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Frantic consumerism should not take over from true meaning of Christmas

There is a prime example from history that tells us what the true meaning of the Christmas holiday is. It began on Christmas Eve 1914, on the battlefields of Europe during World War I.
Thousands of troops on the Western Front put down their weapons and ventured into the frosty wastes of no man’s land. There they were greeted by the enemy — the very people they were fighting against.
They exchanged pleasantries and proceeded to produce a small beacon of sanity in the vast disillusionment of that war. It is called the Christmas Truce, and it displayed actual humanity in a time of misery, hatred and immense pain. The soldiers, whether they were British, French, Austro-Hungarian or German, broke their differences and came together to celebrate the holiday.

Holiday cheer translates into consumerism, fear http://www.dailytargum.com/opinion/columnists/holiday-cheer-translates-into-consumerism-fear/article_433c225e-3dd9-11e2-b050-001a4bcf6878.html , December 4, 2012   By Mike Denis  It’s that time of the season again. The hollies have been put up and the trees have been lit. Stockings will be stuffed, holiday meals will be cooked, and families will get together to celebrate the Christmas holiday. It truly is a time for happiness, as well as a time for giving.

Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you should agree that it is a holiday that brings people together and gives back to those that are less fortunate. But as I have found, and I sure some of those who are reading this have found, there is a disturbing trend in the
commercialism of the holiday.
Ads crop up on television two weeks before Thanksgiving arrives
proclaiming “door busting deals” and “Black Friday mega sales.” It
seems as if Thanksgiving has been completely forgotten as a holiday
and become more like a Sunday dinner where the family gets together
and has a big meal.
Stores are even opening up early Thanksgiving morning for these sales,
and lines of people form for miles just to get the latest deal.
Employees that must get up and go to work at these stores at 2 a.m. on
Thanksgiving morning shouldn’t have to do that. Since when has
Thanksgiving been blended into a part of the Christmas season as a
mini-holiday?
Each year it seems that Christmas and gift buying is pushed and pushed
into the minds of the American people. Americans spent an average of
$764 in 2011 on Christmas shopping, $50 higher than the previous year.
This year, that average is expected to slightly rise to $770.
Society no longer buys gifts to give in the spirit of giving — they
buy them for the sake of having something to give on Christmas day.
Yes, during the Christmas season jobs are created and gifts and other
help is given to those who need it.
But the meaning of Christmas seems to have been lost in the lure of
commercialism, profit and the excessive materialism of our society. It
seems to no longer be about celebrating the birth of Jesus, who was
presented with gold, frankincense and myrrh by the three wise men —
thus beginning the spirit of giving.
I am not against gift giving, and I am not against celebration. I
don’t hate spending money or giving gifts on Christmas. I hate what
has been done to it, and what it has done to our society. Christmas
has turned into a birthday party on steroids.
The meaning of Christmas is in giving back to others, coming together,
and bringing peace on earth and good will toward our fellow man — not
becoming immersed in the politics of frustration, materialism and
stress.
There is a prime example from history that tells us what the true meaning of the Christmas holiday is. It began on Christmas Eve 1914, on the battlefields of Europe during World War I.
Thousands of troops on the Western Front put down their weapons and ventured into the frosty wastes of no man’s land. There they were greeted by the enemy — the very people they were fighting against.
They exchanged pleasantries and proceeded to produce a small beacon of sanity in the vast disillusionment of that war. It is called the Christmas Truce, and it displayed actual humanity in a time of misery, hatred and immense pain. The soldiers, whether they were British, French, Austro-Hungarian or German, broke their differences and came together to celebrate the holiday. They
celebrated out of religious reverence and out of the desire for a shed
of meaning in a time of disillusion.
Eventually, the truces ended and the troops returned to war. But their
legacy of community, peace and good will lives on because they put
aside their hate, loathing and bitterness for one day.
So this holiday season, think about what Christmas really means, not
what the corporations say it means. The next time you go out to
purchase a gift, maybe consider giving that money to the Salvation
Army or buying that gift and donating it to an organization that gives
back to the sick, poor, underprivileged and others who are less
fortunate. Consider why you really celebrate this holiday — for the
sake of giving gifts or for good will.
Mike Denis is a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.

December 13, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general