I'm not Scrooge but who out there thinks Christmas is getting out of control?  October is usually when it starts but this I saw some shops had set up Xmas aisles in September.  Heck, summer is barely over!  Bits and pieces start sneakily appearing on the shop shelves.  Toy adverts become more frequent.  But, I woke up this morning one thing on my mind - how wasteful this time of year is.  Don't get me wrong, it's lovely to give and receive presents but just stop and think about all the negative points that we all partake in at this time of year.....

Blindingly Awful Christmas Lights - I have a real hatred of Christmas lights on the outside of houses.  All year we are fighting the energy providers for cheaper, cleaner electricity and then boom, the 1st of December is here and we all join the competition of who can put the most lights on their house.  Not only is it using unnecessary amounts of electricity, it looks awful and it's distractingly dangerous.  I am pretty sure if number of accidents were monitored near these eyesores during the course of the year, I am convinced that the amount would grow once the Christmas lights have been put up.  Not only is it dangerous to drivers but half these people haven't a clue about what happens when you mix water and electricity or what happens when you overload your fuse boxes.  It'll be a really Merry Christmas when your house burns down!

Wasteful Christmas - How about we look at the wastefulness of this time of the year.  All those Christmas cards that are sent and received.  We live our lives with computers, no one bothers to write to anyone now, we just send emails.  So, why at Christmas do we send Christmas Cards?  I know, without receiving a card, that my friends and family are wishing for me to have a happy Christmas.  And, if you feel the need to send a card to someone in the outlook address box, why not send an ecard at Christmas.  Make an effort to cut back the waste problem that always escalates at this time of year?  We can't hold back on wrapping presents, it's fun to try and guess what your getting and tear the paper but at least if we cut back on our Christmas Cards we will be doing something positive at Christmas.  Landfill sites are getting fuller by the day, soon we'll have nowhere to throw out our rubbish and that leads me onto my next point....  

The Gluttonous Extravagance of Christmas Food - What about all the food that is bought, you never eat that much food any other time of the year, so why now?   How much of that food goes in the bin because it goes off or you've cooked too much?  How many Christmas's have you spent feeling like a hippo, wallowing around on your living room sofa because you have eaten too much?  When the new year comes around and you try to get into your favourite clothes, how many of you have had to pay good money to join the local gym or purchase a wardrobe of larger size clothes?  What a complete waste of money!  Don't buy the extra food in and then you won't need to spend extra in the new year.  It's a win win situation.  Also, everyone hates food shopping at the best of times but at Christmas it's so damn frustrating.  Everyone pushing trolley's full to the brim with wheels that don't work and screaming kids mouthing off 'I want this' and 'I want that' to their parents.  Nobody's smiling there!  Everything you would normally buy is now sold in special Christmas packaging or extra large sizes and you're encouraged to buy these at higher prices because it's not in it's usual plastic wrapping, it's in a box with a smiling Santa on the front.  What's the bloody difference, it still tastes the same!  Why do we end up buying food we don't need and why is it we assume that just because the supermarket is closing for a couple of days we are going to starve so we fill our trolleys up with as much stuff as we can, fighting over the last loaf of bread or the last pint of milk and that leads me to my next point.....

Crazy Christmas Present Shopping - I would sooner get my Christmas Shopping online or before December rather than risk the bustle of a busy town at Christmas time.  I mean what a nightmare.  There's pushing, shoving, fighting over the last parking space, queuing and to top it all off you can't find what you want because everywhere has sold out.  We stress out at trying to find the perfect gift for our loved ones.  We get into debt because we want to make sure our loved ones have everything they desire for Christmas.  How does this greed make Christmas a happy time of the year.  I don't know about you but I would be happy with anything anyone bought me.   It's not how much you spend or how much you buy that makes a special Christmas.  Christmas is becoming more and more materialistic and less about spending quality time with your loved ones.  Quality time, that brings me nicely to the next issue.....

Crappy Christmas Television - TV in my opinion has gone down hill anyway with all these bloody reality TV programs which I won't even bother to mention by name but when I was a child I always looked forward to the movies and the Christmas charitable programs that always brought a tear to your eye.  Will these be shown this year or will we revert to more reality rubbish?  Who knows?  Whatever happened to going for a winter walk after dinner or playing a board game?

Christmas Number 1 - What happened to writing a song about Christmas?  Excuse me but when was the last Christmas number 1 about Christmas and not just some idiotic band trying to get it's name in the Christmas hall of fame.

In conclusion I have decided that I am going to change my Christmas habits, I am only going to buy what I know I can cook and eat happily over Christmas period, to all those people with email I shall be sending an email card to save on waste.  I shall put my trimmings up but where I can save electricity I will.  I shall only buy presents for my loved ones that are not wasteful of packaging.  You don't have to lose traditional to have a good Christmas, just get rid of the greed and bring back the three f's - fun, festivity and most importantly, family.

Oh and one more point I would like to make - Has anyone noticed that Santa is an anagram of Satan.  Is it coincidence that both these guys are dressed in red and give you what you want but only if you do something for them in return.

Let me know your feelings on this time of year?  Do you agree or disagree with my points?

Readers views:

Just read your web page New Stuff. I haven't read it all but what I have is good, I enjoyed the read. Thanks and well done. I am not sure I agree whole heartedly with your Christmas article but I do think things are getting out of control.  My true pet hate is the introduction of Charity gifts. I would much rather someone said to me "I'm not buying presents this year because......... ",  then make the donation they choose in their own name. Why do they have to donate the cost of my gift in my name, to a charity I do not necessarily approve of.  

The Reluctant Retiree from East of England, UK