One thing that has always made me both angry and sad about Christmas...

Despite what many people seem to think, all but the very youngest of children are able to understand that a gift is in the giving. The majority would have an enjoyable Christmas if it were filled with an atmosphere of love and celebration, even if the material gifts and trappings were few. I think kids need to know what to expect from Christmas. If they expect one thing, perhaps from believing everything we are subjected to in the media about what the perfect Christmas should contain, and the reality is different then they are bound to be disappointed. A responsible parent would talk to their child about their expectations during the run up and do their best to ensure that expection and reality matched.

I would agree with that, even poor and rich people alike in a third world country like mine does even care much of what they could receive instead of focusing the reason for the season. Some folks can't attend a family gathering since all they have in mind would be the expenses they could give during this activity, without valuing the importance of families being together even a simple meal in a table with prayers and thanks for the Savior. I haven't receive any present this Christmas season, I don't wanna bragged but I do give few folks and that makes me feel good, tomorrow, I would be with the family back home. Merry Christmas dragon54u !

Hey, Merry Christmas! You are right, everything has been hyped and commercialised in a really bad manner that people dont se the importance of the day BUT by the gifts that they get! It is sad to see that more and more importance is given to gifts and clothes than to Baby Jesus!! When i was yong i too had the same kind of thought, i always wanted to wear the best of clothes and shoes so that i stand out from the crowd, but later on i realised that it is childish to think like that. My friends too, instead of being intrested in the high mas tat was being offered were more intrested in who is looking good and who's not. I dont know if its the same with all teenagers but that is what i too used to do. Now i do realise that we should be happy for Christ on His Birthday and not on what we get for His birthday. I hope other parents relize this too and change the things how we look at it. Stop making this world more and more materialistic.

Can I get a blankie in the hizzie 'yo? For Real. It's cold!

I think after the commercialization crept in, then came the competition. I did have a great experience this Chistmas season though. Both of my boys are grown now and when they were younger I always took them along with me every Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve to the City Mission to let them help serve out dinner for the homless. As they got older and other things took priority they got away from it. I called my oldest son the other day and asked him what time he was coming over Christmas eve and he went through this big list of things he had to do but he said at the end of the conversation. "Don't hold dinner up for me mom I'll be a little late because I have to go by the City mission and serve out dinner first." The youngest one informed me that he would be early because he had to be at Christmas Eve service at church by 6:00. So we canceled out Chrismas Eve dinner and I'm going to go to the City Mission with the one and they are both coming over after church service for sandwiches and soup. That made my Christmas to know that someting I tried to instill in them finally soaked in! LOL Have a very Merry Christmas!