by Jo Ann Wentzel

Created on: November 20, 2009

Every year, manufacturers and retail stores start their pitch for selling you, Christmas items earlier than before. We are so used to a commercial Christmas that we don't even notice it anymore.

Christmas is meant to be celebrated with family and food and fun but not at the risk of wrecking the family's budget. Now, when we see all the new offerings for Christmas; we forget our determination to stay within our budget.

Our children are inundated with tons of commercials for toys and electronic gizmos that they feel are musts for Santa to bring. They see these items on Saturday cartoon shows. They have seen them so often that they start to believe they want them.

We forget that Christmas is our Lord's birthday. We forget that much of this holiday should be about honoring him. We forget that Christmas is a spiritual holiday for most of us. We forget it is not about money, nor how much we spend, nor how much we give.

In order to get back to the real meaning of Christmas; we need to include more family activities and less shopping. We must forget buying as the main activity of this wonderful holiday.

Commercialism has run rampant, and now with the economy, we also feel the need to support our retail stores. Sometimes we support them at the risk of our own budget. Sometimes we go into debt just to give a more expensive gift to others.

It is nice to be able to give gifts, but if they are loved ones and friends, they would not wish us to go into debt and ruin our budget and take a chance on losing our home; just because we overspent for Christmas.

Commercialism makes this holiday, expensive, and yet cheapens the real meaning of celebrating it. If we wish to not concentrate on the money part of the holiday, instead find ways to give meaningful gifts by giving of our time, or by making by hand, something beautiful. We need to start to think that we do not plan our holidays by someone else's rules.

Commercialism infers how our tree should look. Commercialism demands that we celebrate in the way, retail stores, suggest. We are told, what is necessary for a Christmas dinner. We are told we need to add several baked goods and here is the list. We are told what wine we should have with our meal. Commercialism decides what our children want for gifts. Commercialism decides what our house decorations should look like.

In order to avoid commercialism, you should plan your holiday by yourself or with your family and follow those plans. You should be the one to decide what your budget can afford. You should be the one to decide what menu you will serve, what your house will look like and what gifts you will give to others.

Commercialism can win only if we follow the dictates of others in the retail industry and do not follow our own plan. To avoid commercialism only go shop at stores that have what you are interested in purchasing, and only buy what is on your list. Do not spend so much time watching TV, or letting your children watch those commercials for toys and other electronic wizardry. You decide what they might like and ask them questions to be sure you are on the right track about gifts they will enjoy. Take back control of your Christmas and add spirituality and family activities to your plan.

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