Shopping during the Holidays

The holidays have changed over the past few decades. It used to be all about family and spending quality time with each other. Now all it is is going to extremes to get good deals on Christmas presents. Shopping in my opinion takes away from the spirit of the season. People are getting injured and even death has come from competitive people going crazy for a material gift.  Black Friday is the most famous shopping day of the year. It is the Friday after Thanksgiving. The greatest deals on electronics and other products are on sale with only a few in stock to be sold. Since there is a limited number of items people feel the need to camp outside the store before they let the customers in so they get a prime spot in line, and ensure that they get the discounted item.

Black Friday has been extended in recent years. Now the sales start on Thursday night and continue throughout the whole weekend. With the shopping starting on Thanksgiving Day it takes away from the holiday. You are supposed to be with your family and giving thanks for what you have, not waiting in a line in front of a store. It is ironic that people come together to give thanks on one day then have to rush out and go buy more things when they just celebrated what they already have. The feeling of the holiday gets lost. With shopping starting Thursday it pressures families to have their thanksgiving meal early in the day as more of a lunch than a dinner. The shopping extremities force people to be on more of a time limit than they were before. This causes family gatherings to be cut short.

Are people becoming more and more materialistic? I think so! All people talk about is what they have and how they are able to afford different things. These pressures are affecting younger kids in school and other environments. If they don’t have the coolest and the latest gadget they “don’t fit in” or “aren’t cool.”  If some student can’t afford the newest thing then that makes them feel bad.  A classic example is with the product Ugg boots. These are expensive boots that come in various patterns and styles. They have real fur on the inside and are a fashionable way to keep your feet warm. This also means that they are very expensive.  There are tons of knock off brands, and if you are wearing a knock off brand you are looked down upon and shouldn’t be caught dead in them.

The fact that people are so concerned with what they can buy and look at what other people have take away from the spirit of the season. We shouldn’t have to grow up in a society where you have to compare your Christmas presents to your friends or other people. This could cause people to feel bad if they didn’t get what their friends got. No one needs to feel bad during this time of year. We need to be more concerned with being with our family and move away from the presents.

Shopping has become something that is dangerous and not fun to be a part of. Be jolly and enjoy being around the people that you love. (551)