Written by: Gerry Couchman
Article source: JOY! Magazine
As you read this article, if you are anything like me, part of your brain will already be thinking about your upcoming holiday! What a year it’s been! Eight petrol price increases in 10 months, a general election that doesn’t seem to have changed much, a Rand/Dollar rate that fluctuates daily – weakening 15% since January, load shedding, and so on and so forth! So many curve balls and challenges, but the good news is that we survived, and now it’s Christmas!
A time of poor stewardship of God’s earth
Christmas, a time of joy and peace and love! Or is it? It’s definitely not that for animals! In the US, 22 million turkeys are slaughtered, along with 2 million pigs and 2-3 million cows. All to satisfy the needs of Christmas lunches and suppers, in which we all totally overindulge! UK statistics tell us that 54 million plates of food will be wasted! It’s also not so for the poor old trees, where 33 million are cut down so people can have one in their lounge, plus a countless number of additional trees are cut down to satisfy the huge spike in the demand for wrapping paper, Christmas cards, advertising flyers, and packaging. Plastic packing waste also reportedly jumps up by 125 000 tonnes!
It definitely is a time of joy for toy manufacturers!
US statistics tell us that 60% of their annual sales are made at Christmas. This equates to over $10 billion, $6 billion of which goes to Japan and China, who are non-Christians! In many cases, it’s also not a time of joy, peace, and love for parents and family. It aggravates inequality. It puts pressure on child/parent relationships. It increases debt, and brings pain and sadness as it’s the peak season for untimely deaths, fuelled by excessive drinking and recklessness.
What will be your personal response to how the world has hijacked our celebration of Christ’s birth?
So, how did we get to this state of madness?
History tells us that Christmas was not observed by Christians until the 5th century. At that time, celebrations were modest, and extremely Christ-centred. It wasn’t until about 60 years ago that mass commercialisation started, driven the advertising companies, and now seems to escalate every year, with product promotions starting as early as September/October.
Christmas has been hijacked
Obviously South Africa’s waste numbers will not be anything like the US, but our trends will definitely be in line with theirs. That then begs the question – What will be your personal response to how the world has hijacked our celebration of Christ’s birth? What changes will you make this year to ensure our children and grandchildren understand the true meaning of the day? Let’s take back some ground from the secular world, and leave our family with the legacy that Christmas is about family, friends, and the story of how Christ the Son of God was born!
God bless
We wish you and your family a time of great joy, peace, and love! May you be blessed!
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Date published: 21/11/2019
Gerry & Janine Couchman are the Regional Director & Co Leader of the Global Leadership Network SA, an NPO that hosts the Global Leadership Summit each year. Contact Gerry & Janine: janine@globalleadership.org.za
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