Merry Christmas or what did you get me!

Christmas is nearly here (mid November) and everyone has their shopping done, right? Well maybe a list is underway for most of us but actual Christmas gift buying is something that must be worked up to gradually. Maybe by mid December when in a panic, we decide to get serious about it. Some of us believe that Christmas is for children more so than adults and we look forward to watching the little faces light up when they see all that “Santa” left for them under the tree. And for some the season brings on a sadness, perhaps because we are no longer children ourselves. Lost loved ones are especially missed during the Christmas season.

Commercial Christmas or a sentimental seaso

Christmas has become so commercial nowadays that it’s difficult for many to get into the spiritual side of the holiday season. The rush to figure out what to buy, then find just the right gift is something almost all of us feel right about now. Gifts can be lavish or sentimentally affordable, depending on our wallets and purses and our sense of responsibility. How can we determine how much to spend on a gift for a sisters new baby? And how much should you spend on Grandpa’s present? The most sensible approach is to buy what you can afford but make it mean something for both you, the gift giver, and those you buy for. Don’t look at it as a competition to see who can buy Grandpa the most expensive tie, tools, or shirt. Shop for what you think he will like the most. Gifts that please are always special and remembered the longest.
The spiritual side of Christmas

Unless they attend Sunday School many young children don’t realize that Christmas was originally a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It has become so commercialized that religion has almost been forgotten on Christmas Eve. Television commercials are all about gift giving and promote everything from the latest video game, tools for Dad, ties for Granddad, shoes and gloves for Mother and Grandma. Stores make up most of their profits between the end of November and Christmas Eve. Black Friday (right after Thanksgiving Day) is traditionally the biggest shopping day in the U.S. and also signifies the beginning of the rush to buy Christmas gifts and any reference to the Christ in Christmas is discouraged because some people find it distracting them from their gift buying mood.

‘Tis the season for catalogues!

Usually along about mid September our mailboxes fill with catalogues. They come from shoe stores, general merchandise stores, candy shops, and gadgets and gizmos stores. With help from the internet we can now do most, if not all, of our Christmas shopping via the world wide web. Look for specials like free delivery and BOGOF’s (buy one get one free) because the stores are each competing for your pounds! And now is the ideal time to take advantage of those offers. Places like Amazon.com, eBay.com, Yahoo shopping, and all of the big retailers have much to offer in the enormous variety of merchandise they have and will give deep discounts, especially at Christmas time. If you can’t decide what to buy someone, just give them a gift card that can be used by them to purchase anything they want. Christmas is a time for giving and for remembering the original reason for the season!