Hordes of anxious people wait in line for hours for a single toy. Christmas is just around the corner and standing in line is essential to checking the last gifts off of their lists. They are eager to see the look on the recipients’ face and to get a gift in return for all their hard work. This is what Christmas has become: a holiday engulfed by selfish desires.
All the stress to have fun sucks the joy from the holiday season. Each tradition must be followed, each present must be picked out with care and each family member must be greeted. Christmas has lost its true meaning for many Americans.
According to Dan Harris of ABC News, between 30 and 40 percent of young people report having no religious affiliation, yet Christmas shopping season is at an all-time high with Black Friday creeping into Thanksgiving. Christmas has strayed too far from its original purpose for too many Americans.
Christmas’s true meaning is different for everyone. For me, it’s being thankful for what I have and helping those less fortunate, but many Americans have forgotten this. Every television station has a holiday special and every store has a blowout sale, engulfing Americans into the glitter of a commercialized Christmas.
The technologically-driven world we live in doesn’t help. The crazy sales that last for months push America away from the true meaning of Christmas. Going bankrupt in order to provide top-of-the-line toys for children is wrong.
Christmas could be celebrated with family and friends, with giving to charity and with reflecting on how fortunate each person is. Instead, people celebrate Christmas by watching movies, getting presents and eating, no longer caring about the reason the holiday should be celebrated. People obsess over what will be served at holiday parties and what they will wear instead of those who won’t be served anything.
Christmas could be a wonderful holiday where people help their communities. Instead, every year it creeps closer to having no meaning whatsoever other than an empty wallet and spoiled children.
