Gifts

I heard people discussing their annoyance with how the children today are so focused on gifts. I've read blogs about it where they discuss how children are disappointed on Christmas morning because they didn't get the gifts they were hoping for. All I could think about was Dudley from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It was his birthday and he was upset because he had less gifts than he had the year before. Of course, this number was well into the 30s. Then his parents promise him two more so he can have more gifts than the year before. Can you imagine having almost 40 gifts for your birthday? That's crazy! Do children really act like this? I hope this is an exaggeration, but from what I've read on blogs and discussed with people -- this isn't so extraordinary but just ordinary. So sad...

Why do children today think this way? Have you watched advertisements lately?

Here are two great examples of advertising. If I were to go off these commercials, Publix absolutely wins my vote!

Now, I'm not saying I do it right and others do it wrong. I'm just saying people need to stop asking why today's children are selfish and worried about all the toys they get. To me it's quite obvious. Our society causes it. We cause it. My children get 3 gifts - 1 fun, 1 practical, and 1 home made. Santa normally brings a family gift (like a board game) and stocking stuffers. My children still want gifts. They're children. However, they know they're only getting one toy from us and they are always excited about it. 

Perhaps we need to change our focus. I'm going to try to make sure that our Christmas is celebrated with Christ central to those celebrations and NOT the gifts. We'll see what I can come up with.