I think Christmas is all about showing your appreciation by giving people you care about a simple gift. Many children each year don’t receive Christmas gifts because their parents don’t have the money to buy gifts. I have made a donation to people like this if we all can donate just a couple dollars many more people can have a merry Christmas.
Shawn Patterson
Mesa
Dale Whiting posted at 5:08 pm on Wed, Dec 14, 2011.
Shawn,
Nice thought! I gave my kids time, my time, on Christmas. We put up a tree and decorated it. We light the front yard with lights. But we kept the packaged gift giving to a minimum. No sense spoiling Christmas with commercialism.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 11:40 pm on Wed, Dec 14, 2011.
I remember getting "salt and pepper" Catholic school uniform pants and a blue uniform shirt as a present lots of times. Oh well, my brothers and I still "hoped" for a toy and usually and Aunt or an Uncle would get us something we really wanted. But that's the way it was back in the 1950's. Like today, times were hard but unlike today we kids had no "expectations" or a sense of entitlement. We loved and respected our Parent or Parents for just putting a roof over our heads and food on the table. Now-a-days kids don't just want gifts..they want and in many cases demand..gifts that their Parent(s) can ill afford. Just look at children...small children in the Supermarket "DEMANDING" that Mommy or Daddy buy them this or that and if they don't get their way...they give a temper tantrum.....you can hear the screaming and crying 2-3 aisles away. This isn't an isolated case...this is the "norm". I blame the parent(s) because from the time the child is a baby...he/she should clearly understand the word ..."NO". The parent should not have to "respect the child...(according to Dr. Phil)....the child should be taught from day one that until they leave the home....that the Parent who is financially and emotionally sustaining the child is the one who makes the decisions. The child can certainly express his opinions...but they are just that..."opinions"....the "decision" rests with the child until they live on their own.
What I think is a great way for parents who don't have to watch every dime...who are financially comfortable...is to take the children and young adults to the Mall and tell them they get one gadget and a clothing gift and that's it. Then have each of them go to one of those "Wish Trees" and chose a child or young person who have requested a gift or had a family member request one for them and personally buy the gift and see the "money"...not the credit card but hand over to the cashier..the dollars and cents that the gift costs. That way these children and young adults understand that "money" is not an abstract concept...like a credit card. My Mom would hand us the correct amount and make us kids count out the dollars and cents for anything that we purchased. We learned the true value of money something that our youngsters have forgotten today...if they ever knew.
Dale Whiting posted at 7:15 am on Thu, Dec 15, 2011.
Leon,
I knew we shared some values. Materialism is not what makes America great. It is a unique set of principles which makes it great, principles which we fail to cherish. And where you and I might disagree on how to cherish those principles, I expect we still agree on what they are!
Merry Christmas, my man. And happly New Years, too. Heck, lets you and I get together next Ramadan. Breaking fast each evening can be a joyous occasion!