My hubby and I were talking recently about Christmas sales and how glad we were that we had done all our Christmas shopping early so we haven’t even had to brave the shops this December (although we have been in them and they are BUSY and HECTIC)!!! Shopping Centres

are that out of control here in Western Australia that major shopping centres have even issued warnings to parents not to bring their children along with them as people are becoming frustrated, impatient and turning violent and kids may be injured. “How crazy is this?” we discussed with one another.

Then our conversation continued onto people who have left their Christmas shopping to the last minute and are having to go out shopping every evening after work (some after working 12 hour long days) just to pick out presents for friends and family members one by one.

This craziness caused me to remember a few articles I had read in the newspaper at the end of November. To be exact it was Black Friday (the day after the American Thanksgiving Holiday) which marked the beginning of the Christmas and New Year Sales – the name Black Friday said to have originated due to it being the day in the year when stores begin making a profit and go into the black.  So as I read on in disgust I discovered that a 34 year old man had been trampled to his death by a crowd of 2000-strong shoppers in a Long Island Wal-Mart store at 5am. Shoppers had been lined up from as early as Thursday evening and 5 minutes before the store was due to open at 5am, shoppers began to chant “push the doors in” while pressing against the glass and managed to smash in the doors from pure frenzied force. Not only did one man lose his life, but an eight month pregnant woman and 3 other shoppers were also injured and taken to hospital.

As if this wasn’t enough one witness stated that ‘When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, “I’ve been in line since yesterday!” They kept shopping.’

I felt sick to my stomach!! Is this what Christmas had come to? TV and toy sales meaning more to people than a man’s life!! I’ve never been a religious person but even I can grasp that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and celebrating his birthday, it’s not about sales and toys and Santa Clause. And to non-religious people certainly Christmas is about family and friends and not all this STUFF!!

That Wal-Mart worker was not the only person to lose his life as two men also shot each other dead in a Palm Desert Toys ‘R’ Us store!! Yes you heard me a kids toy store and men were carrying handguns! It is alleged that they began shooting at one another after their female significant others began arguing over a TOY!! Just another THING and 2 men lost their lives. Not to mention all the children who were shopping in that store and how they will now spend Christmas traumatised by what they saw on Black Friday!

And so I ask all of you “Is this what Christmas is all about?” “Is Christmas now that commercialised that the true meaning of Christmas has been lost and our children will grow up thinking that it’s ok to celebrate STUFF?” I asked myself these questions and I also answered myself. And you know what – It’s NOT OK to put STUFF up on a pedestal while trampling or shooting people to death just so you can have one more toy or one more, BIG, expensive TV!! And NO I don’t want my son and future children growing up celebrating Santa and Reindeer and Toys when they really should be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (or if you like the company of family and good friends).

Now I admit that I’m not perfect and I too have been caught up in the rush of Christmas and attaining more stuff because I think that’s what will make my family and friends happy – another expensive present that will either break in a couple of years time or be that unnecessary it just ends up being thrown out by the receiver. But now I realise that I was wrong. I was celebrating commercialism not Christmas and that has got to change. IT NEEDS TO CHANGE!! And it needs to change all over the World because it’s not just in America that all these Christmas tragedies are occurring but here in Australia as well. Just as I am typing this the same story keeps repeating itself over and over again on the news about a Perth Mother being beaten up and bashed with a beer bottle just so that 3 teenagers could nick off with her Christmas presents and her car. How sad is that?

So what can we do to change a commercial Christmas into a Christmas full of festive spirit? Well I’m no expert but this is what I have started doing and I plan to improve this list by next year and write another article about the True Meaning of Christmas.

1.       Begin researching the True Meaning of Christmas. You don’t have to be religious to believe in the birth of Jesus Christ you just have to read what is written and see that it does make sense. I didn’t even know that we are surrounded by symbols of Jesus Christ when we start celebrating Christmas. For example the candy cane represents the shepherd’s crook which helped to bring back strayed sheep to the flock – so the candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother’s keeper. There is a fantastic website which goes into more detail about all the symbols of Christmas and it can be found here:  http://www.llerrah.com/truemeaningofchristmas.htm

2.       Perform a play for your family or get the children involved. It doesn’t have to be an all-out nativity play but something simple. For example next year Sam and I are going to act out the story found on the website above. The kids will love it and so will the adults plus it’s a great way to give something back to your family and friends if you don’t have a lot of money.

 

3.       Go to the free festivities put on by your local city. Next year we plan on attending the RAC Christmas Pageant in Perth (as we were too sick to go this year). This would make a great day of free entertainment for the kids while giving the adults a chance to relax and have a bit of fun.

