Only a mean old Scrooge would criticise Christmas; am I right?

Well, yes and no. Only a Scrooge would dislike the spirit of generosity that’s in the air in the days leading up to Christmas. But honestly, If I hear Slade singing “Merry Christmas Everybody” one more time….!

But, in the UK at least, the commercial lead up to the Christmas break is a long and winding road, with Christmas decorations from early November, TV ads shoving the latest Christmas gift ideas in your face all the time and the most repetitive sound track droning on in the background, everywhere you go.

And is it me, or is TV another Christmas problem? From mid December, until after the New Year celebrations, the TV companies essentially seem to give up on interesting stuff, and assume we’ll all be happy on a diet of soaps and repeats, with “Christmas Specials” that aren’t, and “festive fun” shows that make even the most optimistic viewer reach for the Valium.

But enough of the negative stuff. The best thing about Christmas is the opportunity it offers for generosity. We get to express how we feel about the people in our lives in the most universal way. And with a bit of ingenuity we can say something about ourselves, too. And maybe give something to an important person in our lives that also benefits people we’ve never heard of. Now that’s a worthwhile idea, isn’t it?

Generosity is a great human virtue. We see it in the little things like charity flag days, and in the big things that cost serious money. From personal gifts to international aid, human generosity is everywhere, and it’s especially visible at Christmas. Christmas gifts are “A Good Thing”!

So here’s a tip if you’re looking for gift ideas for a family member close to your heart. Imagine a knife block that can hold knives of any shape. It looks great, and it’s made in a developing country from bamboo, which is the most eco-friendly of all the craft materials in the world. You’ll show your great sense of style, and your concern for the 3rd world, and your eco concerns, at the same time as you show generosity to your friends!

Interested? Want to know more? Just follow this link to somewhere you can see the knife block, and read its full story. And lots of other stories, if you want.

One last time. Merry Christmas Everybody!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 4:55 am and is filed under Consumer Planet, Interest Groups, Shopping Mall. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.