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Piccadilly

Oxford Street


"Merry", as you may know, has two meanings: happy and drunk. If you're like a large number of British people, then your Christmas will be an alcoholic, rather than a religious, occasion. Throughout the whole Christmas season which stretches from early December to the end of the first week of January, you will spend hours drinking with friends, relatives and colleagues. Whether you are surrounded by the noisy friendliness of a pub or whether you a re seated in the peaceful comfort of someone's home, you will be sipping away on a drink. If you walk down Piccadilly or Oxford Street just before Christmas, you will see an incredible amount of money being spent on electronic games, bottles of spirits, expensive clothes, CDs, cassettes, cameras, and a large number of luxury items. If you walk down the main street of several towns in the east end of London just before Christmas, you won't see a large amount of money being spent on presents. If you have the money or if you are prepared to go into debt, you will participate in the conspicuous consumption that Christmas has come to represent. If you are poor, you will feel sad and disappointed because you cannot give the gifts you would like to give to your loved one.