Ho, ho, ho & a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. A lovely sentinment, no? And to want peace in the world, blessings for those you love, plus maybe a present or two.
Nothing wrong with any of that, and a part of what celebrating this thing we call Christmas – that I will not say is ‘Jesus’s b-day’ as that simply isn’t true – is all about.
So what did I do wrong? How did I somehow ‘support Santa Claus’ in Ecuador, then regret it?
It was a very minor thing, yet afterwards I realized I maybe should not have done it. That maybe it isn’t something we should be supporting in countries struggling with poverty such as Ecuador. Maybe not in any country.
What awful thing did I do? I posted a Facebook post on the public page of my old website South America Living saying how cool it was that a group of expats in Ecuador from the U.S. throw a big Christmas party for the kids in the area they live, complete with presents.
How nice I thought, and I bet the kids love it. Then later had second thoughts.
As American expatriates should we be bringing the custom of commercializing Christmas to a community or country where they live simple lives (the majority in poverty) and have their own holiday customs and traditions?
Is this a good thing? I spent a Christmas/New Years in Ecuador – on the Pacific coast in the small town of Canoa, and lived with a local family. Christmas was a simple celebration, presents were given (on Christmas Eve if I remember correctly) and the day spent enjoying time and food with family.
Pretty similar to what goes on in the U.S. and other areas of the world, except for one thing – no mass commericalization of crap, buying a bunch of marketed holiday items you really don’t need. Of course not, most in the country would not be able to afford such things.
We know as Americans we are programmed basically from birth to be consumers. To not only want things (that we really don’t need) but to NEED these things… it is the framework on which our capitalist system is based upon, for better or worse.
Many move abroad to experience different countries and cultures, such as Ecuador which is moving in the same direction, but still very traditional and down-to-earth, with its own customs during holiday times.
On New Years the family pig was slaughtered, extended family and friends sharing in the bounty of fresh meat, ones who had been helping to feed and fatten it up during during the year; one of the traditions I learned about visiting Ecuador.
I let the Mom shop online at Old Navy, and pick out an item (discounted, low-cost) for herself, and two daughters. I was ordering things for us and thought it would be a nice way to say thank you for our almost 3 month long stay.
But should we be sharing our version of the mass marketed shopping fest known as Christmas in the U.S. in communities abroad living in poverty? I’m not sure.
I know it is a lovely gesture and bet fun for all, but maybe it would be better to simply donate to those in need, support the local school, etc. rather than create a tradition that even many in the U.S. have grown to dislike.