Over the years Christmas has been depicted in many ways… some being just about gifts, others being about Jesus, what’s the real meaning of Christmas?
People have started to get too excited about presents every year for Christmas and it is starting to make people stressed. Parents have to worry about what to get their kids and how they are going to plan all of this stuff out. Parents shouldn’t need to go through this struggle for a holiday that shouldn’t be all about gifts. People always start worrying about Christmas right after Thanksgiving because that’s when Black Friday deals are happening, so the stress happens early. This holiday also adds unnecessary stress on families. People starting to shop early might lead to different financial problems. Sophia Reich (’25) says “It puts a hole in my wallet”.
Decorating your house is a huge aspect of this. Lots of people stress about when to put up Christmas decorations outside because of the weather and always must find that one weekend when it won’t be too cold. The tree is also always a pain; the ornaments, and the lights all take a lot of effort to put up especially with people sometimes being too busy to even put it up.
Behind all of this stress, people sometimes forget that the whole point of this holiday is to give recognition to Jesus and to spend time with loved ones to honor his birth. Yes, sometimes people can get obsessed with the aspect of getting gifts, but people can also enjoy the part of giving gifts. Mrs. Page states “I like the idea of gift giving and enjoy it”. Gift-giving can bring joy to others but shouldn’t be the main reason people look forward to Christmas. It is not something to take for granted and shouldn’t be fully supported by stressing about all these unnecessary things. People should focus on Jesus’s presence in this world as a gift and should be using this break and day to remember that and remember what a great time it was.
Without the gift-giving aspect of Christmas, people can still enjoy Christmas. It is a time to hang out with family and respect Jesus and his birth. Christmas is magical and should be an enjoyable time for everyone. If you feel like you are getting more and more stressed with finding the right gift, just take a break and try to spend some time with your family.
