Improving Your Cross-cultural Competence

Christmas, one of the most loved holidays in the U. S. which is associated with family reunion, when people want to bring joy to their kin and close friends. Christmas is about certain rituals which Americans follow first to last: from decorating the Christmas tree to eating a festive dinner.

Due to the cultural tradition everybody is expected to give gifts almost to everybody, not only to close relatives and friends, so Christmas shopping has become almost mandatory.

Some people feel that in the United States Christmas has become too much of a business and nearly lost its true meaning. Nowadays Christmas is associated with sales on an enormous scale. The motto "Buy like crazy, save like mad" has become a driving force for consumers. If in "good old days" it was Christmas tree and Christmas family dinner that epitomized the Christmas spirit, now there appeared a new facet, that of a shopping race and reduced prices. Many people regard it almost as a drudgery that consumes their time and energy.