By Community Correspondent Rachel Bowen November has arrived, and with it a profusion of Christmas lights, shops filled with decorations and gift ideas, and TV adverts of falling snow and families gathered around glowing fireplaces in rooms brightened by gorgeous new half-price sofas. Somewhere the concepts of Christmas and consumerism, of family and a burning need to demonstrate love through gifts, have become confused, and this is never more evident than at this time of year.

More than a month before Christmas, yet Christmas seems with us already. In fact, it often feels as though Christmas is almost always present – a winter-long celebration, which begins with Christmas lists in October and ends with the sales in February. My aunt, coming from America, often brings gifts over in June or July in order to ‘get it out of the way’ and it is terrifying that this is what Christmas – a celebration, surely, of happiness, hope and family – has become. Nothing more than an obligation, a requirement to spend money in a way which advertisements have proved demonstrates our emotions.

Gift giving at Christmas is an ancient tradition, and can be seen in the Bible – ‘and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh’ (Matthew 2:11). But the present situation, the giving of gifts purely for the sake of appearances, or from a sense of duty, appears to be something quite unnecessary and, under the current economic conditions, ridiculous. To say gift giving is a waste of money is unfair – Christmas is, in part, about the giving of gifts, but more than that it is about the spirit in which the gifts are given. Regardless of what adverts promise you, your Christmas will not be any better if you spend a year’s savings on objects which, come New Year, you won’t even remember. Every year, almost everyone will receive a vast quantity of gifts which are, frankly, unwanted. All those little pieces of rubbish, supposedly bought as a symbol of emotion! – I propose that this year, we instead demonstrate our emotions through our actions. And help ourselves save some money as well.