Xmas

It appears that Christmas is coming round again. I have nothing against Xmas as a celebration (apart from the religious connotations) a holiday at any time of year is always welcome and why not have one where gifts are exchanged and families gather together. 
Well here I go, for those of you who have read my blogs, this will come as no surprise, I despise all the crap that surrounds it. The commercialism, the reliance on Christmas shopping and the blatant emphasis on buying far more than most will ever use or need is materialism gone mad. We have all fallen into the Christmas trap of feeling guilty if we don't provide all the trimmings and we are encouraged to buy more and more. Bombarded with glossy adverts with production values that would grace the new Bond film, many go out and spend a fortune.
I have spent a great part of my working life in sales and the retail industry, so I have made my living from persuading people to purchase products. Am I a hypocrite? Probably but it also means I have witnessed the rampant high street and now internet promotions, to get us to spend. It is a free society we live in and we are lucky that many can spend whatever we wish or can afford,  (not all of us , I know) it is our choice and our debt and we must live with the consequences.
I have seen 59 Christmases and over time, one tends to view things in a more philosophical bent, realising that a more personnel and low key Xmas is much more enjoyable and affordable. 
It is about family and friends and whether presents are exchanged or not, sharing together is enjoyable for it's own sake. I like receiving gifts as much as anyone but as I get just as much pleasure from seeing family and friends receiving theirs.
So this year try and view Xmas as an opportunity to gather together without a blatant display of spending, I know many already do, we do not have to rush headlong into the overloaded supermarket trolley, filled with so much food and drink that it appears we are stocking up for a prolonged shortage! Remember the January sales are just around the corner.......................