I was in Toys R Us in Brent Cross the other day with my kids, pondering the true miracle of Christmas — that thanks to capitalism, global poverty has halved in just a generation, and we are now able to feed, clothe and shelter record numbers of people — and buy them lots of presents.
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My two-year-old was screaming because he wanted some toy cars, just a handful of fun things among an awesome display of toys that are far better, and cheaper, than they were when I was a child — and available to more people, not just in Britain but across the world.
Some of my happiest memories as a child revolve around Christmas and rampant consumerism; sure, they concern things I probably didn’t need and which, to a spiritual, mature person are meaningless. But this festival is for children, and that’s why I never really get the whole anti-Christmas thing, of which we’ve seen a few
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