Christmas...What's It Really About?

I used to feel badly if I didn't have enough money to buy everything I thought I needed to for Christmas. I don't feel that way anymore. Christmas is supposed to be the day where Christians celebrate the birth of their savior Jesus Christ. The tradition of giving gifts on his birthday used to mean something. Today Christmas is nothing more than a capitalistic holiday much like Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday. When a huge percentage of Americans admit that they do not even attend church on a regular basis and most do not even consider themselves "practicing" Christians, why are the malls so crowded this time of year? Do we really need all this "stuff"? Will the economy really tank if we do not succumb to the temptation of the retailers? I think not. Christmas is a big commercial holiday and for many, the most depressing time of the year. We are made to feel a certain expectation about what the "perfect" Christmas is and if we don't create that perfection we feel let down. It is funny that since the economy started going downhill way back in 2008 and everyone starting talking downsizing, Christmas has not really suffered much. People still are shopping to excess and extreme. I am one of the people who used to spend too much money every year trying to make a "nice" Christmas for my kids. I soon saw that no matter how many presents were under the tree and how much I spent there still was that letdown feeling once it was all over. It is overwhelming for anyone to receive several gifts and most of the time those gifts are soon forgotten. There have been very few gifts I have ever received that are precious to me. The best gifts I have ever received in this lifetime are my children, my husband and my family members and friends. You cannot put a price on that. They also are not exchangeable or returnable. Good thing. They are all that matter to me and as long as I am able to spend time with them, I don't need presents under my tree.