AO3
In addressing the question of Christmas being over commercialised it is important to consider how it was originally practiced, and how commercialism could have perverted the practices. This is because the only way to judge whether Christmas could be over-commercialised is to measure commercialisms damage to the festival’s Christian meaning, for which it was originally created. In my opinion Christmas has begun to lose its’ meaning because of the commercialism that surrounds the event, and so I believe that Christmas has become too commercialised.
Many people, however, would argue that Christmas is unchanged from the days in which it was first practiced. One of the reasons for this belief is that many Christian families still practice the old Christian customs precisely. Many families still go to church on Christmas day, or advent, as congregation numbers greatly swell on the days surrounding Christmas. All churches and educational establishments have nativity scenes, carols, and Christmas decorations; these focus on the meaning of Christmas. A popular view is that Christmas developing to become modern. Business will always compete with each other for a consumer, and the consumer more likely to lavish children with goods, but the meaning of Christmas still survives. All other festivals have become modernised in such a way as money is spent on them. Christmas can be seen as to have two parts: the Christmas tradition of England, which is not tied to the Christian meaning, and the Christian meaning of Christmas. The meaning, however, is not spoilt by English tradition. People may budget their Christmas presents early, so as to avoid spending too much and spoiling the Christmas event. People like Christmas the way it is and do not think that commercialisation is a problem.
