Hello guys,
I hope you’re having a good day and also enjoying your holidays. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family. I pray the coming year brings you joy , love and togetherness as we start this new journey.
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Today, we are talking about holiday traditions. Across the span of the year we have so many holidays, some are celebrated across the globe while some are only celebrated in specific countries. Nevertheless, they are still holidays and we get to stay at home or do whatever we want with the free day. For some holidays, they last for just a day or two but others come with so many days of having fun and the Christmas holidays is one. As we celebrate Christmas and also prepare to mark the end of the year, we have so many days of resting, 2 weeks at most for civil servants and more for others.
In these times, everyone tries their best to have a good time, bond with family and also have fun but in doing this we understand that we need money for most of the activities we want to undertake. For well -to-do families, they do not have a problem with going to so many places to have fun , decorating their homes with Christmas trees and also getting expensive gifts for their friends and family.
People will average income on the other hand cannot afford this luxury and I don’t see that as a problem because all fingers cannot be equal. Now, this is where the problem comes in. To me, the biggest holiday tradition which has been misunderstood for so long and often confuses me and leaves me in a shock is the pressure to spend a lot of money during the holiday period. Wasting money on numerous shows, decorating your house with so many Christmas lights and trees when you know you can’t afford it, trying as much as possible to get the latest dress for Christmas to pepper that neighbour, and also the pressure to give out expensive gifts. At some point, I start to feel people actually think they are in an unspoken competition with others to see who can outspend the other.
I understand that we want to shower our loved ones with gifts and also get the latest clothing and all of that but looking at the impact of all these spending on our finances, I don’t think it’s worth it. Why would one want to get something they know within them that they cannot afford and even if they can, it’s going to have dire effects on their finances in the coming days and weeks. I believe that instead of trying to please others with material things and going bankrupt within the holidays why don’t we rather focus on creating good memories with them. Those who really care about you and value you wouldn’t care about material possessions but will rather value the time and the love you give to them. It’s okay to give out gifts to your loved ones, it’s an amazing thing to do but do not do more than you can, it’s not the end of the world.
Another heartbreaking thing which has grown to become a tradition is people having so many expectations from others. From gendered gift-giving to unrealistic portrayals of family gatherings. In this century, we find ourselves in a situation where guys are expected to do more than they can while girls just sit and look pretty. For example, let’s assume a young couple in a relationship during this season. The lady would expect the guy to give her the world while she makes little to no effort to also give him the world. I believe this should go both ways instead of it being one sided. Also, on the issue of unrealistic family gatherings. It’s okay to have family gatherings during this seasons, for some families it’s a must but most at times we experience how other well-to-do family members try to oppress other not so well
-to-do family members during such gatherings. Most people can bear witness to the fact that this is still happening as of today. I don’t really see the whole point behind this but all I know is that it’s not worth it. The whole point of a family gathering is to have fun, reconnect with loved ones and also strengthen those family ties and not to oppress others.
Traditions hold a lot of value for most of us, if not all. They provide a sense of belonging, comfort and a connection to our roots. The absence of tradition would leave most of us with a void yearning to be filled. However, tradition isn’t static and we can all bear witness to the fact that things are no more the way they used to be. Some traditions we came to meet, others we developed on own. Instead of copying blinding, why don’t we choose to do those things that resonate with our values and who we truly are. It is only then that we would find the peace and happiness we yearn for.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, thank you for your time.