The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

The rising cost of Christmas

Christmas has changed a lot for me. I remember being a little kid, sitting on Santa's lap asking for a Cabbage Patch Doll or a Pound Puppy. I couldn't wait till Christmas Eve so I could play with my little cousins or make my debut at my church children's play.

Oh how the times have changed. As of next week, I will be taking on a third job just to be able to pay for gifts. Christmas isn't about spending time with family, it is about spending money - and a lot of it.

I spent $450 last Christmas on gifts for my family. For the lowly college student, $450 is a ton of money. After I bought everyone else's gifts I topped out at $600. I hope that this year I do my shopping reasonably.

Do all religions with specific holidays in December buy mass amounts of gifts? Kwanzaa is a thoughtful holiday. Instead of buying each other gifts, those who celebrate Kwanzaa make each other gifts to induce creativity and traditions. What a great idea. Homemade gifts always mean so much more than funky smelling lotion.

Christmas is technically a celebration of Christ's birth. Santa was not originally in the picture, nor were the singing California Raisins. Christmas is also about those you love and cherish and spending time with them, not buying them Cosby-esque sweaters.

This year I was made aware that someone I would not expect a gift from has, of course, purchased a gift for me. To relieve myself from any possible gift-buying embarrassment, I will probably end up buying some mindless gift to give this person. We buy, buy and buy at Christmas time, even for people we don't really care too much about. The name of Christmas should be changed to "Giftmas."

This is starting to remind me of a Seinfeld episode in which George's dad creates a new holiday titled "Festivus." The holiday was also given a slogan entitled 'Festivus for the rest of us." The slogan is the meaning, a holiday for those who have no religion. Festivus was about getting together with family and friends and performing "Feats of Strength" and "The Airing of Grievance." Basically, they talk about how they disappointed each other over the past year. It is celebrated on Dec. 23, if anyone is interested.

On Christmas Eve, I plan to spend time with those I care about the most. On Christmas Day, I plan to do the same. Gifts will only be a minor part of the day.

I made a pact with my friends to not buy gifts. I love my friends, and I would rather they keep their money and pay bills with it. Then I at least know the money went to a good use.

Instead of exchanging gifts, we will probably go out to eat one night. A night wining and dining with friends is more beneficial than wrapping 20 presents they may or may not like.

I am not a scrooge, only a realist. Christmas happens to be my favorite holiday - I am just afraid that it has lost its value.

So next week I will begin working another job, on top of the two I am juggling now. "Oh, what fun it is to work three jobs so I can buy some gifts. Hey!"

Arla is a senior in journalism. My Way or the Highway appears every Wednesday. These views do not necessarily reflect those of the DAILY EGYPTIAN.

[Macro error: Can't include because the file is larger than 32767 characters.]

Today's News | Sports | Voices - Editorial | Letters
Newsbriefs | pulse - Arts & Entertainment | Calendar | Photo Staff
Apts & Rentals | Photo Personals | Live DE NewsCam | Classified Ads