For those of you celebrating Christmas, how’s the credit crunch affected the amount you spend on it ?
It’s certainly affected us. The shopping centres and stores we approached to broadcast the programme from today all pulled out or rejected us. Maybe it was my after shave.
Here, even the Queen is talking about it., while the Bishop of Manchester reckons the lack of cash will mean a return to “traditional” values.
Some reckon the church lecturing anyone about wealth is, well, a bit rich, but does he have a point when he says the collapse of the “god of materialism and consumerism” was forcing us to think again about the really important and “old-fashioned” things in life.
“”Health and happiness are, of course, aided by money. But in the end it is the things that money cannot buy that will rescue our economy and bring the joy and peace that we are currently much lacking.”
How is Christmas in Iceland, for example ?
So is the global crisis changing the way you behave- and feel- at this time of year and if so, is that a good thing ?
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BBC World Have Your Say 
i agree that money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness but come to think of it may this time our moral campus will for the fast time face due north in fact to all of you out there welcome to the crunch that took Xmas. it high time we started thinking about morals than money
I’ve spent more on Christmas gifts this year, then again I have more money to spend this year. I’ve also put more time into it all.
The financial crisis has made me re-think my gifts which I am giving. For instance, no more Outback Steakhouse and Starbucks gift certificates which everyone in my family likes. This year my mom is getting a few things she can actually use. For one, I’ve bought and will be installing a shiney new bathroom faucet for her as hers leaks terribly and she is in the process of trying to fix everything in her house.
I gave the gift of front brakes and an oil change to another as hers were completely gone on one side, metal on metal (and at $80 in parts, plus the time required to do the replacement I spent well over what I would have on some random and useless gift, but its something someone can actually use). I figured to myself, now how do I get someone something they can use… Well what do we use more than brakes on our car?! (for those who drive) And those things are pretty darned important anyhow lol.
So I’ve began to think about what people actually will use, and actually need rather than something ‘neat’ with a useful life or appeal of a few months.
Hi WHYS,
I hope you all are fine.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD
Now-a-days life styles are so much changed that most of the people find it impossible to enjoy without money. This is what Chinese president pointed to earlier in his words on facing global economic crisis that people in US and EU needed to change their life styles.
Anyhow it is time to celebrate so HAPPY XMAS!!!!!!1
Muhammad Asim Munir
Gujranwala, Pakistan.
That would be funny if everyone bought Hannukah presents for christmas instead. Nothing like sweaters and socks instead of Wiis and PS3s
Ironically, the credit crunch has been responsible for this family spending more than usual this Christmas. One of the Rudd government’s responses to the financial crisis has been to give a cash bonus to every family in Australia receiving child allowance or any form of state benefit–which means almost every family. This was more than a token payment–for example, parents got $1000 per child and every pensioner got something like $1400.
The payments were timed to coincide with Christmas shopping–and the government actively encouraged people to spend it rather than save.
Interviews I saw on the news today suggest the policy may have been a success–retailers are reporting a very good Christmas despite the global financial problems.
Every year I set an amount that I will spend on Christmas and have never exceeded it. I have always paid cash for presents. It makes my life all that much easier.
atleast during this crunch time allover people will go back to the basics and face reality thus paving the wayforthinking about the pooraround the world atleast this Xmas time ?
happyXmas to all at WHYS
As I live abroad, I’ve yet to be impacted by the crunch. However I have limited christmas spending whilst back home in the UK because there is nothing to spend it on.
Shops are trying obivously to reduce inventory. There are not bringing in many new lines. The results are that the shelves are full of tat or items I already own. I would love to spend (I haven’t been shopping for 5 months) but I can’t find much I want to buy.
As a Christian I believe this commercialized western version of Christmas is totally contrary to The Bible and Christian beliefs. What did I spend on gifts this Christmas…? Zero. Tomorrow is for celebrating Christ — not comparing gifts.
No! No! No! Gifts for adults should be moderately-priced or preferably if possible, fashioned by the hands of the giver. Childrens’ gifts should always be educational in some way. Gifts between lovers will be as they are; but each should remember the most valuble gift is keeping one’s promises. For everyone with an opinion to express, please remember your best gift is not your comment, it is respectfully listening to the comments of others.
Happy Holidays to all!
g
Because I lost my good paying job after 911 (that is when my credit crunch happened). I do not spent more then $200.00 UDS on Christmas. This year it is a about the same. Christmas is not about spending money. It is about spending time with the people you love.
All have a very Mary Christmas (I know that is not PC but I don’t care)
Thea
Happy Christmas Ros and All World Have Your Say Team
Thku You for Wonderful Moments.
It hasn’t affected my spending at all, mainly because I’m already a conservative spender. I treat what little credit card balances I carry as if I had already spent the money from my checking account, and I have a couple of months worth of “cushion” in my checking account anyway.
That said, it has become a personal tradition of mine to wait until the 24th of December to do my Christmas shopping. I should probably get to it…
Christmas is a day to celebrete and having fun – spending has been so high and many people are planning it out there forgeting there is first also!
Happy christmas to everybody out there, Ros and the WHYS team! I pray for the midnight as it comes!
Christmas;”Jesus is the reason for the season”
Christmas ;”God and Sinners reconciled”
The Global Crisis isn’t changing the way I behave and feel this Christmas ,the 20th anniversary of Pan Am flight 103 crash at Lockerbie was sobering,270 people died and still no definitive answers as to who committed the crime ,just a politically expediant compromise.
I didn’t make it home this Christmas,so I am celebrating on my own in Northern India.
I bought a bottle of Coca Cola and a packet of crisps(US English =Chips) oh and a pack of Sri Lankan bacon(couldn’t find any turkey).
