January Media Scrooge

I've noticed how commercialised and false our media-dominated society has become. The soul has been taken out of the Christmas season because of it. For me and others Christmas is celebrated over a period that comprises December to January and not October to December. There was more to Christmas than commercialism and all that goes with it.

As soon as Christmas ends in the media's eyes (which means New Year's Day), it is all talk about bloody fitness and diets with things like Operation Transformation egging this 'culture' on. This mentality is as commercially driven as the pre-Christmas madness and post-Christmas sales. At least the madness and the sales do bring happiness but this thing that you are being brainwashed to spend January in misery is not good. Misery is what it is if you go along with the media and are guilt tripped into doing so because of them. Misery is what it is ... unless you are peddling some diet or own a gym!

For me, I want to enjoy all months. I did not overindulge at Christmas and do not consider Christmas to be over until after the 6th or on the 9th this year as the 6th is followed by a weekend. Our good traditional cultural values in this country are being eroded by the media. The media want to suddenly kill off Christmas earlier and earlier every year and replace it with this austere diet and fitness mentality. It is a right downer hearing all this negative, depressing stuff in the last week of what I consider Christmas. Having The Late Late Show return this Friday also is more of same media's lack of respect for traditional Christmas. The media have turned into pre-changed Scrooge.

Tips to enjoy January are to make sure you have budgeted for it and do something nice. If you enjoy fitness, go for it. If you enjoy wine, have it. If you enjoy films, watch them. Do what you enjoy. If you love Christmas, expand it. If you hate it, do something you like. Do not let the media dictate what one does before, during and after Christmas.