With the festive season drawing ever closer it seems impossible to escape the Christmas spirit after all who would want to with Christmas lights going up in cities and town centres up and down the county, Santa’s grottos appearing to bring festive cheer to younger children and of course seasonal sales but is the season of giving becoming more about shopping than gifting. It seems nearly impossible to escape all of the Christmas shopping with novelty advent calendars, and a seemingly endless selection of gifts and sets. It also seems with rise in the cost of living the prices of these Christmas gifts are becoming outlandishly pricey and with social media being more present and influential in our lives than ever it seems that peoples expectations have risen with children expecting exorbitant amounts of presents under the tree. So to the answer the question I originally proposed has Christmas lost its way in the ocean of consumerism. Personally I don’t believe so although perhaps the original intentions behind the festive season have somewhat been lost amongst recent generations, the concept of spending time with loved ones and bring joy to both family and friends  I believe is still at the forefront of Christmas. Despite it being difficult to escape all of the sales and overpriced goods people are still finding ways to make the festive season their own, fitting with their budgets and family traditions. If your not yet feeling in the Christmas mood then I suggest heading to a local city centre which is by now undoubtedly been decorated with Christmas extravagance.