Christmas
is a time of year that draws strong reactions from a wide range of
people. As much as it is a time for family and theoretically to be
enjoyed, Christmas does have its opponents. Or, to be more accurate,
there are people who are thoroughly displeased by the idea of a holiday
which used to be about family togetherness and happiness being turned
into a corporate festival which relies on rampant consumerism. Looking
at the supermarkets which have Christmas related lines on their shelves
from September onwards it is not hard to understand their points.
However
it is inevitable that this kind of commercialism will take a grip on a
holiday where gifts play a major part. Knowing that people will spend
money to get the best gift for those who they love, the companies with
something to sell will put a lot of their advertising budget into the
Christmas period. The inevitable knock-on effect is that other companies
will do the same to compete. Add this to an element of competition
among families to get the “best” (read: most expensive) gifts, and you
have a recipe for a commercial holiday.
