Bahh! Humbug! What happened to Christmas?

Question

I used to like.. even Love Christmas.. Although not a religeous holiday, it is often observed as such. Many years of festive enjoyment, family gathering, food and football! what happened? I now feel it is a context to see who can give the best gift? or whos house can you see from outerspace? I must say I have definitly lost the "Christmas Spirit" I am married and have kids (who of course love Christmas) but the only thing on their mind is "Will I get what I asked for?" The $100 iPod? the $600 HiFi etc.. Whats wrong with tithings of goodness? and a nice card? Why is it you are not supposed to see the bottom half of your 17 foot tall Christmas tree? Why do I need a tie fashioned as a fish that lights up only to sing "We wish you a Merry Christmas"? To me Christmas has become nothing more than a production, a huge commercial for over-extended consumers buying into the whole "Christmas Hype" How does one bring back the Wholesome Spirit of Christmas?

Answer 1

That's pretty well all it amounts to in this day and age...nobody cares about their neighbour anymore...unless its to show them we're better off than you so we'll donate what we don't want so you can have it. That's about all that Christmas spirit amounts to...and take it from me...we're catholic and my kids are in a catholic school...bah humbug is putting it mildly...the "spirit" doesn't come around once a year then gets put on the shelf till same time next year.

Kids are spoiled rotten...no one to blame but ourselves. If we learned to shut off the electronics, got off our asses...made time on the weekend for "family fun" rather than organized sports...maybe we'd all be in a better place...but I wouldn't hold my breath.

It's all commercial and frankly, if you want it to mean something, it will have to mean something to you. Not much you can do about the world around you...well you can but if you have to ask, then obviously it's not happening.

Answer 2

I think that it is up to each one of us to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. One of the things I do each Christmas (in partnership with a friend) is choose a student at the local high school who isn't going to have much of a Christmas and fill a big gift bag with all sorts of small gifts, some useful, some frivolous, none expensive. We have a Christmas craft sale, and donate the proceeds to the food bank. The gifts we give in family are carefullly thought out, but not extravagant ones. The ornaments that go on the tree are not what's trendy, but old friends collected over the years. Christmas eve will be a time for playing carols and calling family.
It will make this answer a bit long, but read the following, from 'Kneeling In Bethlehem', by Ann Weems. (I'm not religious either, but the poem sums up how I feel about Christmas.)
Each year about this time I try to be sophisticated
and pretend to understand the bored expressions
relating to the “Christmas Spirit”.
I nod when they say “Put Christ back in Christmas.”
I say yes, yes when they shout about “commercial”
and “Hectic, hectic, hectic”.
After all, I’m getting older
and I’ve heard it said that “Christmas is for children”.

But the fa-la-la keeps creeping out...

So I’ll say it:
I love Christmas tinsel
and angel voices that come from the bed upstairs.
And I say three cheers for Santa Claus
and the Salvation Army bucket
and all the wrappings and festivities and special warm feelings.

I say it is good,
giving, praising, celebrating.
So hooray for Christmas trees
and candlelight
and the good old church pageant.
Hooray for shepherd boys who forget their lines
and Wise Men whose beards fall off
and a Mary who giggles.
O Lord, you are born!
O Lord, you are born!
And that breaks in upon my ordered life like bugles blaring
and I sing “Hark the Herald Angels” in the most unlikely places.
You are born, and I will rejoice.

I rejoice for the carnival of Christmas!
I rejoicep for pajama-clad cherubs
and the Christmas cards jammed in the mail slot.
I o-o-o-oh for the turkey
and ah-h-h-h for the Christmas pudding
and thank God for the alleluias in the faces of people I don’t even know.

O Lord, there just aren’t enough choir boys to sing what I feel.
There aren’t enough trumpets to blow.
O Lord, I want bells to peal!
I want to dance in the ancient streets of Bethlehem.
I want to sing with the heavenly host.

For unto us a Son is given
and he is called God with us.
For those of us who believe,
the whole world is decorated with love.

And touched with Joy.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Answer 3

As an atheist, i do no longer rejoice Christmas from now on than I rejoice Ramadan, Eid, Dwali, Channukah, etc. it particularly is purely inebriated Christians, however, who look to think of there is something incorrect with me for no longer dressing up like a dick and sending crappy little enjoying cards to human beings so they'd have slightly attractiveness contest. If that makes me such as a fictional character in a nineteenth Century novel, then i'm in charge as charged.

Answer 4

Maybe you should think about doing something positive for others this season - it might get you more into the Christmas spirit. I was feeling a little grinchy myself until I decided to give a bunch of my relatives gifts of charitable donations this year. Since none of us really needed any more token junk, I think that we are all feeling a little more Christmasy now! In fact it made such a difference to me, that I am really looking forward to getting involved in some volunteering opportunities in the New Year. And involving my son in them as well! :)

Oh, yeah, and I am keeping up our family tradition on having my son pick out his favorite toy... and then we donate it to Toys for Tots. All of the kids in my family do this each year, and they have really come to look forward to picking out the perfect gift for some other lucky kid out there.

Answer 5

Commerialism, thats what happened to christmas. Everybody insists that the presents that make people happy but its what comes from the heart that counts.You cant really bring it back because of all of the TV ads and all the people shopping, basic people like us cant go up against millions of companies that make millions of dollars on Christmas. Its really sad to see what has happened to christmas..

Answer 6

I'm tired of it 2 i mean 2 me items mean nothing most kids want things because " the other get 2 have them" they should be happy for what they have instead of complaining about what they don't have.

maybe u could teach them about the bible?(tell them what happened on Christmas day) tell them about Christ and what he did.

merry Christmas, happy new year, and god-bless

Answer 7

as we get older, we see the hystaria of huge crowds, and relatives trying to out gift you on the younger ones and more.

So now I choose to stay at home, and not go and go through the guilt that you didn't have the funds at the time, to buy huge stuff.
Now from other family comes the labeling of you and your attitutes, because you wish to stay away, and not go any more.

Answer 8

By remembering what Christmas is all about, the birth of Jesus Christ.