I spent the better part of the weekend wrapping Christmas gifts. And when I was done, 2 days later, my living room was a practical example of Christmas commercialized excess.
I know that society has been bemoaning the commercialization of Christmas forever. But for real. It's gotten out of hand.
I am not a practicing Christian by any means, but I do buy into the whole "Peace on Earth/Goodwill to Men" angle of the holiday. The family aspect. The nice meal. The relaxing in front of the fireplace sipping a 1,000 calorie per glass of eggnog. I am past the age of 12 and while I do appreciate a nice gift, it's not that important to me. From my perspective, the magic of Christmas is for kids.
While I do like buying a few well chosen gifts for close family and friends. There is a societal perception that one must pick up "a little something" for every person we come into contact with on a yearly basis in the spirit of the season lest you be labeled a Scrooge. It's a layer of financial stress that I can't fully articulate. It has become a burden and not a joy.
This will come off as ungenerous and grinchy. So be it. I do consider myself generous and thoughtful gift giver but I'd rather do it on my own terms at any other point in the calendar year except the day when it is expected. My thoughtful well chosen gifts are replaced with the mad dash of gift cards so I have "a little something" for a laundry list of names. And frankly...all those "little somethings" along with all the other expenditures of the season, the booze, the special Christmas dinner, the hosted events, all add up to a big final total. A total that could be mistaken for a mortgage payment.
The commercialization of Christmas is real and it's exhausting. The malls start with the decorations and the music before Halloween. Then there are the ads. The doorbusters. The gazillionith rendition of White Christmas.
As I write this, it's 5 days before Christmas and I, for one, can't wait for it to be over. I am ready to settle down for a long winters nap.
