With only a few weeks to go until Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve, it seems like more and more commercialism is on the rise. Major department stores broadcasted that Black Friday shopping began at 4:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (because it's called Thanksgiving brunch now, I guess?), while others at least had the decency to wait until 6:00 p.m. to open their locations.
Yes, I understand that not everyone who lives in America likes Thanksgiving well enough to make a holiday out of it (Football fans don't seem to apply because it's their standings in Fantasy that are important), but that's still a minority. What happened to the concept of spending time with family and being in the company of those whom we love? Isn't that why twenty-somethings also go out of their way to make Thanksgiving dinners with friends too? Because those are the people we should care about too, right?
Now, I should also mention here that I do really like Christmas. It's a great time to be with people you cherish and display your appreciation for them with gifts. However, every single holiday deal I see, or every other advertisement that claims holidays aren't complete without this item, are what I can't stand. I love the Starbucks holiday cups this year, but I also thought last year's design was totally fine too. I don't understand why the true meaning of Christmas had to be defined by one of the most privileged shops in America on a product that is thrown away.
I grew up watching Christmas classics like "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas," ones that remind you that the holidays aren't supposed to come from the nice things you buy, but from the inside. What happened to that idea? I know I come off as a stereotypical millennial, complaining about commercialism like I'm some sort of saint who is oblivious to their own occasional hypocrisy. I fully accept that's not true, but going into my third year of college, I realize the reality of what separation can do to people. It makes you much more appreciative of being with family during a time when you're meant to be thankful. Those specials also came out in the '60s, so I wouldn't starting arguing how this is an issue for millennial families: it's been an issue that we have all had to deal with when finding the true meaning of the holiday spirit.
However, I have also come to the reality that this stance may be a party of one. I may be the only person I ever meet who would love a phone call wishing extended family happy holidays. I may be part of a minority of people who think Jewish people deserve more than a quarter of an aisle for Hanukkah items at Target stores.
If that's the case, and in fact, if the holidays are going the way they are without any thought to applying the idea of being kind to one another and being about family, then I'm out.
