Christmas to commercialized  

Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it. Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I had an office event to go to. Which I must admit was a ton of fun.

I wish that these companies would just let the holidays be where they are suppose to be and not try and push it as hard as they are, it is such a huge pain in the butt.

benny,

You make a good point. We do add to it. But, are we as well purchasing earlier? Or does it just seem that way.

Personally, I will admit, I actually start my next year shopping the day after Christmas. I try and purchase all the gifts etc. That way I can get a better deal. However, there is always that little something that does pop up.

I mean really, half the sales that are going on aren't really sales when you look at it. I actually went to a store one time to do sort of research. This was about a month before Thanksgiving. I priced a really nice sweater that I knew would probably be around for the period of time. Sure enough I came back about a week before thanksgiving the price was jacked up by about 40 percent. When I returned the week of thanksgiving, the price was right back where it was the month prior. What are these companies thinking.

I feel sad for the many of us that fall victim to this sham.

Thanks for your comments I appreciate it. You know a friend of mine at work made a good point. When Jesus was born he was given only 3 gifts. She says that is all she ever gives to each of her children, to represent what was given to the baby upon his birth. She said, it keeps them humble and helps them to remember the true meaning. She also stated she sets an amount to spend and never goes over it. She says each child receives gifts under 50 a year. I commend her for doing this. Things have gotten so expensive, its not even funny.

Yes, chulce, i commend her also. I have a grandson who lives with me and two other grandchildren who live close by and i want them to know the real meaning of Christmas. It is hard because they see how others react to the Christmas holidays, and they want the gifts like other children their ages. I try to make it a point to read the story of Christmas to my children and grandchildren on Christmas eve, and we always talk about it. I can remember my grandmother telling us as children that she was lucky to get a homemade quilt, there just wasn't money to go spend on pricey gifts that after the day is over the gifts are tore up or thrown to a corner and forgotten.

You hit the nail right on the head! Greed. That is the big word and soo very true.

I used to go all out decorating our home for the holidays, then wondered why I should support the commercial side of the Holiday so much. In the past 2 years I have cut back a great deal. I don't put lights out on my home. I hang a couple of wreaths that I made out, we have a small tree that we are growing in a pot for our Christmas tree. The stockings are hung and a few other small decorations are hanging up to add the warmth of the season to our home.

A few friends of ours saw this and are now following our lead. They couldn't believe how much they were doing and for what....

You are so right about the exploiting of the holiday. I worry about all the different charities that are legitimate that are out there to help families, etc. There are many though that are not true charities. No one does the research and end up supporting someone that is exploiting this part of our world.

I think it is wonderful that you work to understand other religions of family and friends. It is a great way to be a more well rounded person. It also helps with keeping the stresses down for everyone. Of course this is only one person's opinion. I think if each of us had a better understanding of all religions and cultures this would be a better world for everyone to live in.