On Christmas, a month after
by gosia_ielts7 on January 28, 2008
in students
Christmas is no longer celebrated in the way it used to be. Many people think that it has become an extended holiday time and a festival of excess, often in striking contrast to still present poverty.
Do you agree or disagree? (an IELTS essay)
The way people spend Christmas has definitely changed. Miserly, on the one hand, there are people who treat Christmas as a leisure time and occasion to indulge, and on the other hand, there are many deprived of even basic goods, who haven’t a chance to feel the Christmas spirit. To a large extent, I found that true.
Christmas has become a commercial event, especially in Western countries. There is an unlimited variety of ideas for presents in stock, shopping is simplified. Many self-help books are delivered straight to our houses, and the Internet is full of tips. Their purpose is to raise our expectations higher, to buy more and more expensive goods. Unfortunately, presents are no longer gifts from the heart, but a way of showing off wealth. It is possible to prepare Christmas in one evening – supermarkets are full of pre-cooked meals. Extraordinary shopping for Christmas food is no longer time-consuming.
Additionally, Christmas is becoming departed from religious traditions. People have more liberal attitudes, modifying them to their own style. For instance, carols can be heard at shops, in streets, nearly everywhere, but not at home at Christmas. The focal figure of Christmas is now Santa. He has replaced, in a way, Jesus.
Holidays like Christmas used to be very familial, but the role of the family has changed. Many people are not living together with their relatives. Often there are complicated relations in the family caused by divorce. Consequently, people get to the point when Christmas celebration is not essential for the family. Stressful life also makes an impact on people to break with traditions. Many find Christmas time as a great opportunity to go on holiday and relax.
To sum up, Christmas is undergoing changes, and it is an inevitable process. Undoubtedly, it has become too commercialized and it might have lost it’s sense. The main reason is that the world has changed, and the way of celebrating it has to keep up-to-date.
329 words