Can't Afford Christmas

The part of my commute that I enjoy from my office to home is listening to All Things Considered from NPR News. I was on my way home just the other day and heard a segment talking about the rising prices of heating oil which is greatly impacting the people of the Northeast and Midwest. Now I didn't pay much attention to the segment as I was distracted by the ridiculous amount of strip malls that I pass on my drive on top of the fact that my house is heated with natural gas, which isn't nearly as expensive as heating oil.

And then my focus changed when I heard the lady that lives in Massachusetts utter these words, "I just can't afford Christmas". It didn't take long for those words to sink in and start the thought process that had me thinking about the stress of this season. I've always thought of this "stress" as the type caused by trying to find the perfect gift or fighting the crowd at the mall or even dealing with holiday traffic but now I have a new perspective of real stress that Christmas can bring but shouldn't. Have we gotten so far off-track of what Christmas is really about that people "can't afford Christmas"? Last I checked, Christmas was about a FREE gift given to you, me and the entire human race and yet there are people who are struggling to heat their homes, feed their families or pay for their medications and as a result feel like they can't celebrate Christmas because they can't afford it? Shame on us for ever once thinking that Christmas was about getting or spending money and if you don't have it to give or spend, then it looks like you may have to settle for the discounted version...