A bit of common sense:

Spending a few years of my life enjoying European culture, I thought I could reflect on certain … differences between the U.S. and Germany regarding Christmas. I think you might guess what I'm about to say. While the commercialized attitude is spreading at a fast pace worldwide, there remain at the moment some fundamental differences between Europe and ourselves. Honestly, no one does Christmas like Americans. Japan, a more distant ally, is far more like the U.S. in the blatant "buy, buy, buy" view of the holiday. I had to go out to buy an Xbox 360 controller a week before Christmas in an electronics store in Tachikawa, a large town technically in Tokyo. It was not pretty. The line was more like that of an amusement park than a retail store; the streets outside were packed with shoppers, and parking was far from cheap. This makes sense to me. After all, Christianity there is not what like it is here in America or Europe. To the Japanese, Christmas is just for shopping. And I think they've taken that note out of our books. It's the example we've set, the part of Christmas we have chosen to share. Now Europe - Germany in particular - is not free from the shopping aspect. In fact, the shopping areas in the downtowns are abuzz too, but in a much different way. Each village strings up lights, and most have a town center near the church where a tree is put up. The whole thing is a community effort, and even though it is on a small scale, the villages look beautiful. I lived in a village named Steinwenden and for Christmas shopping I only had two real options, online and a nearby city, Kaiserslautern. Kaiserslautern was great during Christmas time. Even in the shopping areas, it was less about the shopping and more about the spirit of the holiday, the attitude of those who came. A giant tree stood in the dead-center of town, and shoppers would stop to listen to the carolers that were always there. Most major towns had a Christmas Market set up. Shoppers could buy local handmade trinkets, sip on some warm wine (it's good, I promise) or visit the manger scene. Kaiserslautern even set up a temporary ice rink. Out in the cold, families bundled up and shared wienerschnitzel near fire pits and enjoyed the lights, decorations and churches. I don't expect America to be Germany, but that doesn't mean I don't miss Germany any less. Attitudes in America are simply different, and that's reflected in the way we spend our holidays. Germans relax, enjoy themselves and don't get caught up on the details like finding the last Wii in existence. This is where Americans differ. We are quite simply much more materialistic as a whole. That is who we are as a nation; it's practically our national identity. Forget about apple pie. For a holiday based in spirituality, and at the very least, family ties, the meaning has become lost. I am just as to blame as others. Last year I put myself into debt to buy gifts for everyone. Bad idea … make gifts first. My point is that what makes the holiday so special is being lost in the materialism. Americans need to stop thinking Christmas requires gifts and start thinking of the gifts as an added bonus. Children don't need every single present on the list and parents shouldn't bend over backwards, to get it all. Maybe we could take a note out of Europe's book and really try to enjoy this year instead of getting caught up in it.