I agree with both Amel Saleh and
Lauren Smith for different reasons. Saleh mentions that some people “expect”
presents, I agree with her on this because some people have made Christmas too
materialistic and don’t see this holiday season for the true meaning. Then, I
agree with Smith’s essay, because she mentions that although there are some
rude people that are too into the shopping and presents than the true meaning,
they should not be the stereotype of all holiday shoppers.
I do
believe that some people automatically expect to receive many expensive
presents and it may have made them greedy, but I believe they see Christmas as
a holiday just for receiving gifts, because of the way they were raised. There
of course are those who genuinely are grateful for receiving a simple gift from
a loved one. I suppose presents are a holiday tradition, but some people do go
overboard on the amount and price of presents.
Christmas
is a holiday I really enjoy spending with my family, mainly because they all
make extremely good food, but also because it is one of the holidays that a lot
of my family members have off from work, so a lot of them are able to join us
for family time. My family does a gift exchange every year. On thanksgiving we
put the names of those who would like to participate in a hat, whosever name we
get that is who we would have to purchase a gift for. Since the names are
folded up we don’t know which family member we will pick, and we don’t know who
picked us until we give the gifts on Christmas Eve, but of course my immediate
family knows considering my mom and I are the ones who go pick out the gifts.
Christmas in my family is not at all seen to be for just the presents we
receive, and I am so blessed that my family continues to value the true meaning
of Christmas and how it all started.
Since we're very little we're constantly taught that Christmas is a holiday for receiving gifts, and what we grow up believing even as we enter our adolescent years and adulthood. Smith is right though, the greedy and materialistic should not be the stereotypes for everyone else that do enjoy Christmas for the reasons of family bonding.
ReplyDeleteI like how your family keeps the real tradition of Christmas alive. My sister and my mom are also the gift people.
ReplyDeleteMy family does that with the hat too! It's funny to see those get the opposite sex gender because it's always more difficult for them to decide a gift for them.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of switching up gifts, makes you enjoy the gifts even if there is a maximum on the spending price. It's a good tradition.
ReplyDeleteI play that game with my family every year. Doing presents in the form of a game makes Christmas my favorite holiday.
ReplyDeleteMaking great memories while eating delicious home made food is the best during Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI love how you have a tradition with the name pulling. My family doesn't really have that, instead we just give each other one gift.
ReplyDeleteI once pulled the name Jesus. I kid you not, I started to think of a present for Jesus Christ before I remembered I have a cousin named Jesus.
ReplyDeleteSpending time with your family during the holiday is really all you need in order to celebrate the good times. The food just makes it extra special, at least that's how I feel during this time of the year.
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