Ah, the time is upon us to begin preparations for this years’ Christmas season. As usual, the first thing on the Christmas agenda is setting up the Christmas tree. Decorating your home is a tradition for many families, including my own. The day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday), millions of brave souls will charge into the crowds to cash in on the deals that the day has to offer. A few of us (a category I fall in) will be too busy trying to cure our food coma hangovers, and the rest of us will be breaking out the Christmas music and lights so we can decorate the house.

In my home, we throw a few lights on the porch and up on the roof and maybe put an inflatable snowman in the yard. It’s nothing spectacular, but then again we have never been the competitive type when it comes to Christmas decorations. Our neighbors down the street, however, have an entire nativity set, lights that move to the beat of music that plays ridiculously loudly, and a life-size version of Santa in his sleigh in which kids can jump in and take a picture. Those neighbors usually win the community award for the best and most extravagant Christmas lights, an award that I’m sure is accompanied by a beautiful power bill from our good friends at Georgia Power.

This same scene is played out in every city across the country. Christmas decorations seem to be a more competitive sport every year. According to a Business Insider report, Americans spend around $6 billion annually on Christmas lights. This begs the question, are we really celebrating Christmas or are we trying to outshine our neighbors? The Christmas spirit is supposed to be about giving and serving others. Instead, we have turned it into a selfish show of who has the most money and who can have the brightest lights.

This Christmas season, I would like to challenge everyone who reads this to take your Christmas décor budget and cut it down by one quarter and donate it to a charity or a good cause that you are familiar with. I believe that if we take the money we use to show off and actually put it to good use, we can really make a difference in many people’s lives this Christmas season.

Health Life | November 2016
Christmas Lights: Are They for Celebration or Competition?
Written by: Zack Pine