The Commercialisation of Christmas

Cashing on Christmas

Christmas is a time of year that draws strong reactions from a wide range of people. As much as it is a time for family and theoretically to be enjoyed, Christmas does have its opponents. Or, to be more accurate, there are people who are thoroughly displeased by the idea of a holiday which used to be about family togetherness and happiness being turned into a corporate festival which relies on rampant consumerism. Looking at the supermarkets which have Christmas related lines on their shelves from September onwards it is not hard to understand their points.

However it is inevitable that this kind of commercialism will take a grip on a holiday where gifts play a major part. Knowing that people will spend money to get the best gift for those who they love, the companies with something to sell will put a lot of their advertising budget into the Christmas period. The inevitable knock-on effect is that other companies will do the same to compete. Add this to an element of competition among families to get the “best” (read: most expensive) gifts, and you have a recipe for a commercial holiday.

Is it possible to have a Christmas holiday without being carried along on the waves of consumerism? Well, yes, of course it is. It is important to keep the message firm in your family, that Christmas is about people and not products. Gifts are wonderful, no doubt. But without the emotion behind them, they are still just things.

Christmas Graphics