...Xmas

For me, Christmas is the happiest time of the year. You get to see family and catch up with news you missed out on for a year. You can visit friends, hangout and party. Let us not forget the gift giving...finding the ideal present for the people who are closest to you. Don't even get me started on the food; curl up your toe goodness. In Jamaica it is traditional to have ham, fruit cake, and sorrel. But we can add so much more to that list, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, beef, chicken, smoked chicken, manish water, rice and peas, candied sweet potatoes, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, ... let me stop, I'm getting hungry as I type. Another thing that I love to do is to go through my wardrobe and give away clothes that I haven't worn for awhile to the Salvation Army and I drop money (not coins) in their "pots" at the supermarket. Christmas really is a wonderful time of the year.

What I don't understand is the use of the word Xmas. Have we gotten so bad that we cannot say Christmas anymore. I understand and I am sympathetic to others who aren't Christians or for persons who do not celebrate Christmas but I believe that if you will be involved in the celebrations then you should call it what it is. So at no point there should be the use of the word Xmas. I'm good with Happy Holidays. Seasons Greetings is fine. It's just, Xmas annoys me. The group of people that I find use this word the most are business people. My take on it is, if you are going to make a profit on Christmas, then by all means call it Christmas.

I find that we, and by we I mean consumers, allow these companies to get away with this foolishness. They have preyed upon us for getting the perfect gift for our loved ones that now this period of time is more about the gift than it is about family gatherings, going to church, etc. We as consumers complain that Christmas has become commercial and yet we still make a mad rush for what we are told are the perfect gifts during this period. We are the ones who are fueling this fire.

Now, don't get me wrong. It is fun to give gifts to our love ones. But it shouldn't be that on Christmas Adam (December 23) and on Christmas Eve we are out in the middle of the night trying to buy gifts. What we should be buying is supplies because you will be spending the day with your family. You should be buying groceries, ingredients for the Christmas dinner, toiletries (because you may have unexpected guests), and so forth. When did Christmas become a time period of such stress?

What values are we teaching our children? Must you always get a present for Xmas? What happened to the hand made card? What happened to baking or cooking something for someone else? I love gifts, but I wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that someone else had to be out late at night trying to get that gift for me. I would rather they give me at another time, than to cause them so much stress. If they are really your loved ones, you wouldn't want to cause them harm(or in this case, stress.) Isn't it better for you and your love ones to celebrate your family, catch up on what you have missed out on, and just be a family?

I think that we are just buying a gift for just buying a gift sake and not assessing your loved ones and seeing what it is that would make them happy. I know of some people who give a pair of socks to the same people every year. If that is the case, don't give them a gift. It is obvious you aren't taking the time to get something for that person. You are just giving something for giving something sake. And other people who do similar things, should stop doing that. Take the time and get something meaningful.

At some point, we lost our focus. At some point, we thought it was fine to take the Christ out of Christmas and make it Xmas. Shouldn't we use December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ? Shouldn't we use Christmas to keep in touch with family members? Why have we strayed so far?

The only way we can get back our Christmas is to stop entertaining corporations with these last minute shopping. We are sending the wrong message to our children that they MUST receive a gift on Christmas day AND only the hottest commodities are good enough to be presents. After jumping hurdles to give our children these gifts we are the same ones who complain that children have no values. Let us take back Christmas people! Challenge yourself this Christmas (or maybe next year) and make a hand made gift for at least one person in your life or donate to some charity. Think of this time to make a difference in this world and not just as the time to get something. Let us put back the power in our hands and make it Christmas again.