2008 Woodie Awards
Outing what's in: Lots more to the season than receiving Xbox 360
Erich Pilcher
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: A&E
- Page 1 of 1
The holiday season is the time when the world of popular culture is redefined. The holidays change what is popular and takes precedent over what really matters during the holidays.
Last year the Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3 were the "it" items for Christmas. The year before the Xbox 360 was the gift children and adults alike were clamoring for but once again leave it to popular culture to dilute the true meaning of Christmas.
Ever since I can remember, the day after Thanksgiving has been marred with shopping for Christmas.
The past two years I worked for a national retail store and each year saw more and more people turning Christmas into one thing - presents.
Christmas, instead of becoming a time of what can I do for you, has become a time of what am I getting from you.
Now, this is not going to be a religious rant, because to be quite frank that argument has been beaten dead with a stick. The fact is we need to get away from what is popular and get to what is right.
The day after Thanksgiving I was flipping through channels and, of course, the commercials were at an all time high. I then discovered I was stopping on the commercials that were flashy and talking about the hot new holiday item, all the while skipping through the commercials that talk about giving to the Christian Children's Network. We need to pay attention to those commercials because they have a tendency to put the holidays into perspective.
Now, I love holiday presents as much as the next person but the fact is everyone, at one point or another, has had a tendency to put presents above everything else. By either saying this is what I want, or by saying last year this person spent this much money on me so I'm going to only spend this much money on them. Quite simply this outlook needs to change now.
It needs to become popular to think about others during the holidays.
When you are complaining about getting a new shirt for a gift but not the matching shoes, think about that child who does not have the shirt or the shoes.When you complain about having to spend time with your family imagine a mother sitting in Rwanda who does not know where her family is.
This was not written to put a damper on your holidays. This was written to offer a better perspective on the holidays. It is not about getting the "it" gift it's about helping others, spending time with your family and seeing the happiness your gifts provide, because there are some that do not have that luxury.
Last year the Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3 were the "it" items for Christmas. The year before the Xbox 360 was the gift children and adults alike were clamoring for but once again leave it to popular culture to dilute the true meaning of Christmas.
Ever since I can remember, the day after Thanksgiving has been marred with shopping for Christmas.
The past two years I worked for a national retail store and each year saw more and more people turning Christmas into one thing - presents.
Christmas, instead of becoming a time of what can I do for you, has become a time of what am I getting from you.
Now, this is not going to be a religious rant, because to be quite frank that argument has been beaten dead with a stick. The fact is we need to get away from what is popular and get to what is right.
The day after Thanksgiving I was flipping through channels and, of course, the commercials were at an all time high. I then discovered I was stopping on the commercials that were flashy and talking about the hot new holiday item, all the while skipping through the commercials that talk about giving to the Christian Children's Network. We need to pay attention to those commercials because they have a tendency to put the holidays into perspective.
Now, I love holiday presents as much as the next person but the fact is everyone, at one point or another, has had a tendency to put presents above everything else. By either saying this is what I want, or by saying last year this person spent this much money on me so I'm going to only spend this much money on them. Quite simply this outlook needs to change now.
It needs to become popular to think about others during the holidays.
When you are complaining about getting a new shirt for a gift but not the matching shoes, think about that child who does not have the shirt or the shoes.When you complain about having to spend time with your family imagine a mother sitting in Rwanda who does not know where her family is.
This was not written to put a damper on your holidays. This was written to offer a better perspective on the holidays. It is not about getting the "it" gift it's about helping others, spending time with your family and seeing the happiness your gifts provide, because there are some that do not have that luxury.
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