This is call for sacrifice, a sacrifice you should consider for this holiday season, a sacrifice that would be hard on your family.
We beseech you to NOT spend money to buy gifts for your loved ones during this holiday season. Instead, give them the gift of a family holiday that just involves spending time with each other and sharing love. If you can’t quite bring yourself to get nothing, choose something small but personal like these personalized photo mugs.
Why? It is because we are thinking of the large number of families that have lost income or face a serious income shortage. American society’s greatest problem today is lack of family income. Official unemployment is over 10% while unofficial unemployments figures are closer to 17-18%. Add the underemployed and you have nearly a quarter of the country in trouble.
Even the employed face lower income and greater uncertainty for their jobs. Think of the enormous pressure on the main income earners of these families to buy gifts in addition to making ends meet. Let us give them the gift of not having to spend their money on material gifts for their families.
The sad reality is that spending money on gifts has become a corrosive aspect of society. The cost of the gift and the effort spent to get that gift has become a barometer of love. This insane barometer has created intense peer pressure on families that can turn a merry holiday into a hangover of debt and financial suffering.
This peer pressure can only be reduced by the wealthy, the affluent. If such families send a message that they will celebrate holidays without monetary gifts, the message will be transmitted quickly and adopted by society. It is not always about how much you spend on someone. It’s the thought that counts. If you want to give gifts, don’t think of the value, but whether it will improve their day to day life in any way. For example, to the lead-up to the holiday season, there may still be teachers who will still be grading papers. Why not have them look into a test grader, which will make it easier for to mark assignments and have them ready on time. And we all know that insanely busy person who might need a bit of cheer in their life. Fortunately, you can put any face on socks so, not only is this classic gift practical, it now becomes a reason to smile every time a person looks at their feet. When you think of it like this, it is definitely the thought that counts.
This will be a sacrifice for the wealthy families who can easily afford to spend lots of money. This will involve a greater sacrifice by the children of wealthy families. But doesn’t every religion teach that a sacrifice of material wants is a cleansing for the soul. Just think of the opportunity to teach values of sacrifice to your children this holiday season.
We have decided to make this holiday season free of gifts that cost money. If you decide to try this approach, tell your friends & colleagues about your decision and why you took the decision. That is what we are doing with this article.
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