The true spirit of Christmas gets lost in hectic shopping malls

First published in The Kamloops Daily News on Dec. 19, 2007.

Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer, fun for all that children call their favourite time of year.

I'm sure songwriters Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson didn't have Christmas shopping in mind when they penned the lyrics to Christmas Time is Here for A Charlie Brown Christmas back in 1965.

For the uninitiated, the award-winning cartoon is about Christmas not being about rampant consumerism, but a celebration of peace on earth and goodwill toward others.

Anyone who visited a shopping mall these last few weeks would think Charles M. Schultz's seasonal message has been long forgotten. Some stores had Christmas decorations up long before Halloween.

My girlfriend Jessica loves Christmas and Christmas shopping. Nothing fills her with tidings of joy more than buying that special something for a special someone. Being one who rarely says a discouraging word to anyone, she also enjoys the holiday's spiritual side.

Her attitude changed toward Christmas shopping this year. It took just one Saturday fighting through the crowds at the malls to do it. I'm sure the added expense of shopping for a whole other family didn't help. The bills added up quickly.

That night, while sitting at the dinner table with pizza and beer, Jessica announced we're toning down the holiday spending next year.

"It's just not worth it," she said.

From now on we're limiting our spending to no more than $50 per person and only shopping for immediate family. We're also avoiding shopping in December. If we find someone that special something in August, we buy it, she said.

Jessica's epiphany got me wondering how other people view Christmas shopping. So I ventured into the packed malls again this past weekend and found more than a few bags tucked under peoples' armpits or slung over shoulders.

"I'm done!" Darryl Klassen said. He was barely able to contain the joy in his voice.

He had just purchased a gift for his mother. I promised him I would not reveal what it is in this column.

He spent between $450 and $500 for the four people on his Christmas list. "That's about $100 a head. That's not bad," Klassen said.

"I had a plan, but I did have to change it about half way through. There was something I wanted to buy, but it ended up costing about three times what I thought it would."

Then there were Karen and Terry. Karen said the couple had just started shopping. For her, it's all about finding her Christmas-shopping mojo.

"I was waiting to get that feeling. I got that feeling a couple of days ago," she said.

Karen and Terry toned down their spending this year. Terry said the couple capped their budget to $150 to $200 per person.

I'm not allowed to use the name of the last woman with whom I spoke. "I'd rather not give it," she said.

She is an inspiration to those who do not want to spend a lot of money at Christmas. She's not cheap. She just doesn't see the point.

"I spend no more than $30 per person. I feel gifts should be simple and special. I don't buy cellphones or electronics," she said.

"Christmas is more about family and being together, whether by birth, by choice or by acquisition."

Or, as Linus says to Charlie Brown at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Amen Linus.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

© 2007 The Daily News (Kamloops)