The Art of Christmas: Power, Money and Respect

Christmas time is upon us and reflection tends to be at an all time high. With retail giants reporting this increase in sales and that decrease in sales, it is a wonder the season holds any true meaning at all. Once, a long time ago, Christmas was about family and tradition. Today, money, power and respect.

Christmas eve has fallen upon us and we place our kids in bed with hopes of sweet dreams. Remember the long since forgotten story, dancing sugar plums, that is what our kids are supposed to be dreaming of on Christmas eve. But, instead of sugar plums they are dreaming of iPhones and iPod that you can touch. Computer games and Xbox 360 games. You see, money, power, and respect.

What happened to life as it used to be? What happened to a time when families shared stories and baked sugar cookies? Why is there such a need to buy our kids and the rest of our family members off? We sit around on Christmas morning with thoughts of one upping the person next to us. If our spouse buys us a better gift than we bought them, we feel as if we let them down. Almost guilty, at the fact that our gift just was not good enough.

Christmas celebrations need to move out of financial battles and back into the hearts of our families. The nature of the season is about love, sharing and togetherness, not about how high we can charge our credit card bills and how much money we can spend on frivolous gifts and unneeded trinkets. Take back the power, money and respect.

A warning, if you will. Reading this, you are probably nodding your head and agreeing with everything I am saying. But, you will none the less go out and purchase huge amounts of gifts for those in your life. STOP! Do not enable our world any longer. Do not take the lazy road and agree with what I am saying, but never change. STOP! Take back the true meaning of Christmas. For once, do what is right and make Christmas about family, love and tradition. Leave the struggles of power, money and respect to business meetings and corporate mergers.