 

4.       As it gets closer to Christmas every Church puts on an evening of Christmas Carols as well as doing special readings on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This year will be my first year going to Carols and to Church and I’m looking forward to it. I am enjoying the chance to learn more about the Bible – how to read it, understand it and relate it to my life. This way I will be better able to teach my kids about the true meaning of Christmas in the future. Also Christmas is a great time to introduce yourself to a Church if you’re a newcomer as everyone is very festive and welcoming around this time of year.

 

5.       Organise a Secret Santa among work colleagues, friends and/or family. You do not NEED to buy a Christmas present for EVERY single person you know. Not only is this completely unnecessary, it is also extremely expensive, stressful and time-consuming as well!! Not to mention everyone ends up with a cheap present which little thought has gone into. If you organise a Secret Santa you can then focus on one person and one gift only. If you do this among work colleagues, friends and family you only have to come up with three gifts. And to make things more exciting and meaningful, set a price limit or enforce that the present has to be hand-made.  This will really bring everyone’s creativity out and will be heaps of fun to do – even the kids could join in and lend a hand.

 

6.       Leave the store bought presents at the STORE and bring handmade back. A handmade gift is usually appreciated and treasured by the receiver a lot more than something bought at a store. A handmade gifts shows you have put time and effort into their present and you have thought about what it really is that they’d like. This is another great idea where the kids can also join in. Some examples of handmade gifts include homemade jam, a gingerbread house, a plate of Christmas cookies, a decoration for the tree, a framed picture or drawing done by the kids, etc. The list is endless and you can let your imagination run wild.

 

7.       When buying gifts for your children (especially if money is tight) ask your children to write a numbered list of what they want. The first present being from Santa and the second being from Mum & Dad. Then tell them they can make the list as long as they want and if they have been extra good that year then they just might receive some extra presents from the rellies. This is a great chance to pass the list around to the family but means you’re only out of pocket for 1-2 gifts. And don’t go over the top – a $30 present for a child is PLENTY!! That’s all my sister and I got growing up and it made us look after and appreciate our toys a whole lot more. I still have my favourite gift from when I was growing up – and it was a $10 doll. I never have and never will part with it!!

 

8.       If you really want to skip the shops and the commercial Christmas then sit your kids down and tell them that for Christmas this year Mum and Dad are going to take some extra time off work to spend with them. All any kid wants when asked is more time with their parents – so what could make a better gift? And you don’t have to worry about any missed income from taking time off as you will be saving money by not splurging on unnecessary Christmas presents.

 

9.       Donate to a charity or help someone out who is less fortunate than you. If you can, volunteer your time at a soup kitchen or something similar that runs on Christmas day. You’ll feel good about it and you will also make that person’s Christmas. And before your kids get any new toys from Santa you could explain to them that they have to pick an old toy that they don’t play with much anymore to donate to a charity – once again this will make another kid’s Christmas and will be teaching your kids the joy of giving at the same time. After all that’s what Christmas is all about – the season of giving!

 

10.   Family get-togethers can be FUN!! But they can also be stressful. Organise it so that everyone brings a plate and that way one person isn’t stuck with all the cooking (and washing up!!!) which just makes Christmas feel like a chore. If everyone in the extended family agrees why not have one year where you just celebrate Christmas individually with your own separate family units – this means all you Mum and Dad’s can relax during the day while the kids have more time to enjoy their toys and your company.

 

11.   STAY AWAY FROM THE SHOPS!! Just don’t go!! This will save you time, relieve stress and ease the burden on other shoppers who haven’t quite grasped the meaning of Christmas yet. If you can’t go without the shops then do your shopping early – in September or October. There are great toy sales in the months leading up to Christmas and because it isn’t that close to Christmas the item is more likely to be on the shelves when you arrive.

 

12.   Skipping a commercial Christmas doesn’t mean skipping a magical Christmas. Kids can still have Santa Clause and Christmas trees and presents but you can teach them that family and friends are what makes Christmas so special. And don’t forget the birth of Jesus Christ!

I hope this helps all you families out there who are just as frustrated as me about how commercial Christmas has become. You have the power to change and now you have some tips to get you started so good luck!! And remember those around us who aren’t as fortunate this Christmas and share a bit of your love and joy with those people. You will brighten their day and make their Christmas!

To all who read this I wish you a magical Christmas and a stress-free New Year!!

This article is dedicated to Jdimytai Damour, who sadly lost his life so that 2000 frenzied shoppers could grab their Christmas “bargain”.

You can read about his story at the following websites:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1091274/Wal-Mart-security-man-trampled-death-U-S-Christmas-sales-frenzy-6ft-6in-20-stone-man-mountain.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1090476/Store-worker-crushed-death-2-000-frenzied-bargain-hunters-smash-doors.html

By Samantha Wright