The $100 Christmas

Running head: SUMMARY AND RESPONSE #1: "THE $100 CHRISTMAS"

Summary and Response #1: "The $100 Christmas"

Dan Worth

Lansing Community College

Summary and Response: "The $100 Christmas"

In "The $100 Christmas," Bill McKibben discusses Christmas and how he and others have changed the traditions of this holiday. McKibben, along with a few residents of New York and Vermont, have decided to spend only $100 per family at Christmas. By making homemade gifts and giving presents of service, such as backrubs, walking sticks, homemade chicken sausage, and such, McKibben shows how easily he and others can stay within a budget and at the same time still celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday.

Specifically, the author suggests Christmas as being a commercialized abomination. The holiday season is becoming so engulfed in materialism and away from the true purpose of Christmas. For example, in the story the author states, "So far, our daughter, Sophie, does fine at Christmas. Her stocking is exciting to her, the tree is exciting; skating on the pond is exciting. It's worth mentioning, however, we don't have a television." Another example is when McKibben states the obvious with, "We felt Christmases we were having- so rushed, so busy, so full of mercantile fantasy and catalog hype that we couldn't enjoy the season."

The author seems to base "The $100 Christmas" mostly on religious aspects. I agree with most of the story. Even though I'm more spiritual then religious, I do find overspending ridiculous. The true meaning of Christmas is gone and too many of us have become lost in the retail fancy. I have worked the retail circuit for more than 20 years and have seen what it can do to people. As I grow older, I see traditions being altered (if not lost) in my own family. As families grow and move on, the spending becomes more frivolous. Families feel guilty for not spending as much time together, so they satisfy the guilt with gift giving. In my immediate family, we have set limits to not overspend, but end up doing it every year. I myself have made limits and stuck to them for gift giving.

The Christmas holiday is a beautiful and joyous time of year. I have spent many years trying to recapture family traditions that have long since past. Attending church Christmas Eve, Christmas morning opening the gifts and the afternoon visiting other family members were how I spent the Christmas holiday. The idea of cutting back money spent on gifts and focusing on time shared with family and friends sounds good to me.