Dear Editor,

As the holiday season approaches I have been watching with some bewilderment the unnecessary and undue stress families and individuals are placing themselves under to usher in those holidays. It is as if time will be put on hold until they get their lives back together after some unnecessary spending. Some have even given up their lives by over-indulging in alcohol consumption, partying and risking health challenges with food consumption.

I have never seen a Christmas Day that has more than twenty-four hours. Yes, it is a season to be jolly, but within reason. Yes, it is a season for children, but the bus fare and the school books are far more important than the toys and gifts. Who are the ones that smile most come the 2nd of January when the reality check sets in. Certainly it is the merchants, the banks and other creditors, the funeral homes.

I might sound a bit morbid, but those are the facts. I know of families and individuals who have sunken into further despair and stress once the Christmas tree comes down, the carols stop playing, and the huge bill of credit is the only thing left to remind them of Christmas.

It is far more important to have a debt-free Christmas than to have a “bashment” which when over you are banished to a life of stress and debt come 2015.

Fernandez Smith

Duanvale PO, Trelawny

fgeorgesmith@yahoo.com