It's hard to believe it is almost the Christmas season again. Yet again many face the days without knowing what tomorrow will bring. Unemployment is still high and many people are still struggling to make ends meet. It is for these reasons that the holiday season tends to show an increase in suicides and heart attacks. The population as a whole has gotten away from the real meaning of Christmas in spite of the fact that more people than ever in the current decade and century are finding it difficult to provide even necessities for their families.
Christmas has become more commercial as the years go by. I shouldn't say just Christmas but the holiday season in general. Even Thanksgiving is starting to become more of a commercial venture for the retailers: they depend on the extra sales of turkeys, hams and other types of food that people place on their tables. It has become a sin of sorts when a person is unable to afford to provide their family with all the good food that is part of the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.
Where have we gone wrong? What happened to the days when the holidays were designed for sharing and enjoying being with family? At some point in the past Christmas was a time for families to get together, and gifts were minimal--maybe one toy for each child, and they were happy with that. Today? Even if the children receive only one toy it better be a good one: stereo, computer, iPod, video game system and the like. There is no such thing as giving one beautiful doll to the girls and one truck to the boys.
The time when family was the most important part of the holidays has been pushed aside. Children enter into adulthood wanting to do more for their children than their parents did for them, and this need to do better is likely to be one of the causes of the increase in suicides during the holiday season. Parents fear disappointing their children, and some even skip their own necessities in order to make sure their children have plenty of toys underneath the tree.
In 2010 we still face a recession--some places are worse than others. People with degrees can't find jobs and are forced to take low-paying jobs just to be working. It is time we stand back for a few minutes and make some changes. Let us remember those who have less than what we have and instead of buying that $200 stereo or computer system, take the same $200 and give it to a child who may not have a warm coat to wear or is lucky to eat one meal every day. Instead of being disappointed when there isn't enough money to buy expensive gifts, think of the children (and families) who don't have enough food to eat or clothes to wear.
