The Commercialization of Christmas

scientist

scientist

Active member
Christmas is here once again, just as it came the last year.. Now as much as I hate to admit it im getting older. At this age, the whole Santa deal seems considerably more like an inside joke than an actual character. It is also the age where I have become more in tune and aware with things going on. With this new awreness however came a inconvenient discovery, subsequently wieghing down my "christmas spirit".

If you have time to kill, as I do, turn on a TV right now. Turn to any "primetime" channel, and wait for a commercial break. I can quarentee that the words 'Perfect Christmas Gift" will grace your ears. A few images of a middle-upper class caucasian family, shit eating grins plastered on thier faces as the wife removes the perfect top of whatever peice of shit kitchen appliance she recieved from her husband. Every fucking product is the perfect gift from late November until December 25.

Back in my day this was not the case. we didnt have the severity of the commercial industry sucking the spirit out of us like mosquitos. Kids these days dont know REAL Christmas spirit. Mind you, Who can say what it is. In my childhood chritmas spirit was represented by watching "bluetoes the christmas elf" with my family for christ sakes. These days you are hardpressed to find any child under 8 who isnt completly obsessed with material possesions, escpecially at this time of year.

Now if you were born pre 1990, you will probably know exactly what "christmas magic" I am talking about. Doesnt anyone remeber the days before santa was an elaborate joke, whos purpose now is to market product and just be another salesman. Since when does santas workshop make "my little ponies?" Take a quick gander at generally any 10 year old girls wish list. It literally consists SOLEY of brand names. 10 years ago, i would imagine that brand names reflected social status to a 16 year old, not some 9 year old who still hasnt outgrown her speech impediment. Im tempted to walk into a thrift store and buy the ugliest pair of sunglasses i can find, slap a "roxy" symbol on em' and had them to any superficial 9 year old followed by a "merry christmas". Im willing to bet that 5 out of 10 would wear them. Though not a direct reflection of Media marketing schemes, it does imply that such means of communication have raised yet another generation of a brand hungry society. What a common denominator, but at an alarmingly young age.

After all this, one might say that I am just dissapointed that my days of baby teeth and goosebumps books are long gone, and I am not afraid to admit that I am. I wished as hard as I could to grow up, unitl I finally realized I had. Where were the 4 stages laid out in seprate color coded quadrants from health class? This rant was simply my opinion on the modern day christmas. "Bratz Christmas" aired on YTV today. I nearly ripped my jaw from its hinges, and yanked over my scalp. This is what young, impressionable kids are watching. This is thier first memories of christmas. This IS thier idea of christmas. Tanya buying Nathan a trendy new vest from the new trendy store in the trendy new stripmall. Spreading holiday cheer is now regarded as "Uncool" unless accompanied by something purchased from lasenza girl or some surfshop. If the entire child population was a pie chart for what people would do if they won a million dollars, the kids who arent completly ass over teakettle for possesions for Christmas would be the "donate it to charity" slice. It seems as though the glorious media has yet again brainwashed another fresh batch, making it seem like the human race is growing much less genuine as the years go by. This is about as certain as the fact that I to will have the shit eating grin plastered on my face as I open some useless junk on christmas morning, and so will you.

Merry Christmas and best wishes,

Rory
 
no, im almost 17. I put that back in my day thing as a way to say "i thought id never be talkign like this." I know I am young, and I know that when i was 8 years old, people my age now were complaining about us and how spoiled we were. But the change has seemed to occur pretty fast just like pretty much everything today.
 
Same, not feeling the christmas spirit at all tonight. I don't even really want to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow to face the drama of xmas morning.
 
word up son. i was just having a conversation about this. Christmas isn't even Jesus' supposed birthday anyways.
 
I know the feeling. I remember being a kid and the only brand name I would be hoping for was Lego, thats it. I didnt care what else I got either, I was stoked on just getting something. My sister is only 5 years younger than me, but still, she gets pissed off if you even get her a gift card to the wrong store. It's rediculous.
 
I beg to differ.

Commercialization and rampant consumerism is just more apparant to you now that you are old enough to recognize it and know it.
 
That is something i forgot to put in there. I was trying to get at that with my "who can really know what christmas spirit is anyways." Im glad you said that. it was more of a rant about getting older and bitter haha
 
I understand what you're saying. I used to be in the same boat, at the time I was around your age. I am 21 now.

Also, 3 years ago, I had an experience which sort of changed my views and outlook on Christmas and the real purpose of it once you get older and the gifts are less important.

