When I was a kid, in the small village where I grew up there were only a few traditions. In February/March it was Carnival (kids normally made they own customs with mom’s help and the ones better off bought a plastic mask with an elastic strap), in April there was Easter, there was Christmas with gifts exchanged between family and closer friends and a meal the 24th of December and individual birthdays which back then included a small party at home with a homemade cake. That was it and it was already burdensome enough for some.
But the commercial world wasn’t making enough money for their taste so they revamped everything and imported a few more. Now there is valentine’s day, Halloween, black Friday, etc. Some are even celebrating Thanksgiving, which has nothing to do with the European culture.
People are being bombarded with advertisements for all sorts of events and all that costs a lot of money, money we are told we need to spend if we want to have a good time, money we are told we need to spend if we want to show people our love, as if love had anything to do with how much money you spend on stuff.
Traditions have become a financial burden and in a world full of debt, that’s the last thing people need. But people are so concerned about what others think that they are willing to go into more debt to fulfill they social obligations.
The guy I work with just moved and he had to spend a lot of money recently to buy the things he needed for his apartment. He was just telling me that he hates Christmas and he doesn’t know how he’s going to make it this year. I suggested he could tell his family and friends that this year he can’t exchange gifts and he’ll just have dinner with them. He didn’t like my idea. What would they think of him??? It’s Christmas – people expect gifts.
I’m glad I stopped all that nonsense years ago and today I only buy gifts for people I genuinely care about if I want and when I can afford them. Personally, I much prefer to be surprised than to get a gift just because it’s whatever date and people feel they have an obligation to get me something.
We live in a buy, buy, buy culture and people are relentlessly pressured to spend money they don’t have in stuff nobody needs, to keep a certain image. How sad is it that we keep talking about being ourselves but in practice, make sure you follow the crowd because if you don’t do exactly like everyone else you might lose the “cool” status, people might not like you so much anymore.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend time with the people we love? There are so many nice things people can do together that don’t feel like a social obligation and don’t cost a fortune.
I think kids would appreciate more time and attention from their parents instead of a new phone to replace the one they got last year, which BTW still works just fine.
But the commercial world wasn’t making enough money for their taste so they revamped everything and imported a few more. Now there is valentine’s day, Halloween, black Friday, etc. Some are even celebrating Thanksgiving, which has nothing to do with the European culture.
People are being bombarded with advertisements for all sorts of events and all that costs a lot of money, money we are told we need to spend if we want to have a good time, money we are told we need to spend if we want to show people our love, as if love had anything to do with how much money you spend on stuff.
Traditions have become a financial burden and in a world full of debt, that’s the last thing people need. But people are so concerned about what others think that they are willing to go into more debt to fulfill they social obligations.
The guy I work with just moved and he had to spend a lot of money recently to buy the things he needed for his apartment. He was just telling me that he hates Christmas and he doesn’t know how he’s going to make it this year. I suggested he could tell his family and friends that this year he can’t exchange gifts and he’ll just have dinner with them. He didn’t like my idea. What would they think of him??? It’s Christmas – people expect gifts.
I’m glad I stopped all that nonsense years ago and today I only buy gifts for people I genuinely care about if I want and when I can afford them. Personally, I much prefer to be surprised than to get a gift just because it’s whatever date and people feel they have an obligation to get me something.
We live in a buy, buy, buy culture and people are relentlessly pressured to spend money they don’t have in stuff nobody needs, to keep a certain image. How sad is it that we keep talking about being ourselves but in practice, make sure you follow the crowd because if you don’t do exactly like everyone else you might lose the “cool” status, people might not like you so much anymore.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend time with the people we love? There are so many nice things people can do together that don’t feel like a social obligation and don’t cost a fortune.
I think kids would appreciate more time and attention from their parents instead of a new phone to replace the one they got last year, which BTW still works just fine.
).
