buying animals to give to countries in poverty and giving children shoeboxes full of presents. I have taken part in both of these appeals. I will be sending 3 chickens to Africa and packing 2 shoeboxes for children in countries of poverty or war.

My questions for you are...

• Do you think Christmas is too commercialised?
• Do you think Christmas is too politically correct (PC) and is straying away from Christianity?
• Are you taking part in any charity appeals?
• Do you know of other charity appeals this Christmas?
• Do you think that we are sending bad messages to future generations?

Shoebox Appeal
Article about the Christmas Goat appeal

Ooh...good thread.

I'm gonna jump straight to the political corectness thing.
Personally, I think being PC is a load of rubbish.
At some levels...it's ok. But as usual, government have just over applied it and killed the whole 'being nice for nice sake'. That doesn't make much sense...but I'm sure you get my point.

Of course Christmas is over commercialised. What holiday isn't???
And I won't be sending any goats or shoeboxes to africa, seems a little pointless to me in the long run.

Originally Posted by Terminian Sage

• Do you think Christmas is too commercialised?
  

• In some ways yes, advertisments appear left, right and centre, but we are also constantly bombarded with TV specials telling us the 'true meaning of Christmas'. It is interesting to note that originally Christmas was a pagan holiday to celebrate the winter solstice, the Christians claimed it as their own to get more followers/
  

  Do you think Christmas is too politically correct (PC) and is straying away from Christianity?

  See the final part of the above, it wasn't originally Christian in the first place, besides, do you feel that a celebration of sharing should only be open to those who believe in a higher being? If so that starts you down the path of thought that only Christians can be good people, which is somewhere I rather doubt we want this topic to go.
  

  Are you taking part in any charity appeals?

  Scrooge, Operation Christmas Child, various raffles and fund raisers, sent two goats to Africa a little while ago, in short: yes.
  

  Do you know of other charity appeals this Christmas?

  This rather confuses me, could you be a bit more specific?
  

  Do you think that we are sending bad messages to future generations?

Considering Christmas has had the same amount of commercialization for at least one generation now I don't think it's having any overly negative effects.


It's hard to write conclusions to stuff like this without sounding like I've ripped off a Christmas special from TV, but I think that Christmas is just fine as is, the commercialism is there, but it doesn't run rampant, and the other points on your list have all been more or less answered.

Originally Posted by GDwarf

See the final part of the above, it wasn't originally Christian in the first place, besides, do you feel that a celebration of sharing should only be open to those who believe in a higher being? If so that starts you down the path of thought that only Christians can be good people, which is somewhere I rather doubt we want this topic to go.

I'm not saying that only Christians could be good people. I suppouse it differs between people on what they think the real meaning of Christmas is regardless of race or religion. And come on. I was bought up to believe Christmas was when everyone celebrated the birth of Jesus. I went to a Catholic school with only English kids so that is what I think.

Also your thing about the pagans inventing Christmas...well if you think about you never hear anyone mention "Oh remember to thank the pagans for Christmas,". There aren't many pagans nowadays and Christians adapted it. (Actually its pagans who believe in made up God's right?)

By my fourth point I meant are there any other charity appeals which you would like to discuss about further regardless whether you are taking part.

Originally Posted by GDwarf

'true meaning of Christmas'. It is interesting to note that originally Christmas was a pagan holiday to celebrate the winter solstice, the Christians claimed it as their own to get more followers/

The only thing "pagan" about Christmas is, perhaps, is its location on the winter solstice. That Christmas was calculated to displace pagan worshippers does not make the character of Christmas "pagan." Regardless, Christians used and use the day to celebrate the birth of Chirst, not to indulge in pagan worship. Christmas is not pagan.

See the final part of the above, it wasn't originally Christian in the first place, besides, do you feel that a celebration of sharing should only be open to those who believe in a higher being? If so that starts you down the path of thought that only Christians can be good people, which is somewhere I rather doubt we want this topic to go.

I don't feel that a celebration of sharing should be open only to Christians, but perhaps a celebration of Christ's birth should? Christmas is not primarily about sharing, it is primarily about Christ's birth. Emmanuel, or God with us-- the Incarnation being the central mystery celebrated by this holy day. Non-Christians certainly can celebrate this if they wish, but I don't see why they'd want to (being non-Christians). If you say that sharing is the central focus of Christmas, then remove the birth of Christ and give me a justification for keeping Christmas-- there is none. It is possible to have Christmas without presents, but not Christmas without Christ.

Yes, it is over commercialized. Christmas should be a time for family and friends to get together and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Alas, nowadays its just the time when shops get busy and divorced parents switch kids.

Christmas? A pagan holiday? I'm sure before Jesus was born there was an event around the end of the year, and chances are it was pagan, but Christmas a pagan holiday? One of the most Christian holidays, celebrating the birth of the Son of God, pagan? I don't think so.

HA! What a joke. "make money go through their fingers quicker than water to satisfy themselves?" Geeze, my family is going to have a sad, sad Christmas with the budget we have now.