My dad, who was and is a very healthy, fit, active person, suffered a severe stroke 3 years ago on Christmas eve. The doctor who operated on him and emoved the clot thought for sure he was either dead or going to be a vegetable. That's how severe it was. By some unbeknownst miracle, although the doctors hae some general ideas of what may have happened, and a string of good luck, my dad made a full recovery. He shows no effects of the stroke, and you can't tell at all. Christmas morning, when my dad came to, the doctor literally told him "You are one lucky son of a bitch."

Almost losing your dad like that on a holiday really makes you think of the holiday differently. I look forward to being around my relatives. I cherish the time with my grandparents a little more because you just don't know how much longer they will be around, no matter how healthy they are.

Christmas to me is not about gifts at all anymore. It's about being with family and acknowledging how much they mean to me.

But as for the commercialization.. Look wayyy back in Christmas, maybe ask your mother about Cabbage Patch kids and the craziness that surrounded them when they were the hot Christmas toy back then...

It really just becomes more apparant to you as you get old enough to recognize it.
 
Whatever. I'm just a bitter dude about the holidays, cause my family always sucks at getting presents.
 
I think my family is just burned out on christmas cheer. What was once the most wonderful time of the year is now just a pain in the ass and a lot of stress. Making things worse, there was a really bad storm that knocked everyone's power out about a week ago. And for days no one could get gasoline no stores were open etc. It was absolute chaos. So you try to keep a positive spirit when you're shopping for people or whatever, but it takes you 45 minutes to drive 6 blocks to the mall then you find out that there's no parking anywhere and when you finally get to the store the line to buy shit is going out the door around the block. We're all just such mindless money driven drones in persuit of some abstract concept to try to make us happy. All the PS3's and Lexus SUV's in the world can't fill that void. Only eggnog and rum is up to the task.
 
christmas isnt getting worst. this argument really resembles a tree hugging drop out trying to argue that global warming is a serious issue.
 
What is important about chrismas is not the gifts, its being with your family.

But yes, chrismas is commercialized nowdays...it feels less magic every year...

 
The thing is that once you get older you lose track of all the latest trends of the time. It's not that christmas spirit is gone because its not, it has just fallen out of our visualization of a true Christmas. When I was younger Lego was all the rage and every kid and their brother was buying it because it was the "in" thing. We still watched programs that glamorized the hell out of christmas but thats the way things were at that time. Some kid whos 6 right now will one day do the same thing you have done scientist, because he too will see that the targets of Christmas has changed also.

Don't fret about Christmas being too commercialized because as long as you and your family are together that's all that matters. The idea of opening gifts is a fantastic concept and it really brings together the family like no other holiday.

I see Christmas as a time to get together with you family and spread the Holiday cheer, I very rarely see someone who's pissed off and aggravated on this day because there's so much to be thankfull for.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!
 
Not to mention Jesus was a black man who's birthday was most likely took place in the spring, not December 25. The celebration of "christmas" on the 25th was a pagan holiday and he probably hates you for celebrating it.
 
Yea, thast the shitty part about it. As I grew up i realized the truth about christmas. When i was 8 I thought Id always feel that way.
 
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesnt' come from a store.

Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"
 
18.. i think that gives me 6 years on you.

AND i wasn't the one talking about "getting old".. hell, i'm as young as ever
 
Read some of my posts sweetie, if you think a 12 year old wrote them, well then I pity your very existance.
 
I know I'm intelligent...

I was just pointing out that it is basically impossible that I could be 12.

work with what? No sense.
 
so you're saying there are no smart 12 year olds? my cousin was pretty smart when he was 12. i dont think you know what youre talking about.

plus its pretty easy to use a thesaurus to change some words around and make your posts seem smart LOL
 
Damn you caught me. Every time I come on NS I try so hard to make myself intelligent. I have my thesauraus, dictionary, and spellchecker all ready to go.

I didn't say there are no smart 12 year olds, I said I couldn't be a 12 year old if you look at the environment of my posts.

Jordan steps back, swoosh, and that's the game folks.
 
Let me introduce you to my friend...sarcasm.

You may have seen him before, he comes up in movies and social events. You know when other people laugh and you don't understand why? That's probably because they used a clever version of sarcasm. I suggest you take a dictionary, look it up, and then you will be all set to get the sarcastic jokes people make! Yay, see you can learn things on NS. You just have to be completely retarded to start.
 
that's a stupid name for someone. and it seems like he has a pretty shitty life being used and all that junk.

and if i read that post i would definately think you were 12 cuz it didnt make any sense.
 
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