Consumerism’s assault on Gratitude
The thoughts here were triggered from reading my friend’s blog entry Christmas, I Hate You.
I was having dinner at my friend’s house last weekend and I noticed they already had put up a Christmas tree. I remarked that they already had their tree up and it’s not even Thanksgiving. Traditionally (since when?) the ‘Christmas season’ starts after Thanksgiving. It starts with Black Friday as stores get people to buy any and everything whether they need it or not. In recent years Christmas has been ‘creeping’ earlier and earlier. (Note the phrase ‘Christmas Creep’ is taken from my favorite football commentary.) I read my friend’s blog post and it was quite humorous. However, it got me thinking a little deeper. It’s more than just Christmas vs. Thanksgiving; it’s greed’s assault on gratitude.
Thanksgiving is a time when we reflect on our lives and appreciate all that God has done for us. It’s a time to exercise gratitude and be thankful for all the things that we have. Christmas has turned into a consumer-centric greedfest where it’s all about buying and getting. Advertisements persuade people that something is missing from their lives or from someone else’s life and it alone is the solution to that gaping hole. Not only has society warped the meaning of Christmas but it’s supplanting the very holiday that runs counter to it. It shows us what we don’t have and makes us want it instead of being thankful for what we do have.
This isn’t just about annoying ‘holiday’ music playing earlier and earlier. The colors of red and green replacing orange and brown. It’s about an attitude shift. It’s about people not sitting around the table sharing about the things they are thankful but rushing through dinner so they can stand outside all night for the things that they want. It’s more than just one holiday crowding out another but a fundamental attitude change of American society.