'Spending' Christmas

How much will you spend this Christmas?

When we see these figures and look at spending habits at Christmas, it cam be easy to dismiss this as not relating to us. We can feel that because ‘we know the meaning of Christmas’, all the excessive spending and bad habits ‘will not be down to us’.

But is this really the case? I know there have been times when amongst all the present buying and card writing and tree decorating, I sometimes forget to check my bank account, the budget I set, or even why I’m doing things. We too can be swept up in the tide of Christmas-hysteria that sweeps the land from early November. We buy presents throughout the year to ‘avoid the Christmas rush’; we stockpile Christmas cards, wrapping paper and decorations in the January sales so we’re ready for next year, and then can’t remember where we put them. We see preparing for Christmas as a chore, and not a joy; a time for worry and overspending, not a time for preparation.

Why do we buy gifts for one another? We know the traditions – it’s about remembering God’s gift to us all in Jesus and the gifts the wise men brought – but is that where our hearts are when we buy these gifts? Do we buy them from obligation?

When I was in secondary school, I remember the panic that December brought on – which of my friends do I buy presents for? Who do I write cards to? What if someone gets me a present and I haven’t got them one? How much is this all going to cost me from my pocket money? Eventually, the presents we ended up exchanging were silly, cheap, and essentially meaningless. We wouldn’t even take them home to enjoy opening on Christmas day – the classroom bins would be filled with brightly coloured paper and empty chocolate boxes (the best present for those on a budget with lots to buy) throughout the final weeks. Sound familiar?

I witnessed the same thing happening in a youth club earlier this week. When I asked them why they had opened their presents early, they said “Well I knew what it was, and I wanted to have it now”. The young people did not bother wondering what the present was – they knew it was a cheap gift bought out of obligation. They did not feel any expectation, hope or wonder about what was in the wrapping paper, and did not feel that by waiting anything extra would be gained.

As I grew up, I started to be the strange person that received the presents in school and slipped them into my bag unopened. Even though I (very often) knew what was inside, I wanted to experience a time of waiting for that gift. My friends were always surprised, and often tried to encourage me to open the presents early. I refused, explaining I wanted to truly appreciate their gift by opening it when I had the time to do so properly – not in the five minutes between lessons when I would smile politely, say thanks, and rush on. I would then message anyone who had given me a gift on Christmas day, thanking them for their gift.

Originally, I feel this habit was bred out of a desire to have the most presents to open on Christmas morning, but as I continued to do this, I began to change my attitude to the gifts I had received. Although many of the gifts were bought from obligation

and didn’t cost much, I really began to appreciate that this person had stopped to think of me during the busyness of Christmas shopping, even if it wasn’t really from the best motive.

In the past few years, I have tried to make my Christmas behaviour more meaningful. I buy presents for those I care about, not who I feel obligated to buy for. I try and buy things they want, like or need, not buying into cheap ‘3 for 2’ deals (although if this happens to occur, it is a bonus). Whenever I buy a gift, I try to remember why I am doing it (whatever time of year it is).

The one thing I most want you to take away from this blog post is that however we prepare for Christmas, whatever we spend, that we should have a heart of worship, during a time of hope and preparation, and that all we do should be as part of a celebration of God’s love for us.