Friday, November 28, 2008

Ridiculous

I despise the way Christmas is celebrated in America. I loved getting gifts as a child but as an adult I've come to resent this holiday due to the insane nature of this consumerist holiday masquerading as a religious celebration and the unnecessary pressure to buy gifts for family members as an alleged demonstration of our appreciation for them the way Jesus would have. A Wal-Mart employee was killed today by shoppers who refused to let him get up as he was trampled on and killed so they could get a deal on electronic devices and other goods manufactured in foreign countries by people who aren't even allowed to celebrate this season.

7 Comments:

Blogger Leisha Camden said...

I couldn't agree more.

As an atheist/antitheist I obviously don't get anything out of the religious part of this holiday. But that doesn't even matter, because the religious dimension has pretty much disappeared from the celebration anyway. I'm all for giving friends & family presents to show one's affection & appreciation for them, but these days, that isn't really why people give Christmas presents anymore ... or at least so it feels to me. :-(

3:49 PM  
Blogger Kirk said...

I too enjoy giving gifts when it is appropriate or because I've found something that will bring someone happiness and the act is genuine. I don't know how Christians in Norway celebrate the holiday but in the U.S. it seems artificial and as a diluted form of it's original purpose, or maybe I'm just too critical of materialism and consumerism.

6:27 PM  
Blogger H. Harvey said...

To me it's Santa's birthday, and there is snow and bells and songs and sparkle and lights and presents (the least of it for me, except the giving part) and the smell and glow of the trees and smiles... the smiles... and food and beverage and smiles... the smiles.
Happy berfday, Mr. Claus.
Christmas is a season, and then an eve and then a day for us to focus on neat stuff and make it ours. It can be about gifts and values and money and it can be about a lot of other things instead, or in addition, but for me... it's about the smiles.

12:46 AM  
Blogger Kirk said...

H-
I like it when you smile and then nod your head like a genie with all that fluff of gray hair dancing about, that's what I like about your smile.

5:15 PM  
Blogger H. Harvey said...

Gee,

reading your comment made me smile again, just as writing this is making me smile... but it's a little self conscious and I'm making sure my hair doesn't move... which is now making me laugh, so it probably did.

xoxo

11:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

and I hate people who hate, you have your point of view, that's good, so where the hate come from? Why don't you celebrate the way YOU like instead of watching other people? You might be bi-polar, check that out.

4:49 PM  
Blogger Kirk said...

Dear anonymous, if you hate people who hate you end up hating yourself, which is not healthy. Try to love yourself and others.

I value human life not material goods so when people are killed in a holiday stampede over material things I tend to see a problem with that. I don't think Jesus would approve.

I'm not sure why you think I'm bi-polar, but I'll consider it a possibility.

Thank you for stopping by and adding your opinion.

12:24 PM  

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