What is Christmas in 2015?

12/5/2015

We know that Christmas marketing started months ago, and you have been bombarded by ads for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Gifts you didn’t even know you wanted are popping up on your phone or Facebook page and enticing you to “click here” for the best deals. Just the other day I was trying to work (online of course) and I kept getting pop-ups for sales on boots because I recently bought a pair. I do not block the pop-ups because it sometimes stops important things from coming through. So I keep ignoring the ads, but they keep coming. And then I see these amazing boots for only $6.99! I figure it’s a gimmick just to get me to click on it, but I do it anyway just to see what the catch is. Funny thing is, there is no gimmick. They really are $6.99! Of course I bought a pair. Now I have two pairs of boots, and they are both awesome. Sometimes pop-ups are good.

This is how many companies get more sales. They get me to buy a cheap pair of boots and then I tell other people and they tell people. Eventually they will raise the price of the boots by just a bit, but people will still buy them. They will keep raising that price until they get to that point where sales start dropping off. This is a good marketing ploy. But, I think we both benefitted from the ploy because I got a really awesome pair of boots for $6.99.

So, what have you been enticed into buying this year? Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Did you do the Black Friday thing and brave the stores or did you stay at home and shop online? The meaning of Christmas has really been lost I think.

Does anyone really know what Christmas originally stood for? I actually had to look it up online to remember since I am not religious and I wanted to be sure of what I was writing about. And the truth is, Christmas means different things to different people, but one thing for sure - it was never about getting the biggest TV for the best price on the day after Thanksgiving.

According to Wikipedia “Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25th as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.” But, technically, there is no record of Jesus’ birth in the New Testament or any other historical record.

The oldest story of Santa Claus “Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Greek Christian figure known for his generosity to the poor” (Wiley & Sons, 2015) in the fourth century. The gift-giving theme was just supposed to be about those who gave gifts to Mary in the “manger” when He was born. The tree-lighting, decorations, and eating like a pig was all made up way after the fact, and really is not related to the church or Jesus.

Many of us embrace the season of giving by buying gifts for all of our loved ones and some even donate time, money, and toys to charities to help those in need. Those who do not have money to buy gifts for their children at Christmas do not look forward to the holiday. Most of them struggle just to get food and pay the bills every month, and they have nothing left for Christmas presents.

Maybe it is time that we each put ourselves into their shoes and see how stressful and painful this time of year is for them. I have been there. The kids are all excited and talking about what they want for Christmas. They expect Santa to bring them what they ask for, but mom and dad know that Santa does not have the money to buy them what they want. They cannot tell the kids that Santa is not real so they have to try to figure out how to get at least one thing that they ask for. Some families are able to get gifts donated to them by organizations that help, but what about those that cannot get that help?

So, this year maybe we should each think about what we already have. Spend Thanksgiving with family at home rather than fighting the crowds at the store to get those great sales. If you have your family that is all you need. That TV is nice, but can it give you a hug when you are sad? Appreciate your family and friends. Spend more time just talking rather than giving gifts. The best gift you can give is yourself. Just Some of My Thoughts.

6 Comments

Marie. Jordan

12/5/2015 03:00:03 pm

Christmas. To. Me. Means. Going. To. Church. Celebrating. The Birth. Of. Our. Lord. Jesus. Christ. My. Parents. Taught. All. Nine. Of. Us. That. As. Did. Our. Teachers. In. Catholic. School.

Patty link

12/5/2015 04:33:31 pm

Thanks Marie. Hope you have a great Christmas.

12/5/2015 04:39:37 pm

Your. Welcome. Honey

Teresa

12/5/2015 10:39:48 pm

We celebrate the birth of baby Jesus at Christmas. It's a humbling experience and a reminder to all no matter how poor you are in material things you can rise above your circumstances. Midnight mass is a pure holy experience that leaves me speechless at the sheer beauty of it all.
Family, the love we share and the traditions passed down to the younger generations making the time spent together count and memories to last a lifetime.
We were dirt poor growing up in my younger years. My parents always did the best we could and we always appreciated what we got and never felt slighted. If anything I think it made us closer because we always had one another and didn't depend on things to make us happy. We didn't have much but we're loved beyond belief and always felt protected.
Even now as a adult I don't need much and have all I need. Most could not or would not live as I do. I don't have a dishwasher nor a shower, only a tub and you will never hear me complain. I can remember as a child taking our baths in the creek because we didn't have running water.
This year Don and I are forgoing gifts to one another and I am doing the MY REALTOR gave to me gifts. I just wanted to give back to the people and community that has given so much to me.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas Patty and I wish you and Les blessings in the new year. Much love to you.

Patty

12/9/2015 11:03:51 am

Teresa,
That is exactly why you are such an angel. Having been "poor" gives you the perspective to see it from both sides and reinforces your compassionate side. You have always been such a caring person and your idea this year is so great. You are an inspiration to me and I love you for being so amazing.

After being homeless for a few years and living with an abusive man half my life, it made me realize how little I need to be happy. So it does not bother me in the least to give as much as I can to others and then some. I think the hubby may get nervous sometimes because I give money to so many GoFundMe fundraisers and the humane society and homeless shelters. And I tend to give our stuff away to people who need it. Like, so far I have given away three laptops in the past two years and he is like "what are you doing?" but he really does not mind. He is just like me. We like to give back because we have both been to the "rock bottom" and had to get some help from others.

And you made me cry when I read this. Taking a bath in the creek as a child? The kids of today would freak out if they had to get up to turn on the television or wash their own clothes. God forbid if they had to wash their own dishes. Some of our kids have gotten spoiled. And it makes me happy in a way that my kids grew up poor because they understand what it means to work for what you want.

Merry Christmas, Teresa, to you and Don and Mary and Dillon and your parents and everyone else I missed.

TeresaHilliard

12/9/2015 12:06:42 pm

Thank you Patty. Don and I always give and give from the heart. I am lucky to have Don considering we could have so much more in life if not for me always helping others. It is my passion because I do understand where others are coming from and I can't turn a blind eye. I can't help everyone but I truly feel everyone can do something. I know so many people right now who need help and all I can do at this point is pray.
In the end of life's journey the only thing that matters is to love and be loved. I wish you and Les a Merry Christmas with lots of blessings in the New Year.

Just some
of my thoughts