"They won't have a Christmas this year"

Hi, dragon54u! I agree! They will have a Christmas this year. Just as long as they are alive and breathing, there will be a Christmas for them. The greatest present is Jesus Himself and the fact that we are still alive...

You're right, really, but it's still sad when a family has no gifts for Christmas, especially children. Christmas is about being generous and loving and giving, and that means that those of us who can, should show that generosity and love and give whenever the opportunity comes.

Well, it is Sad to see that so many people out there have forgotten the True meaning of Christmas to where all they tend to think about is money and if they do not have enough to buy gifts then there will be No Christmas. Personally it would be really nice if more meaning overall could be put back on the real meaning of Christmas and Jesus' birth, but in reality there is too many out there saying we are not allowed to talk about it is why Christmas has become so commercialized as well. But it is True we should focus on just more than gifts, and hey if money is tight maybe find ways to make something for everyone instead.

Maybe they should have said, "they will be unable to receive or give gifts this Christmas," or rather "They will be unable to give gifts to their children this Christmas." but I suppose they really mean "their children will be unable to get presents for Christmas unless someone else of this vast audience in TV land goes and buys them," So it maybe is getting people to buy gifts for the children whose father is out of work, etc. But then if they said it, people would think that if they gave gifts to these children, that meant I could not give gifts to my own kids. It seems rather sad really because Christmas is about the birth of Christ and the salvation from sin that HE brought to the world and the hope HE gives us. Gifts should be a reflection of that love and not just a guilt thing. And people should not feel bad because they cannot afford material gifts and can show the love of Christ in many ways.

to me the true meaning of Christmas is spending time with your loved ones, and showing them how much you appreciate them. When I was growing up we often didn't have much money, but every Christmas was wonderful. I have so many wonderful Christmas memories and few of them are about the presents I received. I love presents. I take ages over finding and choosing the perfect presents for the people I love. often I make presents too. I love presents but I love to give presents. getting presents is wonderful too, but it's seeing my loved ones unwrap the things I've chosen for them that I look forward too, much more than opening my own. you can have a wonderful Christmas with next to nothing. I know because we've done it. Christmas isn't about commercialism, even though it's lovely to buy and receive lots of presents, what you really want from the festival is to feel safe and loved within your family unit. as long as you spend the time with people you love, Christmas will be special.

I agree dragon...Christmas has become way too commercialized. My grandkids think only about the toys that Santa will bring and I always remind them of what Christmas is really all about. I was explaining Thanksgiving to my 3 year old grandson yesterday and one of the nephew's boys was here hanging out. He actually corrected me and told me that Thanksgiving is about eating turkey and a bunch of other stuff. He's 8 so Lord knows what he thinks Christmas is.

The commercial aspect of this holiday has long overshadowed the real meaning of Christmas. But maybe it is just in other countries, but here in the Philippines we look at the closeness or family bond more than the gift giving. And we really celebrate on the eve before Christmas, the 24th. We all look forward to going to mass on the eve of the 24th of December to say thanks to the blessings we have received the past year. We give thanks that our family members are with us to celebrate the holiday. The giving of gifts is more or a bonus or plus, well for my family that is. We look forward more on the feast, since we express more of the festive joy with the prepared food. We splurge more on what we would prepare for the feast than with the gifts. It was one of the major dampers when I was working in the call center industry and had to go to work on December 24th. The mere thought that you are absent from the festivities where families who don't see each other for months get together. Even the poor here also try to have something simple for the feast. They don't mind if they don't get gifts. It is more of the family being together, eating together and thanking God for all the blessings.

yes you are right. the focus of christmas has changed dramaticly from being excitied about being with your family and getting maybe one or two gifts to having a mound of presents under the tree. that is so not what its about.

hi dragon54u I know where you we coming from as we have taken the Christ out of Christmas and put in Santa and gifts by the tons b but family also is important on christmas and what if your only family your son is in one place and you, ex me is in a place where there are ninety residents and no they Are not family to me,it does not work that way. I am grateful to be here as we were homeless, but no I am not happy that we are homeless, and Christmas brings some heartache maybe thinking of Christs birth will wash some of this away.

I completely agree with you. People are made to feel bad or not "in the spirit" of Christmas if they don't exchange gifts. I though the spirit of Christmas was a spiritual one (is that what a spirit is all about?). The made rush for consumer goods that we don't even need is not Christmas. Christmas has been hijacked by this. We spend money on others and they try to spend the same amount on us. We all end up spending about the same and if we can't we're made to feel bad. In our family we buy a few toys for the kids, as well as practical things like new clothes for them. The adults in our family have made an agreement not to exchange gifts anymore. We enjoy ourselves by visiting each other and having meals together with special food treats. The kids can have gifts, but since they can't exchange any, then there is giving without receiving on the part of the adults.

For people who spent the commercialized Christmas and suddenly will lose it through disasters, I would say that there Christmas would be the real first Christmas ever. Why? Its because they would learn how to spend it the most sacred wy. No expensive gifts, toys, delicious foods, etc. They would spend it like the early Christians would do. But, all of these things would only happen if they never question God on the misfortune they have just survive.

I don't celebrate Christmas, as it doesn't have any meaning for me, but it's true that celebrations shouldn't be just about spending a lot of money and giving presents. If you believe in the thing you're celebrating, you just need to enjoy it in the best way for you, and if that means just staying with a beloved person, with your family, or going by yourself to party, go for it!