Yes, kids everywhere use it just to get toys. Most people don't realize what the meaning of Christmas, or any holiday is about. Easter, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and April Fool's(though I'm not sure if it has anything to do with important things. 0.o) are just a few.

Originally Posted by Jodd

Yes, it is over commercialized. Christmas should be a time for family and friends to get together and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Alas, nowadays its just the time when shops get busy and divorced parents switch kids.

Christmas? A pagan holiday? I'm sure before Jesus was born there was an event around the end of the year, and chances are it was pagan, but Christmas a pagan holiday? One of the most Christian holidays, celebrating the birth of the Son of God, pagan? I don't think so.

Christmas takes place on the same day as the aforementioned pagan Holiday, early Christians purposely put it on that day to get more followers as the Holidays would be at similar times. Christmas itself isn't pagan, but the day it's celebrated on was. Which makes many of the 'true meaning of Christmas' stories rather silly, as the original date was for celebration that the days would start getting longer.

Originally Posted by Silver_Wings

Yes, kids everywhere use it just to get toys. Most people don't realize what the meaning of Christmas, or any holiday is about. Easter, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and April Fool's(though I'm not sure if it has anything to do with important things. 0.o) are just a few.

Given that every December TV, radio, signs and various mediums of communication bombard us with the true meaning of Christmas I rather doubt that people have forgotten, I know many people, most of them aren't religious,a nd they don't celebrate Christmas just for toys.

Let me put it another way, Christmas is a Christian holiday, but people use it as a reason to get together and see old friends. Its really become two holidays, the Christian and Agnostic. I don't see anything stopping the Christians from celebrating it their way and the agnostics/aethiests theirs. After all, if the early Christians could usurp someone else's holiday why can't they at least share it with others?

Why just yesterday I put my old text books in a salvation army bin, and I always make my final stop when christmas shopping a collection tin of some sort. admittedly sometimes it isn't much but every bits count. As for sharing well those christians who say its all about jesus I say to you wasn't that the ultimate examble of sharing. I mean your son who is also a part of your being, very hard to find a present to give back for that.

So I consider it the best parts of Christianity the older paganism and commericalism put together. Just make sure you do the charity and sharing part before you open your presents and get drunk and eat ham with the family. To anwser the last question I just hope the example is set by us to our desecendants rather than those damn christmas specials. Except for "Kiss saves Christmas."

* Do you think Christmas is too commercialised?

Not really. Without advertisements, without "spreading info about Christmas", even lesser people would care about it. Think back to the early years, just how many countries actually knew about Christmas back then? Not too many.

* Do you think Christmas is too politically correct (PC) and is straying away from Christianity?

It could be. But Christmas is a time of giving. Judging from the advancement of society and its materialistic needs, it's only logical to assume that any holiday has become one that people would love and celebrate. How do you celebrate when society has now become a materialistic society? Buying gifts and giving gifts of course. A present isn't just something that you bought in the store. It reinforces your heart, your love and respect to other people. Everyone likes getting a gift. It puts a smile on their faces. No. It's not because they are happy about just that gift, but rather, it's about how people are thinking about them. You and I can say: "Merry Christmas, I love you" but would that prove in anyway to the other person that you truly mean it? I doubt it.

* Are you taking part in any charity appeals?

Appeals, no. Donations? If I have the chance. I don't do personal donations where people go from door to door. I don't do mail donations as well. I don't trust these. Instead, if I go to a mall or something and they are hosting large fund raising, or if the school that I'm going to has a fund raising or even a food bank, then yes, I would donate.

* Do you know of other charity appeals this Christmas?

Other than Red Cross, the rest I have no idea.

* Do you think that we are sending bad messages to future generations?

Of course not. Aside from the fact that we are now focusing on buying the "perfect" present for other people, the way how we celebrate Christmas has never been better. It units the countries around the world together (at least ones that know about Christmas and celebrate it as well). Again, we shouldn't think giving away presents as a bad way to celebrate. Yes, Christmas is part of Christianity, but whoever said that people have to celebrate in Christian ways? In order for other people to accept a religion, that religion has to accept other people's cultures and ways of celebrating. Besides, different people have different ways of presenting their loves and respects on holiday seasons. We shouldn't limit these diversity. After all, we are free individual beings and not some sort of prisoners being captured by only certain belief systems.

it is with out a doubt comercialized. i get realy furious when ever i see non-believers, or kids who are just little rat-head kids deep down, and they go on how god isnt real, church is stupid, and all that crap, then when christmas comes around they just love getting presents. its ashame. i enjoy christmas for family, and i will admit gfetting gifts is quite awesome.. but thats the only problem i have, with kids who are just ignorent idiots, then they go around during christmas smiling their heads off. for gosh sakes! its CHRIST - mas

I do think that Christmas is straying away from the true meaning. I bet we all used Christmas as a excuse before, and I don't think that is a problem if you do it once in a while. I still think that Christmas is sacred, and church isn't stupid at all. I also think that the true meaning of Christmas is about family, friends and yeah, the occasional present. I am ten years old, and belive me, I think I am the only kid that I know that knows the true meaining of Christmas.