The Christmas Season takes on a certain commercialized meaning as billions of dollars are spent on advertising the holiday as a time to give gifts and spread joy through big purchases and expensive meals. Faith leader Timothy Head wrote an opinion piece lamenting the way that consumerism has taken over the once family and faith-oriented holiday of Christmas.
Timothy Head, in his opinion article published by Fox News Digital, wrote about this issue in a post titled “Consumerism undermines traditional family Christmas, but there are ways to fix that.” In the thoughtful piece, he offered a few different ways to bring back the sentimental meaning to the holiday that is marred by continued cries from retailers to spend, spend, and spend.
Head sights a Gallop poll when making a claim that many Americans are losing touch with their Christian faith in the face of constant consumerism and a focus on financial success over all else. In the article, he says that consumerism has found a way to “displace faith in God” in America among families that would have likely been religious at another time.
Head’s thesis in his argument is that as this desire to earn more money and status rises, American’s ability to be happy and find contentment in their lives will be lessened. With a rising rate of Americans who believe that their concern over money has risen, this trend may very well already be in effect.
Another increasing area of concern that Head hits at is a rising amount of stress for Americans come holiday time. This Christmas season has been more stressful than last year for over a third of Americans, according to the Gallop Poll cited in the post.
Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, offers a direct alternative to this problem. he urges parents to lean on traditional and original stories that go along with the Christmas holiday, along with that of Thanksgiving, to instill a sense of understanding and gratefulness in the next generation of Americans.
He wrote, “Families who simply read the Thanksgiving story to their children can inspire an appreciation for the things that matter all year round, including family, community and religion. Better yet, reciting George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation or reading the nativity story around the table each holiday season can instill lifelong lessons and traditions that counter mainstream holiday chaos.”
Head closes the article with a brilliant point about the pursuit of happiness and the importance of issues pressing Americans every day. He says that “Disordered concern for the things of this world will always lead to dissatisfaction.” In other words, Americans need to better rank their priorities.
To Head, a constant pursuit of money, fame, and fortune will never give the same peace and joy in life that a healthy relationship with God and family does. Thankfulness, combined with a focus on the love both given to and received by others, is the best way that Head knows to go about leading a meaningful life.
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