Unplugging the Christmas Machine

I was just thinking about how deeply the commercialization of Christmas is rooted into the fabric of our society. Christmas is not supposed to be about gifts, gifts, more gifts and Santa Claus...but it is. When you have a lot of money, you don't even give a lot of thought to it. In fact, you can give to the needy too and not even think too much about the message other than, I am doing a good thing, giving these gifts so that people who can't afford gifts can give them to their families. In these economic times, more and more of us can't afford to give and give and give presents to our families...and we feel guilty. Our kids can't get all the nice things their peers are getting. Still...that's not what Christmas is about!

Another poster participating in Gifts in Small Things is taking a pledge she saw in a book called Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli. This is it:

1. To remember those people who truly need my gifts.

2. To express my love for family and friends in more direct ways than presents.

3. To rededicate myself to the spiritual growth of my family.

4. To examine my holiday activities in light of the true spirit of Christmas.

5. To initiate one act of peacemaking within my circle of family and friends.

-from Unplug the Christmas Machine , by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli

Hey, I wanna get this book! This sounds like a pledge I need to be taking!