Christmas Challenge

Yesterday it hit me while in the grocery store that something does not seem right about the Christmas / Holiday season.  After climbing over Christmas goods (junk) ready to go on the shelves to be sold, I thought to myself maybe its me getting older.  The more I thought I realized that wasn't the issue either as I love this time of year.  Something seems to water down the holiday and take the excitement away.  My favorite corporate America  Year after year, corporate stores seem to be in competition with each other on who can set up for Christmas the earliest and use the holiday to generate massive profits.  Its as if someone is sitting around and trying to figure out how to stress everyone out at the end of the year while making people feel bad if they don't by a second cousin a gift.  Don't get me wrong, I like gifts.  Instead of quantity and junk, a gift with meaning would be much better.  Now days quality time with family and friends would be the greatest gift considering how busy everyone is throughout the year.  Why has corporate media saturated the sacred holiday?

Here is the challenge:  Excluding children, I encourage everyone not to buy gifts, unless it has meaning, this holiday season.  Instead use the money to gather family and friends to a nice restaurant.  It would be a perfect time for families to use the money towards a nice family vacation.  Your still spending the money just in a different way.

Here are a few benefits.

• You will be stimulating the economy not the government.  
• Wall Street is not going to crash.  
• Last time I checked Walmart has three family memebers in the top 20 richest people in the world.  
• All the department stores, they have money as well.  
• Goods and clothing purchased at Walmarts and department stores are produced in another country not helping our recession.
• Spending money at a restaurant or hotel will help in the US workers in the service industry, for the most part.  People in the service industry are in the demographic that tends to spend money they earn so it will still make rich people remain rich.  Plus most have high amounts of debts so it could help the banks as this working segment could pay down their debt before going bankrupt.  Maybe it gets a few people off unemployment.
• Improve health.  I can't imagine the stress level of going to crowded malls and looking for THINGS.  Use the time to relax and catch up.  That means more plus a better return on investment of your time.
• Maybe buy a real Chrstmas tree that would help out a Michigan tree farmer versus buying a tree from a department store made in China.
• Enjoy quality time with family and friends.
• We could probably go on and on with the list but don't have time this morning.  Please comment ideas.  

I'm not trying to be a Scourge, actually the opposite.  Everyone celebrates the holidays in a different manner.  Take this time to evaluate if you are really having fun over the next couple of months.  My recommendation is do what you feel at heart and don't do anything to appease corporate America.  Time is the most valuable gift we can give to each other.