The Consumer Conundrum

"There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own and His own did not receive Him." - John 1:9-11

First, my apologies to Nathan and Matthea for jumping in here.

Next, my apologies to gingerbread men.

Finally, you're welcome for the brief moment of laughter you may already be experiencing after watching this instantly classic commercial.

Okay, so what's the bent here?  Well, to be honest there can be several.  I mean, we could make the easy jump in paralleling the "path of least resistance" reference in the commercial to the "path to eternal life," but those kinds of dumbed-down analogies to the profundity of what happened on the cross sort of rub me the wrong way.  We could discuss the manipulation inherent to drafting as it's depicted in this ad, but that really pales in comparison to some of the other problems associated with Christmas shopping.  Or we could (and maybe should) discuss the terribly disconcerting question of, "Why haven't I seen any of these ads this year?"  I mean, c'mon Target, those commercials are gold!  That ad campaign is a winner!  Are you trying to lose revenue this Christma...

Aha, therein lies the rub!  THAT is the bent.  So often we hear things like, "Jesus is the reason for the season!," or "Keep Christ in Christmas!," or "It's not Happy Holidays, it's MERRY CHRISTMAS!"  And, while those have all become important cliches, they are still cliches and this is not another one of THOSE discussions.  No, this discussion is about the impossibility of breaking the cycle of consumerism.

What does Christmas mean to a poor family in a developing country?  In other words, do we really have any idea what "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"  means to the least of the least of the least of these or the 'not-iest' of the have-nots?  Not even a whiff!  What we're talking about here is most definitely a first-world problem, make no mistake about it.  BUT, what we're talking about here is also one of the most difficult problems many of us face on several levels, and yes, there is a point where worlds collide, and it just may be in the reconciliation of that collision that this "problem" disappears.

How many of us look forward to the Christmas season?  I'm talking about the pure, ideological, sugar-plums-dancing-in-our-heads parts of Christmas.  Probably most of us!  Now, what about if I throw in that all-important GIFT piece?  Less excited?  What about that family member who's oh so hard to shop for?  What about that family member we wish we could still shop for or hear their stories or enjoy Christmas dinner with, but they're no longer with us?  

Forget sugar plums, these things are beginning to feel like grenades rattling around in our heads; pins-pulled, imminently destructive grenades!  

And, as if those weren't enough things to think about, what about the friends and co-workers just beyond that immediate family circle, but just inside that to-distant-to-buy-a-gift-for circle?  Pressure mounting, suddenly we recall the gift that so-and-so bought for us last year that was totally out of nowhere!

"And I didn't get them a gift last year, so this year I've got to make up for two year's worth of gifts."

Approaching all-out panic at this point.

If you're like me there comes a point where Carol of the Bells begins sounding more like annoying alarm clocks ringing out reminders that I have T-minus two days until this gift is expected, T-minus three until that, and "Oh boy, you're past-due on this one."  

If you're like me, this along with the sound of cash registers, a nose-diving bank account, and the morphing of White Christmas into I'm dreaming of a black Christmas, while the harmony goes something like More red with every check I write are all bellowing simultaneously in my head.

Noisy enough for you yet?

We're almost there.

But we musn't forget the kids', cousins', nieces' and nephews' and the neighbor boy's Christmas plays and pageants.  Do I get them a flower or something?  Naw, I'll just be sure to tell them, "Break a leg" so maybe I can save an arm.

While there are even more things we could dump into this festive pot full of fruit cake, mistletoe, eggnog and frostbite, I'll stop there.

The first-world problem we're talking about here is essentially a Christmas Arms Race, a consumer nightmare, an emotionally claustrophobic gift box wrapped in airtight paper and tied strangle-hold tight with a bow.

And while it sounds like a World War in our heads, be reminded of that poor family in the developing country.  What do you think is going on in their heads?  Is it as stressful as what's going on in ours?  And if it's not, is this really a blessing in disguise?  What's it like NOT having the problem of stuff?  And how do we break the cycle?

Well, I don't have a definitive answer for any of these questions, but I do have a couple ideas.

We can't really break the cycle, but...

What if instead of ignoring the gift-giving arms race we acknowledged it...directly...with specific people in our lives for whom and between us this has been the case?

What if instead of trending upward in our individual gift allowances, we begin to reverse that trend?

What if invest more time in people throughout the year so we don't feel like we have something to make up for at Christmastime?

What if we spend time working with a church or soup kitchen for the holiday season (i.e. things like Operation Christmas Child, serving meals to the homeless and those less fortunate)?

What if it's as simple as just budgeting better?

What if we replaced one gift at home with equal investment abroad (i.e. buy livestock for a family in a developing country, go on a mission trip, support a child)?

This is where these worlds begin to collide.  And, you don't even have to go abroad to make this adjustment.

What if we picked a family in need off one of the trees in our local department stores, and then as a family, picked out gifts specifically for those folks?

What if we went really extreme, and totally, absolutely, unequivocally flipped Christmases with an underprivileged family; substituting our family Christmas in-whole to make just ONE Christmas memorable for someone else?

These are tough questions, but their answers may just be solutions to some of the financial, mental and emotional problems - yes, the first-world problems - we experience year in and year out in the a country where the very privilege to do so may just be one of the greatest blessings of all.

And, before anyone gets too up-in-arms, Jesus IS Christmas and His gift is without question the GREATEST one of all!