Christmas is supposed to be a time spent with loved ones with some good food and a tv schedule that no one can agree on. And as I've gotten older, it's definitely become more about spending time with my family than it has about presents. In fact this year has been the hardest year of thinking of ideas of anything I'd like or need but haven't brought for myself. A lot of that comes from having my own disposable income that gives me the freedom to buy what I want, when I want but it also comes from my mindset changing over the last year. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing my pile of presents come Christmas morning and I love watching others open theirs but this year everything retailers have had to offer as part of their 'Gifting' range has seemed stale, recycled and overpriced. And as someone who works in retail and as a consumer, I can tell you it's definitely a case of 'same shit, different year'. However it does make it harder to think of things to ask for as time with family and good food isn't always the welcomed answer. This year I've just asked for books I don't want to wait for in paperback and a couple of TV boxsets to binge throughout the New Year.
Which leads me to the problem with all of us when it comes to buying presents. We are all so wrapped up in finding the perfect gift or spoiling our loved ones whether they'll actually like and use the presents or they'll be left to gather dust on the shelf somewhere, that we lose the true meaning of Christmas. I'm not bashing any one for wanting to spoil their loved ones as I am one of the worst when it comes to this. Every year I try and go above and beyond, to almost beat last years presents. I know I'm doing it but I can't stop myself. It always starts at the end of August and carries on through until I've brought the last present, even if it wasn't on the inital list. I'm worst at doing this with my mum, she's the easiest person to buy for and whilst I also write a list of things I know she'd love, I always end up adding to it, the majority of the time without realising. I've done it this year and I'm currently deciding whether to buy her another present or if she's got enough as it is but I always find myself justifying with 'but she's done a lot for me this year' which is true every year but I feel like I should be able to thank her for by giving her my time and attention instead of a pile of materialistic items she may not even like. We all wrapped up in that consumerism way of thinking that we actually forget that our time and love is enough for most of our loved ones. Maybe next year I'll be able to rein it in but I think it's safe to say that it's too late for that this year.
And even when you've got the list of perfect presents for everyone, you've then got to find the time to go out to buy them and then sit and wrap them. Yes I know that you can order pretty much anything online nowadays but there's something that usually feels nice and festive about actually leaving the house and buying them in person. Yet now we don't have that kind of time, we have to work, to find time to keep ourselves balanced and this time of the year is also filled with a ton of social events that you have to work around. So sure I understand that ordering online is easier but it also takes away from the pastimes of going Christmas shopping and making a day of it. I haven't had half the chance this year to go out and shop so a lot of my shopping has been done online but it's just one of the things that's taken the spark out of Christmas. It also doesn't help that my work has been shoving Christmas down everyone's throat since the August Bank Holiday. No you didn't read that wrong, I did in fact say August. Which leads to my next point.
Take away the desire to find the perfect present, the lack of time and the ease of ordering online and one of my biggest bug bears and probably what takes the spark out of Christmas is how early the shops starting ramming it down everyone's throats. I speak as someone who works in retail, who has Christmas plans shoved under their nose as early as August now. Companies don't understand that people don't want Christmas rammed down their throats for the last quarter of the year. Sure it's a busy time of year and there's a lot to do but August, really? And as someone who works in retail, starting it this early means that by the time you hit mid November, you're pretty much done, ready for it to be all over with. It's bordering on ridiculous, especially when those big companies also expect their workers to give up any spare time during December to work, including late finishes on Christmas Eve and long shifts on Boxing Day. It never fails to start a few arguments where I work, especially when we talk about how the company don't care about it's workers, only about bringing in the money. I really miss those simpler times as a kid when you would finish school on a set day and then have a fortnight to eat, wear nothing but an elasticated waistband and watch every Christmas film being shown. Now you're lucky if you can get two days off over the festive period and a lot of the time you have to sacrifice your time elsewhere for it.
Now I know this post has been a bit of a Debbie Downer but I also know that a lot of people are feeling like this and that no matter what they do, how many Christmas films they watch, how many Mince Pies they eat, nothing gives them that festive feeling. I know that feeling very well at the moment but I'm hoping that taking a couple of days off to rest and recharge my batteries, as well as finishing that last bit of shopping will be enough to push me into a more festive mood, instead of being a moody old Scrooge. To anyone who's reading this and feeling exactly as I've described, I hope that you do manage to find that festive feeling and that you have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and more food than you could fathom eating.
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