This week I overheard a mum at school saying that she didn't like Christmas. Ba humbug, thought I, as one who LOVES Christmas. But then she was a Christian lady working in a Christian school and so her comments began to disturb me. In fact what she was saying was that she disliked the frenetic business associated with Christmas celebrations and for her this cast a rather dark mid-winter cloud over the whole affair. Looking at some of the statistics, I can see why. Did you know:
- £20 billion is spent on Christmas in the UK. Before we dismiss this out of hand as material gluttony, one must consider the effect on the economic well-being of the nation. Many retailers make 60% of their annual turnover during the Christmas period. Still, is it money well spent?
- 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins - enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey!
- 7.5 million Christmas trees, 10 million turkeys and 25 million Christmas puddings are consumed;
- And... 1 in 3 men will wait until Christmas Eve to finish their Christmas shopping. Perhaps this is where the greatest stress is!
At the same time, I have taken to the practice of buying 'Gifts of Compassion' as Christmas presents. This is a scheme run by the Christian Charity
International Needs whereby my rather small share of the £20 billion is spent on cows, pigs, goats, school dinners, bikes - or whatever is needed by people in developing nations, to enable them to build a sustainable local economy. The charity then give me a card to send the usual recipients of my Christmas good will explaining the gift that has been bought in their name. Less wrapping paper; no Christmas Eve shopping and a gift that embraces the real wonder and spirit of Christmas. That's win win in my book. Perhaps this will help to relieve the stress of the Christmas business and make it a truly meaningful celebration to embrace.
Check it out at www.ineeds.org.uk
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