Poll: Has Christmas become too commercial?
As Midlands bishops warn of the pressures to spend, spend, spend at Christmas in their festive messages, we ask if you think if it is the most commercial time of year.
In his message urging people to remember the true meaning of Christmas, the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill, said: "For most of us, December is a frenetic, stressful period of time, pressure and financial strain, followed by a sprint for the line to get ready.
"It is important to strip all that away, and take time to marvel at what we are celebrating. God's presence came to live among us, and he will come again."
Meanwhile, the Rt Rev Alistair Magowan, Bishop of Ludlow, says: "These days Christmas in its vast commercialised form starts bombarding us from early November if not before. The pressures to spend beyond our means and pay later are ever present.
"As Dr Seuss the American children's writer puts it in one of his books: 'Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store'."
Do you think that Christmas has become too commercial? Vote in our poll below and have your say in the comments section:
