Hi readers, it’s Kerry and William here this week thinking about the Christmas adverts starting to appear on TV, all encouraging us to spend our money.
We wonder how people are coping with Christmas coming up at a time when the economy is suffering and almost everything is more expensive? Loads of people are already struggling just to make ends meet and now there’s the additional stress of being encouraged, by shops and their kids, to spend more money at this festive time. Adverts put pressure on. Kids see something they want, parents worry because if they can’t afford it, some may even feel driven to steal to make their children happy.
How will people cope? Also, why has Christmas become all about ‘got to have this’, ‘got to buy that’? We understand the many reasons why people do it, but hasn’t Christmas just become too commercial and far away from its real meaning? Would everyone feel better and happier if we went back to celebrating its real message, of Christ coming into the world to give us love, hope and joy – and coming together as a family or community and giving to those struggling most, without expecting anything in return?
When we do spend money, we want to shop local, though even that is harder with many now closed since covid. Luckily, we still have a few good ones in Dorchester. We like charity shops, and the idea of donating while we buy secondhand clothes, but even they are getting too expensive for lots of us.
We wonder if any of you have reflected more on Christmas this year, and what it means to you. The other thing is that we haven’t even talked about the impact of Christmas on the environment, maybe that’s a topic for another time!
The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff.
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