Xmas and commercialisation.

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

I decided this year not to buy anything during this month in protest of the commercialisation of Xmas. I'd like to encourage people to avoid excessive purchasing as the commercialisation of Xmas is devastatingly stressful to shop employees. I've also asked my family and friends not to purchase anything for me.

 

[talitha]

I think we should let the Happy Holidays people have the 25th of December - and we should celebrate the birth of Jesus in conjunction with the Feast of Tabernacles. Two separate holidays. And if we don't get our holiday off from work, we should just celebrate at whatever time of day we can, even if it is a midnight worhip service and love feast afterward. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

 

[ananda]

I haven't bought anything, and I've asked people not to buy me anything either. I'm enjoying just spending time with family and friends, and celebrating the rebirth of the sun with the Winter Solstice.

 

[topcare]

Commercialization and Christmas have been linked together virtually from the beginning. I was watching a documentary and there really was not a time when there was not any commercialization of some form or another. I find it amusing that we hate commercialization but it's built into Christmas

 

[AvilaSurfer]

What's Xmas?

 

[topcare]

Another way to say Christmas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas#Use_of_.22X.22_for_.22Christ.22

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

What's Xmas?

X for Chi, the Greek letter, and first letter in Christ

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Just sounds lazy to me.

 

[topcare]

Actually it was quite common at one time, but when American evangelicals got a hold of xmas it become a bad thing.

 

[Locutus]

I decided this year not to buy anything during this month in protest of the commercialisation of Xmas. I'd like to encourage people to avoid excessive purchasing as the commercialisation of Xmas is devastatingly stressful to shop employees. I've also asked my family and friends not to purchase anything for me.

Make it year round and everyone wins

 

[topcare]

I decided this year not to buy anything during this month in protest of the commercialization of Xmas. I'd like to encourage people to avoid excessive purchasing as the commercialization of Xmas is devastatingly stressful to shop employees. I've also asked my family and friends not to purchase anything for me.

So you would deprive people of a paycheck to make yourself feel better? People work holidays to make extra not for you to feel bad.

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

So you would deprive people of a paycheck to make yourself feel better? People work holidays to make extra not for you to feel bad.

I've worked in retail during the Xmas period. I wouldn't wish it on my enemy. I can tell you that those who work it don't celebrate Xmas at all.

 

[Locutus]

So you would deprive people of a paycheck to make yourself feel better? People work holidays to make extra not for you to feel bad.

So you would deprive all tomorrow's children a clean and habitable planet just to make sure a few retail workers get a paycheck today?

 

[KitKatMatt]

I've stopped buying anything on Black Friday and Thanksgiving because of the insanity, and try not to even leave the house on those days. I currently don't buy gifts because I don't have enough money (I usually at least get a card for everyone), but I definitely try not to shop close to Christmas either.

I know the hell that retail is. I don't want to add to someone else's workload during this hectic time.

The last few years I've tried making my own cards to give out instead of buying them. I didn't this year because of a lot of stuff that was happening, but I want to try to continue that tradition. I think personally making things, even just cards, brings back a lot of the spirit of the holidays in terms of giving something personal and making memories.

I asked for one thing this year. If I didn't need it for my own health, I wouldn't have asked for anything. It was really expensive so I couldn't have bought it on my own.

 

[Locutus]

I think personally making things, even just cards, brings back a lot of the spirit of the holidays in terms of giving something personal and making memories.
.

And saves the planet. The very best gift

 

[topcare]

I've worked in retail during the Xmas period. I wouldn't wish it on my enemy. I can tell you that those who work it don't celebrate Xmas at all.

I have and I enjoyed the extra money

 

[stevevw]

I think its a part of society but it causes a lot of problems. In a time when we are suppose to be in economic hardship I heard that in Australia they had record sales of over 48 billion dollars. I would imagine that most of that will be on credit as there is not suppose to be a lot of money out there and people are struggling. So for the next few months we will have people needing help with money and going into debt. They wont be able to pay the basic bills on rent, electric, health, education and even food. It was already bad for many with the cost of living but now its going to get worse.

There are thousands of pet puppies and cats that are left to die of handed into the animals shelters after people decided they didn't really want that lovely cute pet after all. I hear some kids crying because they cant have what they want and others are getting all excited about all the toys they are getting. I think its teaching them a bad example about materialism and making things the most important thing.

The retail stores are pushing for sales all the time offering tempting bargains or take home now and pay later offers which suck people in. They want people to keep spending to prop up their sales and the ever increasing and consuming market. Next they will push the boxing day and new year sales and before you know it they will be promoting Easter well before it happens. It never ends and sooner or later the bubble is going to burst.

 

[Locutus]

Good thing that in Australia, you don't have to pay for education and health care - what with being a civilised nation.

Meantime, all of that craziness - $48 billion worth - is a choice. People who are stupid and acquisitive enough to go into debt because they 'simply must' buy lots of newly manufactured things at xmas - really don't need our sympathy.

No one needs to do that stuff. The sky doesn't fall if you stop shopping.

 

[Jonathan Jarvis]

What's Xmas?

Sadly looking around the malls & shops it appears to be the anniversary of the birth of Santa Claus.

 

[stevevw]

Good thing that in Australia, you don't have to pay for education and health care - what with being a civilised nation.

Meantime, all of that craziness - $48 billion worth - is a choice. People who are stupid and acquisitive enough to go into debt because they 'simply must' buy lots of newly manufactured things at xmas - really don't need our sympathy.

No one needs to do that stuff. The sky doesn't fall if you stop shopping.

W pay a medicare levi of around 2% of taxable income. But many people are exempt as they are below the income threshold and others can minimize their income to only pay the minimum or none at all. That doesn't cover even 1/2 of whats needed so we are heading for a blowout. The government has to rob peter to pay Paul. In the mean time the populations getting older with the baby boomers retiring so we will have more older and not enough young tax payers to support the old age pensions who don't have self funded retirement funds. So we are headed for a big problem.

Those who spend up and cant afford it will affect everyone because their fallout becomes societies problems. It all adds to the credit blowout our country will face and puts up the average amount each person owes in credit. Australia has the highest personal debt in the world. With low interest rates at the moment people are borrowing big amounts of money because the repayments will be lower. But when the interest rates go back up which will happen there will be a lot of people in trouble similar to what happened in the US. The trouble is we dont learn and the boom bust cycle gets worse each time. There will be another big slow down and GFC and many will go broke including countries.