CHRISTMAS IS COMING (3)

Q. What on earth do you buy somebody for Christmas when they are one of those people who already has everything they want?

A. Nothing!

Q. Why 'Nothing'?

A. 'Cos that's the one think that they won't have!

Seriously though, the question of what to buy for people becomes harder each year doesn't it. When I was a small boy, my presents, along with those of my brothers and sisters, were in neat piles on the curved window seat in my father's office, and we were not allowed to touch them until after breakfast. In fact, it was not a good idea to even attempt to go in and look to see how big your pile was! Now the word pile may well conjure up a picture of a large pile of gifts, teetering on the edge of falling down, but, dear reader, let me inform you otherwise. My pile in those austere days at the end of the last great War, consisted of (usually) the 'Beano' and 'Dandy' Annuals, a few farmyard animals --- these later disappeared after the scare of lead-based paints --- some socks, a few sweets and colouring book and pencil crayons. All in all, I guess that there was about seven or maybe eight items.

Of course, in the early of the morning, I had woken up to find a stocking (well actually it was just one of my socks!) which had been stuffed with goodies such as a tangerine, some nuts --- which you couldn't get to 'cos you couldn't crack them --- a comic and perhaps a small toy car. Somehow these few items seem to FILL the stocking up. The important thing about all this, however, is that I expected no more nor less than I got, and I was very grateful for it all. It never occurred to me to want more!

How different it all is nowadays in these times of plenty that we live in! With little thought about where the money is going to come from children, lured by the adverts on the TV, gaily request all sorts of HUGELY EXPENSIVE gifts, seeing them as some sort of right. Our 13-year old asked for a 32" Flat screen TV, pointing out ones in the adverts which were, after all, ONLY £345!!!

When simply everybody pointed out that it would be FAR TOO LARGE for his bedroom he disagreed with everybody.

Children point to all sorts of expensive things with no consideration as to how their parents might pay for them. But wait a minute . . . Whose fault is that? Surely, if there had been a bit of common sense applied from the earliest age then it would be different. The problem is that we live now in a very self-centred and materialistic society, and the way that many parents live, spending money they don't have as though there's no tomorrow, creates the lessons that the kids learn from.

We really need to move away from being so self-centred. Looking around quickly tells you that it's been a dreadful social experiment, one that has failed miserably when it comes to the real things that matter in life. One of the problems is that in wanting so much the little things tend to either be sneered at or simply discarded as worthless. Yet you can learn an interesting lesson in the true value of things when you give a small child an expensive toy which fits into a large cardboard box. Watch them unwrap it, see their eyes light up, and then watch them play with the box which, in their imagination has become a car, a fire-engine, a boat, a spaceship, or some other such thing!

Another aspect of this particular culture is what you get from your children, you know, those children who often have more disposable income than you do as a result of over indulgence by parents and grandparents. Turning once again to the far-off days when I was a boy, pocket-money had to be earned and yet we children still managed to buy or make presents for the rest of the family, and Oh! how they were generally appreciated! Nowadays, affluent teenagers will often have fat bank accounts and yet still expect Mum to buy the presents for them to give to everyone. If you succumb to this, what's the lesson in it?

It's time for a CHANGE!!!

Wouldn't it be great to get back to a time when other people mattered the most? We could do, but it's up to each of us to make the change. One thing I'm certain of, and that is that even though the transition may be painful, the result will be well worthwhile.

What do you think, dear reader?