Are the Holidays Too Materialistic?

yes, there is no love any more. just stuff to buy.

Depends on how you look @ it!

They are not materialistic enough. You need to go out and buy as much stuff as you can afford. go on, now. Off with you then.

I'm not religous but i still enjoy the sights and sounds of the Christmas holiday. It's just sad how so many participate in this holiday by thinking that the more money they spend on gifts the better.........

not materialistic enough

It's the greediest time of the year. Let's all celebrate by spending, shoplifting and bragging about our gifts before we persist in drunken revelry. It's only magical for children.

Christmas is very commercialised now, and that's a real shame. Kids want every new gadget and toy that just came out and cost the earth, and parents no doubt feel pressured into buying them so their kids 'keep up'.

The world is just so greedy now. :(

they are no where near as materialistic as they were originally celebrated.

This was the original Christmas (called Solstice back then) that the Romans celebrated.

Which is why my family won't do the gift giving thing any more.

This is a relative term. Gifts are given because we care and have no requirements attached. The value or cost of the item is relative to what one can afford and if the gift looses its meaning because it is just expensive.

Very materialistic! And getting worse with each passing year.

Most traditions are meaningless nowadays, they're just done for the gifts

Everyone always talks about the spirit of giving around Christmas time. Christmas shopping is one of the hardest things to fulfill because you feel obligated to give someone something to show that you care. Love may not be about materialistic endeavors, but it has come to the point where many see a gift as an equivalent of love. And out of that respect, people buy gifts for others that those others don't really like or need because the purchasers felt obligated in the gift giving season.

Also, the classic scenes where kids rush down to open their gifts isn't off at all. What kid becomes excited during Christmas time about the Christmas spirit? They don't - it's all about the gifts. But that isn't entirely their fault. The market is geared to where several brand new toys come out in the hope of profiting big in the season. Kids aren't stupid either. They know when Christmas comes that they're going to get toys - it's been engrained in their heads since they were born with that little scrapbook title: baby's first Christmas.

What wrong with kids rushing down the stairs to open their Christmas gifts? That what kids do at Christmas and I think it's lovely. Sadly, as one gets older, Christmas looses alot of it's joy and meaning.

There's nothing wrong with kids rushing to the tree. I think it's cute. I just think it's sad that there is a loss of the meaning behind it all. But excited kids are always fun to be around.

People have been compalining about the commercialization of Christmas for decades. But you are right, it seems to be getting more materialistic with each passing year and that isn't good. I'm getting pretty sick of the commercialization of Christmas myself.

The holidays are too heavily geared towards money and the spending thereof. I can't even afford to buy my wife one present for christmas this year which really hurts. My grandsons will each get a wooden rifle that made for them which only cost me my time since I already had the wood.

I remember going to church during the holiday season as a child. A story was told of a birthday party. The children began asking each other what they had brought as a present. Each wanted what one of the others had brought, so they traded with each other, then went home from the party. They were so consumed with the presents they had forgotten the reason for the party.
It is more true now than ever before.

In my opinion, yes.

In the end, I think it's about family, and Jesus if you are a believer, of course if you aren't, that's not wrong. :p

Personally, I agree with you. But when I look at the overall picture of America, I tend to see a different light.

Yep

Verizon won. Saw a Christmas ad for their phones before Halloween this year.

Christmas isn't too materialistic, it's just too Chinese. For Christmas this year, I want a 20% tariff on imports.

and that is one of the many reasons why I do not celebrate ANY holidays.

Legal Guidelines for Celebrating Christmas in Public, at School or Work

Hoping to alleviate any confusion over the do`s and don`ts of celebrating Christmas in Schools, Workplaces and Public, The Rutherford Institute has issued its "Twelve Rules of Christmas" guidelines, compiled by attorneys for The Rutherford Institute, which are available at http://www.rutherford.org/res...

Say Merry Christmas and Celebrate the Reason for the Season!

Holidays are holidays. People are materialistic.

most people have forgot the true meaning of Christmas.

holidays are what you make of them

Not for me. I like giving gifts.

Clearly!

Not if you ask the store keepers.

all i see is it is like a competition and you are consciously or unconsciously made to feel guilty if you didn't give as much as the next person. this is part of the reason i don't take part of it and make it perfectly clear that i do not want anything other than peace and quiet

Holidays are to be shared with friends and family, not spending your way to the poor house.

I always hear people complain about how commercial and materialistic the holidays are, but the answer is within each of us. If they are too materialistic, STOP BUYING INTO IT. There is no reason to spend huge amounts on toys your children will break or ignore the day after Christmas. There is no reason to spend a fortune hosting parties or decorating. Do what YOU want to do. Make the holidays meaningful for you and your family. Make traditions, instead of spending money. It's up to you.

I see all of the toys this year and I wonder why parents throw so much money. $60 for a Let's Rock Elmo? Which your kids will probably get bored with, fast. It seems that there are so many must have toys that your kids actually don't need to play with. Push a button, no imagination needed! :(

Make it loud, obnoxious, and expensive and then convince kids they 'must' have it. However, we all have choices. We can go along with all of that crap or say no. My daughter in law is a very talented artist. Every year, some of the best gifts come from her--things she's crafted like personalized quilts, books of drawings of special events, special Christmas ornaments, etc. She is absolute proof that time is worth much more than money. My son and daughter in law also often find the expensive toys used on Craig's list of something, figuring that if it is in good condition and works, it's still what they want. Stores want you to believe that you must spend a lot and often to show you 'love' your family, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Absolutely. The real reason is long gone. Now it's all about the presents.