People in recent years have noticed a strange phenomenon around Christmas time. A jolly, old man in a bright red suit has been used as a mascot of corporation greed.
Many commercials nowadays show a holiday favorite, Santa Claus, in large department stores doing his Christmas shopping or driving a car to convince young people not to buy some sort of horrible electronic item for their mothers. Sometimes, they even have the elves going shopping at a Verizon store. Then the message at the end of the commercial says that the person watching the commercial can get these items for themselves.
Why are they showing all these commercials with Santa saying, “Buy this” or “Buy that” when he is supposed to be a symbol of giving and joy? Telling people to buy things isn’t exactly in the spirit of giving and personally being told one should buy something just because it’s on sale and cheap doesn’t exactly bring anyone personal joy.
It just reminds people of everything they don’t have, and Christmas is supposed to be a time when a person is supposed to help others, not themselves.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of love and good-will to our fellow men. After all, didn’t Christmas originally start because of a baby who was born because he wanted to save the world? It’s a time for giving to others, not getting.
That includes Santa Claus as well. Saint Nicholas, the original Santa, gave gifts to the poor. As Santa Claus developed, he became the spirit of giving to other people, never asking anyone for anything in return.
Now there’s nothing left to do but be disappointed. All these corporations seem to want to take away from Jolly Old St. Nick’s image of giving by having him get others to be selfish, and the people just listen. It’s time for America to be a little ashamed.
Here is a proposal. People should remember the true spirit of Christmas and give to others, not to focus on buying things for themselves or getting their own presents. Just focus on the joy of giving things to others.
