How worldly are consumers becoming when it comes to Christmas? At the rate the stores are going they are going to be leaving Christmas merchandise up all year. I was in the store just this afternoon at Walmart, and noticed that there was shelves being set-up and containing Christmas merchandise while on an adjacent shelving unit sat Halloween goodies. How crazy is the country starting to get. And what I don't get is why consumers support this and buy these items four and half months before Christmas. That is insane!! I would like to make it through one holiday before I see the one coming in the future on display as well. I feel strongly that Christmas is about the Savior and what he did for us, but somehow the focus of Christmas turned into one of commercialism.
How do I as a parent explain to my children why they see Christmas merchandise on the shelf with Halloween items, and that Christmas is still four months away --- at least!! To a child I imagine this to be very confusing and frustrating. I remember as I was a child that when I started seeing Christmas products in the stores that it was about a month away, and now my kids get excited but only to be upset because I have to tell them it's still four months away. I'm not against Christmas decorations and merchandise being in stores around Thanksgiving or the middle of November but when it's being placed on shelves in stores as early as the begining of September that's a little overboard on promoting Christmas "things".
So I'm refusing to buy any lights or decorations related to Christmas until at least Thanksgiving time.
I'm wondering how you feel about seeing Christmas in the stores in September?
I have some HUGE issues with the commercialization of holiday's. Especially Easter and Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI think that the best way to conteract the whole Christmas thing is to make sure (as I'm sure that you guys do) that the focus is on the true meaning of the holiday. The tradition we've started in our family and that I read about a few years ago in the Family Fun magazine is to only give each child three gifts, representing the three gifts that the wisemen brought Christ. One for frakinsense: you give something that is needed (like socks, shoes, outfit....); one for myrh: a family gift or a gift that the person likes, but has to include the family (we usually give a board game of some kind...the family in the magazine used the example of tickets to a basketball game or something like that). and gold: is the gift of something that the child "wants" like a new cd player, ipod.....
that way, no one is wondering why they didn't get as many gifts as last year, or why did so-and-so get more gifts that me. Also, you can adjust to the needs of your family depending on financial situations.
my in-laws were a little skeptical when i told them what we were doing b/c they thought that they were included in this, but they are not...however, every mom that i've told this to has really liked the idea, our bishop LOVED the idea...so there is my idea for you on helping your kids to focus more on the season than on the commercialism.