As an atheist, to me the “holiday” is anything but holy. It’s a day to catch up with relatives, be cheerful, relax, and exchange gifts. If I go to a house of worship, it will be the cineplex or the shopping mall.
I guess we’ll know after Valentines day, seeing how many guys get dumped or divorced due to “inadequate” gifts due to the economy.
Crime rates go down during recession? No way, at least not in big US cities. It’s more dangerous, lots more muggings and senseless murders over material things.
“… while the Bishop of Manchester reckons the lack of cash will mean a return to “traditional” values.”
All the way back to “traditional” Paganism? Back to before Paganism? How “traditional” do you want to get?
And let’s remind ourselves that Christmas is a holiday that the Christians stole from the Pagans!
So if you’re a Christian celebrating Christmas, you are celebrating a theft.
I always pay cash for gifts. This year due to some unexpected additional costs for our home we have decided only to participate in our family gift exchange. We did get our bonuses and have good jobs but do not believe in acquiring debt to give unnecessary gifts. I don’t need more stuff; I have everything I need.
It’s much better in my opinion to surround yourself with those you love and enjoy each other’s company.
I don’t know anyone who spends the way you’re accusing the typical consumer of spending. What I do know is that you are typically blaming the failed economies of the world on overspending consumers rather than the excesses of global finance oligarchs. Why is that?
One of your commentators asked if once the recession is over, won’t we just go back to the old habits of spending. I believe some will. However, those of us who know people who grew up during the Great Depression of 1929 saw many who were frugal for the rest of their lives, fearing the same would happen again.
While this is a terrible thing and those hurt worst will not be those who did spend beyond all means, some who should have known better will learn better behaviors, if only for Darwinian reasons.
I woke up this morning worried that I didn’t get my daughter the $200 toy she wanted. Your programme reminded me about the true meaning of the Christmas season.
I can’t help thinking though, if consumer spending is the largest single fraction of the US economy, what happens if consumer spending goes away?
Christopher, Syracuse, NY, USA
if every mortgage paying taxpayer was given free solar water heater (less labor costs) we would build jobs, technology, lower home owner costs, gain new green college interest and the world could begin to share, no more developed nations as we are all developing
You know all those great feelings you get from the way you treat people on Christmas?
I highly recommend that you treat them that way every day of the year and every day of your and their lives!
Give random gifts through the year.
Eat together through the year.
Be pleasant on purpose.
Practice deliberate acts of kindness!
Spend to spend spend ?
YE !
I don’t have a time spend un this subject right now: however,
I do have time to spend to wish the BBC- team to Happy Holidays.
Ros, GOOD TO HAVE YOU AROUNDE !!!
I wish you Health and Good Luck.
Bjay, just to the point !!!
I and my wife do not participate in the ritual of christmas, though we both grew up celebrating it with our families. We are not christian for one and think that the undue expectations put on everyone to spend as a sign of love or caring is grossly indicative of what is wrong with our society as a whole. What happens for the other 364 days? If we could only treat our fellow humans as well as we seem to around Christmas, all the time, the world would improve dramatically. I say spend nothing and love a lot. warmest to you and yours WHYS……….
I had no money this christmas for presents…..Not, because of religious or other reasons…
~Dennis
I’m in Los Angeles. It’s bad here. Unemployment is high. There are quite a few homeless people on the streets. The homeless facilities that we have are turning away people (it’s so weird because we have all of these empty condos and rentals, people need to figure out how to squat…lol…) and there is the slant that tries to make it ok that the alternatives for all of these new homeless staying in tents is a good thing.
It’s pretty amazing really. We went from this buy, buy mode to all of these people going from middle class to poor, I mean poor in a real not having a place to live and living on the streets.
Who would think you could fall on that kind of level in America? Browne
Christmas seems to be the one bright spot now reminding us of the strong foundation of hope there is in “God with us”. Worldly systems may fail and threats of global warming, terrorism and the credit crunch may try to trip us up but faith will keep us steady. The one irony about this season though is the Iranian president’s Christmas message to the British nation. Is he perhaps not authorising his embassy there also to seek out Iranian Christians in Britain to have them brought back to Iran for execution?
The credit crunch meant that a lot of people didn’t buy the gigantic turkey carcasses that my local supermarket was touting and they were marked down by 2/3. I always go in the last hours of opening to see what is on offer. So we had turkey with lots of celery this year. Merry Christmas from somebody who has never been able to master the Danish tradition of dancing around the Christmas Tree (now that is a pagan ritual!)
As for presents, it is good with presents all year round. My mother was a child of the Great Depression and she played Dizzy Gillespie’s “Don’t Keep Up with the Joneses”. It is hard to learn to live with when you are a kid, but it sure does make life easier in the long run!
Sorry to hear that no shopping centers would let you in. It is funny, because if they were honest about their not being able to sell things, people would flock there to get a bargain. Individual retailers can afford to be upright and speak out. In malls, the rent is too expensive and they are afraid of turning into slums. At the nearest mall near me, they are also very secretive and do not allow anybody to collect for Charity.
The bottom line is that the economy has turned around so much since Sept.-October that no retailer could have predicted it. From boom to bust.
Spend on credit? How is the unemployed going to pay.
Hi WHYSers!
January is traditionally, what we call ‘tamarind season’ in Jamaica, because the tamarind is a seasonal fruit and one has to go to great lengths to pick the fruits, especially if the tree is also very tall. No money after Christmas is equivalent to eating the tamarinds once a year. It seems that now that Christmas is over ‘tamarind season’ might extend for a little whiles yet!