Christmas is NOT Too Consumeristic! / Jeff Heidkamp (Minneapolis, MN)

I am an unabashed Christmas junkie, albeit on a small scale.  Egg nog, Christmas trees, lights, carols, the whole schtick.  It doesn't bother me at all that it starts early, and I don't really mind that it involves a lot of consumption.

Let me add a caveat- of course, in general, US culture is way too consumeristic.  And, of course, in general, there are places and times when too much is spent on any celebration.  But that said, I would argue that Christmas has great potential to redeem consumerism.  I think a great deal of popular anti-Christmas sentiment has more to do with cynicism, self-righteousness, and overall Grinch-iness than any kind of actual moral virtue.

First of all, charitable organizations of every stripe know that Christmas is a great time to raise money.  Almost every church I know does some kind of special outreach to the poor or the lonely at the holidays. That is, there is something about the celebration of God's great giving that spurs people of faith to extra acts of charitable-ness. And I don't think this is limited to people of faith.

Second of all, at Christmas, people are spending gobs of money ON OTHER PEOPLE.  I think many people hate Christmas shopping, not because they really oppose consumerism, but because they prefer to spend money on themselves.  People talk about "all the stress of picking out the right presents."  In my book, thinking and working hard to give gifts to other people would be defined as an act of love, not of stress.  It's pure gnosticism to think that the act of spending money on another person is somehow a lesser act than a kind deed that doesn't involve cash and shopping.

Third of all, at Christmas, people spend a lot of time and money on getting together with other people to eat and celebrate together.  This is one of the healthiest things in the world to spend time and money on.  Again, people complain about the stress of putting together nice Christmas events.  But I would argue that love is usually costly- it isn't easy to love well.  And there is nothing unspiritual about good hospitality and great times of being connected to friends and family. As far as all the commercial accouterments- well, it's America.  I would simply suggest that attacking Christmas is attacking consumerism in the wrong place.  People dump tons of money on themselves ALL the time.  Christmas is the one shot we get at encouraging people to spend money to show love to other people and spend time being connected to the people that matter most.  If that means I have to listen to the Chipmunks Christmas album at the grocery store in October, so be it.  And if you don't like it- bah humbug on you.

Comments

[Vinceation]

"attacking Christmas is attacking consumerism in the wrong place"... Well said. I'm sold, Jeff (I even used a consumeristic figure of speech to say so).

[Heather]

Well said. Recently wrote a blog post about gifts that give back to more than just the recipient ... Even though money is tight this year, I'm trying to find ways that I can stretch the "goodness" of my dollars to delight my friends and family and to help others, for example those in the developing world, lift themselves out of poverty. Christmas is the perfect time to do this! Please take a look: bit.ly/69mYZe

[Jeff]

Two things-

1. Great link Heather. The kids program at our church is raising "Change for Chickens" this holiday- they are digging quarters out of their parents minivans to buy chickens for families in the developing world.

2. Good job whoever picked out all the pics to go with this (Dan?)

[Brent]

If the spirit of the post is (as I think it is) to 'protest' consumerist Xmas by being better gift-givers, I'm all for it. Seems to me though that much holiday shopping has become much more than that - nearly everyone I know (including myself this year!) who went out on Black Friday did so to get a good deal on something for themselves and not for others. So, in some ways I think Xmas has become just another way to spend money on ourselves. Indeed, that seems to be the overall focus of Black Friday. Maybe that's the (over-)consumerist trend we should resist?

How else can we become great gift-givers?

[Trish Ryan]

Yay Jeff!!! Thanks for this! As Steve and I have pondered what we'd like our Christmases to look like, I've realized that I love the agony & ecstasy of searching for gifts for people I love, but over the past few years I've bought into the lie that it's too stressful and I'm too busy to make it happen. Total bummer (and not true) This year, I'm carving out the time. You're right--loving well is costly, but worth it.

[Ellen]

Amen!! I love this post. We are also trying to get our kids to raise money to send some chickens to Africa this year. We're trying to teach them that even though they are poor, they can still give. It's not going all that well... We've raised about $.50 so far. But, I've had several kids offer to catch me some chickens... now how to mail them?

[Evan]

Enjoyed it. Agreed with it. Love it.

I think the dark side can come with competitive, comparative gifting, or with spending beyond one's means. But you're right, those things are not seasonal.

Viva la Mannheim Steamroller!

[bsergott]

I agree, Jeff. I am a Christmas-crazed guy myself. I have a tradition with my kids, where I load up my iPod with 600+ Christmas songs, and we begin with Andy Williams' "Sleigh Ride" on Thanksgiving Day.

At the same time, I lean toward agreeing with Brent. I never go shopping on Black Friday, not because of some higher moral sense, but because it makes me sick. People getting trampled, fist fights between old ladies, and other such debasements of humanity, all done in the name of acquiring more stuff.

I give lavishly every year to friends and family, and I believe that our giving reflects our worship. We are either conservative and stingy like the Pharisees, or we are unabashed and reckless, like the woman with the jar of alabaster. I want to be like her. However, with the story of that woman, it wasn't about the jar of alabaster, it was about the act of complete surrender in worship. The "stuff" became the tool. I think we have to live in the tension of being radically generous without having it be about the "stuff" with which we are being generous. If we can strike that balance, then consumerism is being redeemed (like Jeff said). But it is not as redeemed as good in itself, but as a tool for generosity, which ultimately gives glory to God.

[Holly]

Yay, I'm so glad to see someone else liking Christmas. I like it, too! I don't need a guilt trip for spending money on my family and friends. And I don't need folks telling me how lame all my favorite Christmassy things are.

On the flip side, I do think a lot of people rebel against the holidays because they've had bad experiences, or because it's just hard to be around happy, celebrating people when you're sad and lonely. I can understand that. While I don't always agree with expressing it though grumpy, disparaging comments that mock or detract from other people's joy, I wonder if at least some of it comes from a place of pain.

[Kimberly]

Hi Jeff, we have some friends in common. I met your wife in Colorado in October. I followed the link. You know how it goes.

I love Christmas, too. But in addition to hailing the merits of consumerism in America: giving to others, spending money to spend time with others, and, I will add (because we are in a recession) "stimulating the economy"; we can also choose to be "ethical" consumers.

I hated Christmas for many years because it was so stressful and I hated buying obligatory gifts for people who didn't really want them. I hated what the media was doing to my family and the pressure I felt to get the latest and greatest. It was horrible.

So, a few years ago we made some changes. We spend money to spend time together. That's the number one priority. We give fewer gifts (gift exchanges, etc). Even the kids don't notice--I promise.

We still shop. We still want to give to each other. But we are becoming committed to purchasing in ways that help/don't oppress people or the planet.

Some examples of gifts we have given in the past: Toys, jewelry, textiles, games, musical instruments purchased through micro-enterprise businesses that provide jobs/income for people in poor countries; sponsored purchases through relief agencies to help poor families (goats, cows, etc.); recycled items like gently "used" items purchased on e-Bay (video games/systems, computer stuff, toys, everything, really) or at thrift stores; items that are homemade; or fair-trade (we like coffee and chocolate); or eco-friendly (recycled stuff, stuff made out of recycled stuff, etc.).

The energy that has found its way back into our Christmas season is immense. Ethical consumerism is not just a moral choice it actually is FUN! The more you do it, the more fun it becomes. And, besides no one needs one more gift set from Starbucks or Bath and Body Works, right?

Just another offering for people who want to REALLY like Christmas.