Has Christmas lost its true meaning?

Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday since I realized that “giving is more important than receiving” during the Christmas season.  Thanksgiving is when I spend quality time with my family.  There are no gifts during Thanksgiving so I don’t have to worry about forgetting someone or wondering if they will like what I got them.  Thanksgiving is also the last holiday left, which hasn’t been completely taken over by insane marketing and materialistic ideas.  Marketing geniuses can’t squeeze money out of every angle of Thanksgiving like they can with Christmas.  We have lost focus on what the true meaning of Christmas is.  Stores set a record by putting up Christmas decorations by the end of September this year, a whole month earlier than last year.  Each year, I feel like Christmas starts earlier and earlier and loses it’s meaning.  Sure, my family still gets together for Christmas Eve and Christmas day to celebrate and give our presents and eat good food but I feel like the day isn’t as special and meaningful as it’s supposed to be.  When I researched Christmas a while ago, I was blown away that the Coca Cola Corporation re-invented the image of Santa Clause that is widely accepted today.  Santa used to be a little dwarf and they changed him into a tall, old, and big jolly old man.  I do admit that I like the new Santa and I love walking into a store and hearing Christmas carols and I love all of the decorations in the cities and around campus but it makes me wonder… have we lost the true meaning of Christmas?

Celebration

In the recent election for the president of the United States of America, the US elected the first black president, Barack Obama. This election was a sign to the world that we are a diverse country that is becoming increasingly more equal. Earlier in the election, there was even a woman, Hillary Clinton, who could have been the democratic nominee. I’m still unsure which would have surprised the world more: a female president or an African American president.

November 4^th, Election Day, was watched by many all over the world to see who would become the next most powerful man in the world. My mom received an email from a Kenyan farmer, who was given aide after his house was burned down, talking about how monumental this day was for him and for his country- they even had a national holiday for this day.

Dear (name), I take this special opportunity to congratulate you and the entire population of America as you celebrate the victory of your new president. Whether you supported John Mccain or Barrack Obama, the victory that has been achieved is the victory for the whole of America ,the victory of Kenya and a victory of the whole world. Barrack Obama , being a son of a Kenyan father has made as Kenyans proud for having produced the president of the most powerful nation in the world. To that effect , the president of Kenya H. E. Hon Mwai Kibaki has announced that tomorrow Thursdays will be a public holiday so that we can celebrate the Obama victory,unlike in January when He Himself was controvertially declared the winner ,and instead of celebrating we went to war.Your elections and Obama victory is a big lesion for us. (Name) , i am so much excited by Obama victory. …..i am humbled and feel greatly honored that a man who shares some blood with me is indeed today the most powerful man in the world. May God bless you. May God bless America May God bless Kenya and may God bless ABM. I hope and pray that He will make America and Americans greater . I am praying and hopping that He will make your life more comfortable and make you proud to be an American. Thank you so much as we celebrate (name taken out for privacy) FROM KENYA

Electing Barack Obama has upset many people as well. Going to SMU, I have been surrounded by, what I believe to be, the most radical republicans. I was at an election party and people were talking about how the world was over and they were yelling extremely racist comments and expressing the most amount of hatred I have ever seen. The hatred didn’t stop that night either. The next week in the halls I would hear people talking about the disgrace that he will bring our country and several times I heard “He will not live to see his inauguration day” (student). Comments like this and even other death-related comments disgust me. While I am biased and am a supporter of Obama, I don’t think it is justifiable for anyone to criticize his being elected because he has a different skin color. So while I see this hatred, I try to hold on to the words of the man from Kenya and other people who see his win as a miracle and the start of a new era of change.

Author. "Dear (recipient)." Letter to Recipient. 05 Nov. 2008. Kenya.