The message is getting lost!

COMMERCIAL PATH

With Christmas on the doorstep, Bangaloreans are on a shopping spree. Almost every store is adorned with a bold red board which says ‘sale’. It is all about getting the best deals and buying that perfect outfit for a ‘groovy’ Christmas party.

Conversations about the festival are limited to what each one is buying or about the one Christmas party in the City that needs to be gatecrashed. Christmas unfortunately is no longer about the simple joy of being together.

It has turned into a marketing strategy to woo people into a spending fetish, where they hoard all that is unwanted with much excitement. Metrolife asked youngsters if commercialisation of Christmas is any good.

Tushara, a hotel management student, says, “The whole idea of Christmas is getting together and partying. I am always on the lookout for the latest trends during Christmas as far as clothing and accessories are concerned. I do shop a lot during Christmas and have no issues with it turning commercial. People these days don’t want to be home during Christmas.”

Supporting Tushara is Sandeep Cheema, an info security officer, “I have heard a lot about the sun-burn party at Goa during Christmas. This party stretches on till New Year, it is ridiculously expensive but totally worth it and I am going to definitely make it this year. Any festival is about having fun. As long as that purpose is served, I don’t see any reason why it is bad.”

Priyanka Kulkarni and Hitesh Shingadia, engineering students, believe that the attitude of people these days has gone through a drastic shift. “People no longer celebrate Christmas in the traditional way and it is looked upon as just another holiday. Sadly, this is true for not only Christmas but for all other festivals celebrated throughout the year,” they added.

Rev Isaac Manohar, sums it up, “Life on the fast lane has resulted in diminishing bonds with the one above. The values and ethics of society as a whole have experienced a sea change. In a materialistic world, where money and power matter most, the Christ in Christmas has been forgotten. Instead of focusing on the love of God, we have sadly been dwelling on the vague concepts of making money. This one motive, I believe, is the culprit behind the commercialisation of Christmas.”