Christmas magic not bubble wrapped (From Stroud News and Journal)

Christmas magic not bubble wrapped

HERE we go again. At the risk of sounding like Scrouge I have come to hate Christmas. Every year the wheels of commercialism seem to be spinning faster and more furiously.

Saturday was the last straw. After driving around for the best part of an hour trying to park my car in town it hit me that all this frantic shopping is in effect just for one day.

One day when everyone buys more food and drink than they could hope to consume in a month.

One day when people are bombarded by a consumer mountain of gifts they will never use let alone need.

One day which is meant to be a religious celebration yet Christ is lucky to get a look in. The most awful atrocities are happening in the Sudan every day.

Thousands of children have died of starvation and families are forced to sleep under flimsy canopies in the absence of a proper home. And why is it that when half the world is starving every Western woman seems to be on some faddy diet or another?

Credit card spending has hit an all time record and people who can ill afford it will start the New Year drowning in debt. Isn't it time we all got a grip?

This orgy of spending is frankly distasteful and uneccessary. We all already have more than we could ever need and the pressure to buy bigger and better every year is putting untold pressure on everyone.

Isn't it time we realised the magic of Christmas doesn't come bubble wrapped?