Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Online Deals...What Are We Celebrating?

Today was Cyber Monday....the biggest online shopping day of the year.  Spend Spend as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man. 

What is that holiday coming up on December 25th?  Are we celebrating Christmas or a good sale & online deal?  Really, Christmas has become a ridiculously over commercialized holiday. How did the holiday ritual of gift giving become so overdone? It seems as if it's just become a reason to go out and buy a new flat-screen TV.  I mean the Country even makes predictions on the state of the economy by how much we spend at Christmas time.

Last year, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my husband's family.  While I adore his family (Really, I do!) the gifts were absolutely out of control.  I don't at all want to knock their amazing generosity, but the kids just ripped through package after package- without even getting to appreciate or see what was in the previous. 

At one point my daughter, 4 at the time, was waiting patiently to GIVE a little gift to her Great Grandmother.  It was a paint stick that she crafted with love at pre-school into a clever little snowman ruler to measure snow.  She wrapped it herself.  I looked at my daughter standing in front of her Great Grandmother patiently with her little gift to give.  

Then, someone threw another gift at her to open.  Her eyes filled up with tears.  She just wanted her turn to give a gift, one that she worked so hard making.  I thought what happened to taking turns so we could actually watch the other person's joy when they receive the gift.  And what happened to giving just one or maybe two thoughtful gifts?  

When did Christmas emerge into PILES of gifts- which then turn into just piles of "stuff" in our house.  They literally got so many gifts Christmas Eve last year that we had every inch of our SUV packed to the max on the way home.  Our dog was even displaced from the back of the car to my pregnant nauseous lap up front. (Oh, that's another story!)   On the drive home I thought, "Will they even be excited for Santa's surprises in the morning?" 

  

Anyway, I want to teach my children that Christmas is about giving, but not overdoing.  I want them to know its about being a good person, not getting a good present.  I just don't want them to become "spoiled" and expect lavish gifts over the years to come.  I want to them to appreciate the holiday traditions of Christmas like going to church, decorating the tree, the mystery of Santa and his elves, watching Frosty The Snowman, snuggling by the fire and reading Twas the Night Before Christmas.  And of course making Gingerbread Cookies....not just running after a good sale.  How do we fight the commercialization of Christmas?

This is an original post to Philly Moms Blog.  Kristie is the author of the children's book:Mommy's High Heel Shoes and works full time in the Bio Oncology world.  You can also find her writing on her personal blog and Real Mommy Reviews.