Christmas - Spend and Feast...

I hate this time of the year - not because I hate Christmas, but because I hate what it has become - A frantic, guilt trip of excessive present buying and the over-indulging of excessive amounts of food!  I wish Christmas could go back to being a time when it was all about spending time with family and remembering the birth of Jesus, when the presents that were given, were small, needed items or were often handmade with love.  I fear that Christmas has caused children to become greedy, 'want-some', spoilt brats, and whether it's Santa or the parents who get the thanks, it is seldom appreciated. 

Cooking the Christmas meal should be a joint affair, much like the Thanksgiving spreads we see displayed in Hollywood movies, where everyone brings a dish to contribute, thus making it less of a stressful ordeal for the host.  It should not be about how much food we should have, but possibly just a few luxury items that one doesn't normally eat.  And don't get me started on the Christmas crackers - why do we insist on buying them every year, when we know how lame the toys and jokes are.  Every year I promise myself to make some with better fillers, used with toilet roll inners and left over Christmas paper, but every year, I never do, and I doubt this year will be any different...

Sigh... If only Christmas could be more about Jesus, family, friends and fun, and less about the spend and feast!!