Liking Christmas TV – More Difficult Than It Should Be

When it comes to the day, and the presents have been opened, the dinner eaten and a bottle of something strong has been poured there is one more thing to do. Sit down in front of the television and select the TV schedule for the evening. Doing this can lead to some debate, as due to the large numbers of people in the room you will find consensus difficult to reach. But the simple fact of the matter is that we will have to reach a decision, and some people are going to be underwhelmed. This is a Christmas tradition.

Some of the programs on the Christmas schedule are, if we are being honest, absolutely atrocious. Due to the premise of the holiday, we have programs which are filled with Christmas references to the detriment of their usual quality. Instead of the well-crafted jokes, the dramatic scenes and the intelligent characterization, we have poorly-marshalled references to the holidays and saccharine storylines which are supposed to be uplifting but really seem cynical.

Of course, by this time we are usually sated by food, drink and the passive happiness of the day, so we will let it go. We end up enjoying it, no matter how much we might cringe. And even if we feel a little bit disappointed in ourselves the fact is that, in the end, we all enjoy feeling part of a Christmas celebration. And if we don’t, most of us have probably received a few DVDs in our gift haul anyway.

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The Commercialisation of Christmas

Christmas is a time of year that draws strong reactions from a wide range of people. As much as it is a time for family and theoretically to be enjoyed, Christmas does have its opponents. Or, to be more accurate, there are people who are thoroughly displeased by the idea of a holiday which used to be about family togetherness and happiness being turned into a corporate festival which relies on rampant consumerism. Looking at the supermarkets which have Christmas related lines on their shelves from September onwards it is not hard to understand their points.

However it is inevitable that this kind of commercialism will take a grip on a holiday where gifts play a major part. Knowing that people will spend money to get the best gift for those who they love, the companies with something to sell will put a lot of their advertising budget into the Christmas period. The inevitable knock-on effect is that other companies will do the same to compete. Add this to an element of competition among families to get the “best” (read: most expensive) gifts, and you have a recipe for a commercial holiday.

Is it possible to have a Christmas holiday without being carried along on the waves of consumerism? Well, yes, of course it is. It is important to keep the message firm in your family, that Christmas is about people and not products. Gifts are wonderful, no doubt. But without the emotion behind them, they are still just things.

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