Commodity fetish

It's still in the aftermath of Christmas. Why aftermath? Because, despite the general "giving" nature of Christmas there are still people that have a different view of it. Christmas isn't about any one person, Christmas is a time where everyone is important. Presents are given and not received (don't care if that doesn't make sense to you, if it doesn't then you're probably one of the people that I will talk about). It truly is appalling about how greedy and materialistic some people can be, people that measure a Christmas not by the good times they've had but by the gifts they have received. Already more times then I can count I have been asked by people not "how was your Christmas?" but "what did you get?" and it disgusts me. This is the time of year where you cherish the moments you have with your friends and family not that new iPod you got or that sweet new gaming system that your parents bought you. You won't remember those 10 years down the road when they're broken or obsolete, they'll be tossed away for something new and never truly appreciated.

But what do I know? I mean...A touching gift wouldn't be remembered anymore then any other right? When I was 7 I loved too draw, I loved crayons. They were colorful and bright and I used a lot of them. That fall I saw on a pack of crayons an old fashioned bell alarm clock from crayola and a contest to win one. So of course I got my mom to help me fill out the form and send it away...It never came. Being young I had the belief that everything would come to me because everything was fair, I was horribly disappointed of course, truly devastated as only a child could be. Why didn't it come? I sent away the form right? Christmas came around and it had almost slipped from my mind, but then as I opened a present from Santa there it was. Bright yellow body, brilliant red bells and a blue hammer all powered by a key in the back. 11 years later still have it, sure it doesn't work anymore but why would I throw it away? It's my crayola...Do you remember yours?