The Perfect Present: Is it Really Priceless?
Monday, December 15th, 2008
by MollyM5
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When I was younger, the month of December was the most exciting time of the year. Not only did I get a few weeks off from school, but it also meant that Christmas was just around the corner. Christmas was a time to see distant relatives, eat candy canes, drink eggnog, and discover the old traditions saved from the previous year. One part of Christmas I do not recall however is the stress of making sure everyone got all the presents that they asked for, and the large amount of money wasted around the holidays. As I have gotten older I have realized that December 25th comes with a lot more than just traditions, tasty foods, and spending time with you family.
One tradition that has seemed to include a larger amount of people over the last few years is a day named Black Friday. This day occurs the morning after Thanksgiving and is meant strictly for “door-buster” sales that usually begin around 4 a.m. People camp out all night at the doors of varieties of stores waiting for them to open so that they can push through and hope to walk out with a few good sales. I understand that presents can be expensive and that a discount is helpful from time to time, but this one-day brawl for the best deals has altered this person’s view on what Christmas is truly supposed to be about.
In my opinion, the constant stress that seems to begin the day after Thanksgiving is unnecessary and has had the ability to change a family’s views on Christmas. For example, the latest “Black Friday” cost one innocent Wal-Mart worker his life. When this man was trying to open the doors of the store, eager shoppers charged into him, causing his death. When police tried to close the Wal-Mart to investigate this death, shoppers began rioting. People who were too caught up in the thought of maybe saving a couple hundred dollars caused all of this drama.
Christmas has become more of a chore than a special time to spend with family and friends. People have become more focused on making sure that their Christmas tree is lit and house decorated. I feel as if Christmas has become more of an inconvenience than an exciting time of year to spend with loved ones. Holiday parties have turned into overpriced and overcrowded events instead of traditional affairs meant to spend with family and friends. The emotional aspect of Christmas seems to be lost in the stress and high prices of getting presents for everyone in a family and affording to host a holiday party. Generally speaking, the holiday season seems to have gone from a calm, relaxing time to spend with one’s family to a chaotic, stressful chore.
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One Comment
lukeMV
December 18th, 2008
at 12:57am
Skip “Black Friday” for “Cyber Monday” and enjoy the bargains from the safety of your home. But in all seriousness, stores have done this to themselves. The sale mentality has taken a new life in today’s economy, in training shoppers to only buy when they see a bargain. The past year has done something else, however, it has made consumers more conscious of two things: where the product is made, and its quality. During the holidays most people aren’t going to stop shopping. Instead they are really taking the time to pick the “right” gift: something that is quality, made in america, and has a back story to it. Consumers are not afraid to spend a little extra money (and with new labor laws, and cost of fuel/taxes, Chinese manufacture’s costs are increasing cutting into their margin) to get something that the recipient won’t just throw away or re-gift. All in all, don’t forget that the holidays are not about the tedious task to buy a gift, but it should be fun to find something unique. The moment you are “tasked” to find a gift is the moment that the recipient shouldn’t be on your gift list—obligatory gifts are a true misappropriation of funds!