Un-commercialize Christmas

‘Tis the season of holidays. And as far as I’m aware, most of these holidays are known to participate in the activity of exchanging gifts. Now I know Christmas especially is incredibly commercialized. Advertisements and store fronts seem to assault you at any given moment, shouting out that you will be an unworthy family member should you refuse to buy. It’s terribly easy to find yourself overwhelmed and stressed about what gifts to buy, who to buy for, how much to spend. I now know a handful of people who have a strong distaste for this holiday due to businesses taking advantage of it and throwing out sale after sale, commercial after commercial. They make the whole season come off like an excuse to spend a ton of money on things for people to one up the things bought by other people. It can appear to only exist to pin us all against each other by flaunting our wealth and meaningful insights whilst convincing us that it’s all about family and love and togetherness. Christmas is a wild time. But it doesn’t have to be. 
    If anyone disowns or unfriends you because your gift wasn’t grand enough, those are not good people to be around. There are plenty of ways to show your love and holiday spirit without breaking your wallet. Small, inexpensive gifts, witty cards, an inside joke captured in a physical item, seasonal treats. You should not be relied on for absolute happiness by others from the things you give them. This is not a life or death situation, you will not be lynched for not spending thousands of dollars on lavish gifts. You need not pull an Oprah and give everyone a car. It’s not necessary. Most of you will be poor at some point, you will be struggling to pay for the basic needs. It is not a crime if you skip a year or only purchase something small and simple for close company. The people that care about you won’t want you going broke over them.
    The holidays can be a beautiful time, a wondrous season. Don’t let it be ruined by the power of targeted ads. It is angst that is very much not needed on top of all the other chaos we have been putting up with this past almost two years. We need to understand that our worth as people is not measured by the gifts we purchase for one day out of the year. Prices are rising, wages are failing to keep up. Some years it will just be impossible for grand gestures and that’s okay. Last year I used Amazon to send relatives little gnome tree ornaments. It was an easy gift, didn’t cost much, but they were funny looking and my family got some laughs. It was just a little something to keep my spirits up. It was my first Christmas alone, there was a pandemic, and I was pretty miserable, but I took it upon myself to spread just the littlest amount of cheer because I wanted to. It made me happy, made me feel closer to my kin. They all knew I didn’t have much money. They knew I was living on my own in an absurdly expensive city. They didn’t need anything from me but I wanted to give them something anyway. That is how it should be done. Give because you want to, not because you feel like you need to. Being thought of is enough. Knowing that someone cares is enough, and there is no decided size or price for that. 
    Stay merry and bright this December dear readers, anything less is a burden to be refused of bearing.