I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet..
My father has been out of work for 13 months now. Like so many others this year, my family will be celebrating Christmas without the commercialized traditions that society has conditioned us to love. In our America, where Christmas has become capitalism’s chance for yearly repentance, I have to say that I am thankful for this opportunity for so many of us to come together and see the true meaning of Christmas, to experience the comfort of human solidarity.
This 2011 Christmas has opened my eyes to the simple truth that, as humans, we are all the same – with or without money. More so than ever before, I can see now that we are really all one; there can be no difference between two men that is not forced on by social conditioning; the rich man only looks down on the poor man because his society taught him to. Beneath the mind that our surroundings have crafted for us, we all possess the same driving force to survive and perceive the beauty of the world – we are humans before we are social creatures, and Christmas, to me, is an escape from society and a return to our humanity. Let us return to one another this Christmas, and simply participate in the joyous occasion of being together.
I’d love to hear what Christmas means to you this year in the comments below.
Merry Christmas,
S.Pine
It's lovely that you and your family are able to see Christmas this way. I hope that your situation has been bearable throughout the rest of the year as well as I know the kinds of tolls that financial burdens can take on a family and on the individual.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, Christmas has always meant more than presents. Presents are merely a means of showing your loved ones that you care about them- and there are so many different ways to do that without a lot of money in the bank.
Every year, more and more (and especially this year), I am disturbed by our culture's focus on (expensive) tacky decorations and presents. If I see one more blow up snow globe lawn ornament, I may puke. And watching people in the stores this time of year is very telling- most people have a zombie look in their eyes and they are ruder than at any other time of year, ironically.
But, the little things mean a lot when out in the world at this time of year. Even one sincere "happy holidays" can make all the difference. If everyone can just remember to treat each other with a little more respect, and not be so concerned about racking in presents for our own clan, this time of year would actually be the way it is supposed to be.
I love the holidays and I love what they all represent (as I talked about in my blog about Christmas too); but, I hate the way that many people treat them- as just another chance to show off what they have and what they can attain.
Happy holidays to those of you who celebrate them. And best wishes to everyone as this year comes to a close.