With Black Friday and Cyber Monday over, if you haven’t gotten in gear for gift shopping for your loved ones, now is the time.
Christmas shopping began as early as Halloween for some people. A recent survey quoted that 37.2% of consumers had already started their gift shopping.
COVID-19 has blunted this somewhat but that is still too much and too early for me. I may think of what I want to give but I don’t act on it until after Thanksgiving. Last month before the Thanksgiving holiday I heard various Christmas carols on the radio or in the retail shopping stores and I thought can’t they wait to play Christmas music until after the Thanksgiving holiday!
Christmas giving has become a very big business with retailers counting on big sales to make a difference for the total amount of income for the year. According to National Retail Foundation statistics, most holiday givers will spend the largest portion of their budget on their family.
Mobile devices such as iPhones and Androids will be popular this year to make shopping online easier. I enjoy window shopping online, however, I prefer to shop at the local stores or the malls when they are open. I enjoy the sites and sounds of Christmas with the many Christmas lights twinkling and the feel of the crisp air on my face as I bundle up to keep warm and maybe stop for a hot chocolate.
Pandemic precautions have limited these activities significantly, however.
Gift giving at Christmas spread as Christianity spread, and was found in the Magi’s act of bearing gifts to the infant Jesus and in the belief that Christ was a gift from God to the world, bringing the gift of redemption and everlasting life.
It is with this belief that I choose my gifts carefully for those for whom I do buy. I do not buy gift cards unless there is not another option and even those are placed in a gift box wrapped in colorful Christmas paper and plenty of ribbon — a gift tradition my mother passed on to me.
The gift-giving tradition that we are most familiar with today originated with the Victorians of England. They brought warmth and spirit to Christmas after they had experienced a long period of decline. America expanded on the concept with the addition of Santa Claus, and soon St. Nick or Santa Claus became responsible for the presents left in stockings.
The commercialism of Christmas and retail buying began in the late 19th century as noncommercial gift giving began to cease and the new message was to buy.
I like the idea of incorporating some of the spirit of past holidays with my gift giving in the form of homemade gifts or a bottle of good wine. My Uncle Mike during past holidays would be selling and giving his Christmas bread called Potica.
It is a Slovenian bread with nuts, honey and butter. He made this bread for years and sold about 250 loaves during the holiday season. I would buy loaves to give out and two dozen tamales for our dining enjoyment.
The best way to approach Christmas and gift giving is from the heart.
In this economy, with money scarce, people are looking for ways to cut back, or for that matter to have enough money for their normal expenses, not to mention Christmas. Food kitchens and pantries are running out of food.
No amount of retail sales can make up for this economy and the hardships people are going through. Even though the economy will improve, we must all remember that approximately millions of our countrymen are unemployed or underemployed largely due to the inability of our government in controlling the current pandemic.
Many of our fellow citizens are in financial trouble through no fault of their own and are bewildered and depressed over what has become of their lives. For large numbers of these unfortunate souls this Christmas will be as if looking through the window at someone else’s holiday.
We should try to support our local and selective national charities. Go out of your way to help a financially struggling family. Do God’s work this holiday and His light will shine upon you and yours, and that IS what Christmas is all about.
Remember well these words: “There but for the grace of God go I.”
Whether your greeting is Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas or Felice Navidad, I hope it is a message of celebration and goodwill. What would Christmas be like without the birth of Jesus Christ lying in a manger?
No matter what your belief system, the story of a baby born in a manger in swaddling clothes is daunting. There was no crib, no incubator in case he had problems, no nursery with bright lights and no apgar score.
Just a baby lying in a manger, who would give those who would seek it, hope and salvation, “Unto us a child is given, unto us a son is born” HE is the true gift to the world!
May God bless you and yours during this holiday season. Merry Christmas!
— Sandi Y. Squicquero M.Ed,.LPC, is a licensed professional counselor who works out of the Medical Hypnosis and Counseling Center at 1180 Main St., Suite 5B in Windsor. She has more than 30 years experience as a counselor and is board certified in medical hypnosis.
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December 12, 2020 at 09:00PM
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Sandi Squicquero: Why we give gifts at Christmas - Greeley Tribune
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