The Ghost of Christmas Present
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.
However, as may be expected from our modern society, the custom of giving gifts quickly turned into the practice of exchanging them. If one gives gifts to loved ones at Christmas, the reasoning goes, then those who do not receive gifts from a person are obviously not loved by him/her. So each individual now is required to give a gift to all of his/her friends, or risk communicating to them that s/he no longer loves them -- or perhaps never did! Also, there arises another problem when someone gets a gift from a person to whom they did not give one. The logic here is that the one who gave the gift obviously has a greater love for or places a greater value on the friendship than the one who did not. A decidedly awkward situation arises from this, one can imagine.
Gift-giving nowadays is no longer an act of kindness, but rather a political measure, taken to ensure one’s status with one’s acquaintances. While the general feeling of "goodwill towards men" still pervades the season, albeit filtered through television and municipal decorating projects, there is a great tension that precedes the actual Christmas holiday itself. I remember Christmases of my youth as enjoyable times, to be sure, but also as times when it was best to stay clear of my mother, who was inevitably in
After the previous spirit disappeared, Scrooge looks up to find the final spirit, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The phantom remains silent and simply takes Scrooge toward the city, where they eavesdrop on a few conversations between people. One of them was between two men who were talking about how someone had recently died. They retorted about how nobody liked the man and, consequently, they expected nobody to show up to the funeral. The twain continued to another pair of businessmen who had also heard the news that someone had died, but did not care. Scrooge, oblivious as to who they were talking about, tries to ask the spirit some questions, in which the spirit doesn’t respond. The phantom just drags Scrooge to a nearly abandoned
Charles dickens classic novella “A Christmas Carol” endorses the notion that “Generosity involves more than the giving of money, it’s also about the giving of one's goodwill, compassion, sympathy, empathy and kindness. By taking his seemingly irredeemable protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge on a supernatural journey, Dickens’ intends to convey to all of society the importance of generosity. He proclaims that generosity of the spirit defines Christmas, and goes a large way towards defining true humanity for him as well.
The Myers-Briggs Type indicator is an instrument designed to measure the elements of Jungian personality theory and makes the theory of psychological type both understandable and highly practical by helping individuals identify their preferences in four areas. According to the MBTI, I have a moderate preference for Introversion, a clear preference for Sensing, a slight preference for Feeling, and a clear preference for Judging (ISFJ). In general, ISFJs are sympathetic, loyal, considerate, conscientious, and will go through any amount of trouble to help those in need (Hirsh&Kummerow,1989).
First off, he explains that nowadays Christmas is directly associated with commercialism and that people now feel as if they have to buy things for other people. Whether that be something they will use every day, something that they will throw in the back of their closet and forget about or something that they will just throw away. Not only do they buy the gifts, they buy wrapping paper, bows, cards, bags, tissue paper and many other unneeded things. Which is true, but there are many ways to get around the typical holiday gifts. Some families make things for their direct family members and some families just have a dinner and go their separate ways.
Moffa, M. (n.d.) A critique of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)—Part I: One expert’s review. Retrieved from http://www.recruiter.com/recruiting-news/critique-of-the-myers-briggs-type-indicator-critique/
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).
The MBTI is a test with no right or wrong answers or types. It determines the “type” of an individual and places them into 1 of 16 classifications. There is also no preferred type of personality that would be best in all situations. However, certain behaviors are preferred in certain situations or jobs. It is more important to be able to adapt to a situation when you don’t have the “right” personality. The results are meant to give a person a better understanding of their personality and actions, as opposed to measuring their intelligence or emotional stability. (Businessballs.com)
In this section, we’re interested in the potential problem and difficulty people could encounter in adopting the stub-trading strategy.
Christmas used to be a time when families gathered and love enclosed each member. Meals and stories were shared and times were simpler. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass were special times for families to sit back in a pew and remember the true meaning of Christmas as carols were sung in the high choirs. This serenity and peace seems to be a thing of the past. Now, people are drowning in the pressure that Christmas is all about presents, and that unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning is what this joyous occasion is centered around. Another misconceived thought is that Christmas has to be bought and given away in order to have a good time. In 2010, a stunning “4.8 million people [found] time on Christmas Day to go online and shop.” On the contrary, only “4.5 million people who attend an Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist or Pentecostal church,” was present in church on Christmas Day. The thought that shopping is more important than the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is appalling to Christians throughout the world.
This famous folklore about Chang’e dates back to ancient China. The earliest record is in The Huai-nan Tzu.6 And the version presented hereinafter is a composite of various versions currently told.7 This lady’s name is Chang'e8, who is the Chinese goddess of the Moon. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the Moon, Chang'e only lives on the Moon as an punishment. And she has been living there for more than 4000 years.
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“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts” (Merry). J.L.W. Brooks made an honest evaluation of what this season should truly be about. Buried in commercialism, many people have lost sight of the origins and significance of Christmas. For some, it is a time for celebrating the Son of God, Jesus Christ, being born into the world. But, where did the celebration of benevolence and giving originate? Nikolaos of Myra, or Saint Nicholas, was a true exemplar of generosity and it was his acts in third century Eastern Europe that evolved into the modern Christmas holiday. Nicholas was a patron, a provider, and a protector of the people. The difference he made was so momentous that his legend is still celebrated throughout
Mcgowan, Andrew. “How December 25 Became Christmas.” 7 December 2012. Bible History Daily. Biblical Archeology Society, 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/
With all eyes counting on education reformers to improve student achievement and success, teacher unions work to balance new ideas with reality. All the blame for school system failure must not rest at the hands of teachers unions. There are many stakeholders and circumstances that ultimately make the education field unique. Teachers unions are not halting the school reformers every move and effort. In fact, teachers unions play a large role politically and socially working to improve education and working conditions of the teachers. They have never taken a backseat, and in an imperfect business centered-around human beings and human ideas, it is never a bad idea to have a support system who can look at the details and double check
Christmas time is a special time of the year for everyone. It is the holiday season, and everyone is rushing to buy the perfect gifts for that one special person. A lot of people’s favorite day of the year is Christmas due to the gifts. In my family, it 's our favorite day because it is the one day of the year all eight of us are all together. My parents always managed to make Christmas a special day for us, no matter how much money they had. We were raised to be thankful for the little things about the day, like being all together, and not just the gifts. Everyone has their own traditions for Christmas, some people open gifts the night before, some people go to bed early and wake up in the middle of the night to open presents. But, my family isn’t like every other family, my family has the reindeer dance.