Joy to the World!

Justice Perspective – December 2013

            Have you had enough of Christmas sale advertisements yet? Are you almost wishing that we would just get it over with? Does it seem like the whole shopping and decorating season began even earlier this year?

            With still weeks to go before the actual celebration of Christmas, it is easy to get caught up in the hype and the commercialism of the season.  Each year we hear messages that criticize how Christmas is even more about buying and less about Jesus. And each year we agree and shake our heads and long for the days when it wasn’t so.

           

            But are we doing anything differently this year to change any of that? Are we actually willing to find a way to make a difference?

           

            Unfortunately, I was not able to find any survey that compared the Christmas shopping habits of Catholics to other Americans, but it would be a fair guess to suppose that we are not very different. After all, American Catholics vote like other Americans, hold views about the death penalty and other issues like other Americans – why assume that we would shop any differently?

            And perhaps that’s where the problem is. Catholic Social Teaching has long supported the dignity of work and the rights of workers. But how many Catholics were in the throngs that stormed the doors of more than a dozen stores that are now open on Thanksgiving evening? The workers of many of these stores were told “don’t even ask” for time off that day, meaning that any time they intended to spend the holiday with family was now gone.

            Catholic teaching has also professed the dignity of people and the preferential option for the poor. Where are those values in how Catholics shop and spend at Christmas? Latest estimates from economists are that the “average American family” will spend over $750 this year on Christmas gifts, decorations, cards, trees, and food. And about thirty percent of Americans will spend over one thousand dollars.

            All of that adds up to total spending by Americans – on “holiday spending” for 2013 – of over $600 billion. (Yes, that is with a “b”). Experts predict that we will spend over $24 billion on decorations and flowers alone. Is there any reason to believe that Catholics spend any differently than the “average American family”?

            Maybe we have to do things differently if we want to break the cycle of commercialism and consumption and replace it with compassion and Christ-centeredness. A few years ago Catholic Relief Services (CRS) began a “Joy to the World” campaign that was intended to focus on the blessings of Christmas and provide ways for people to honor loved ones by giving gifts that give twice – once by helping the poor overseas and also by honoring those on our gift giving list. CRS had a three-fold program that provides principles for making Christmas a real celebration of the birth of Jesus: Prepare prayerfully, shop responsibly, and give generously.

            Preparing prayerfully means taking the time to reflect on how the incarnation of Jesus brings infinite dignity to all people. Shopping responsibly means buying fair trade gifts when we can, and at least patronizing retailers and manufacturers that have fair labor practices. Giving generously means setting aside a percentage of our spending and donating that money to life-giving projects and community-building aid to the world’s poor – in the name of those we love.

            If we are willing to be different, we can still make Christmas an authentic celebration of Jesus’ birth and through our compassion bring joy to the world.