They called me Scrooge?
What is it about Christmas that makes it come sooner every year?
Before Halloween had come and gone, I saw Christmas gear for sale. This really did not surprise me, as we all know it creeps forward a little bit every year. But how many of you have ever gone beyond that sigh and shake of head to question why, to seek out the causes of this? For my part I wonder, so here I will discuss my thoughts.
Note that I am leaving religion seperate for this. Despite Christmas' origins in it's obvious root word, there are so many that celebrate it without any regard for said origins that it hardly applies to what I am saying, and proves a point all in itself. I will use it as a reference and nothing more, and will not be implying ownership of the holiday to any group.
The other day at work I heard Celine Dion sing Bach's Ave Maria. It was wretched. She should be tried for atrocites against mankind for attempting it, but enough about that. It was followed by the phrase "And now, some Kenny G". At this point I literally yelled...much to my coworkers' surprise. A week after Thanksgiving, and I am subjected to every celebrity who can grab a mic singing their own version of what I remember to be songs. In your head, pick your top ten favorite Christmas songs. That day I heard 3 versions of each. No matter what you are thinking, I heard 3 versions of it. The thing is, this radio station has been playing non-stop Christmas music since November, maybe longer. They have to fill that time with something I suppose. I heard Kenny G only 2 times that day...but it was the same song.
Now, why would they go and play that music for a couple months?
We all know that holidays are more and more commercialized. It is easy to understand that every year there is more and more pressure to consume things. You must buy things for relatives you hardly know, or it isn't Christmas...and you are a bad person. What sickens me is that people are diving in headfirst. Material possesions have now been transformed...and now they are a convenient medium for expressing love. You see that cousin once every few months, so instead of talking and catching up...just give him or her a gift card to the store most convenient to you and ease your conscience. How handy!
Family values packaged for easy purchase, and you can even have it shipped or lord help you, do it all online! Now your friends and relatives won't
But it is so much more complicated than just television ads pushing toys. It is very easy to explain away this phenomenon by saying it's just those darned big businesses forcing their way into our lives. People are comfortable with this. I personally feel it is much more than just commercialization. I think it reflects a greater cancer that is gnawing away at our culture as a whole.
People need a purpose, but they want one to be provided.
People long for a reason to live, they want a purpose. In Christmas they find that purpose. Their purpose is to gather things and distribute them, much like squirrels preparing for winter. They remember a time when Christmas made them happy, and in Christmas they find a reason to get up in the morning. Why wouldn't they want to feel happy? All those many years ago they woke up Christmas morning all starry eyed and they remember that feeling. They remember that feeling and they want it. They grasp for that illusory peace and innocent wonder and the only thing they can find is the time of year that they remember holding it. Enter the television ads. They tease, and they hint at those things they seek. People believe they are happy because they are participating in the mainstream holiday, and that is enough for most. And so why wouldn't we want MORE of it? It is the American archtype: if 1 is good, 10 must be GREAT. Stretch it, spread it, get one more day of that Christmas spirit. It is not specific to this holiday, but due to it's proximity I will focus on it for now. What they are doing is self-medicating, but on a MASSIVE scale.
The disease is apathy, and the treatment here is superficial.
Juvenal (no it's not a typo, see Decimis Junius Juvenalis) saw this same apathy in the Roman people. His people that once "bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now meddle no more and longs eagerly for just two things - bread and circuses".
This may seem like a bit of a stretch, but consider it. Back in the day, as I like to call it, it was nothing more than time to spend with the family. There was Santa, and presents...but that was for the kids. To the sensible adult it was not much more than a reason for a family gathering. Token gifts were exchanged, but that was not the focus. Tradition, solid family values, and time well spent together were the basis of the holiday. Now it is entertainment and an excuse to get off work and party. Now it is a reason to shop and hang knick knacks about...it is a way to pass the time. I suppose some of this has always been this way, but never has it been so pronounced.
The other day I was talking with some people. The topic moved to Christmas trees, and all the work that goes into decorating them. I heard about what a waste of time the trees were. I heard one guy talking about how he throws ornaments and all away, and just buys new stuff the next year. Well...those ornaments used to represent things. They were tokens of memory and represented the past. They were accumulated over time and actually held value, if only sentimental. Who forgot to explain that? Which generation slipped? Yet another component cheapened and it's meaning lost.
It isn't so much the action, but the spirit behind it that is so terrible. And then as if to fulfill some inane debt to their own guilt and prove my point they drop a couple canned goods in a bucket. This action obviously makes you a good person, and makes you feel good. The rest of the year it's "get the hell off the sidewalks with you lil cup" but for a few days...they are human too. Why the sudden change of heart? It is the spirit that is flawed, the motivation that is errant.
In no way do I feel it is wrong to celebrate. I think it is a good way to make those memories that will eventually become what you call your life. However, watering down a holiday for your immediate gratification and robbing it of meaning does a disservice to all who have preceeded and all who would follow you. This isn't a lecture on Christmas spirit and goodwill towards men, because that is complete shit. If you want to be a good person, do it all year. Don't do it because you feel some time oriented moral obligation. The holiday is more than some sort of collective unconscious that tells you to be nice. Celebrate it, and enjoy the time you have. Don't celebrate it because you need to fill your life with fake feeling, celebrate it because you appreciate the time you have.
It might seem to be a slightly drastic interpretation of what I see as a problem. However, if you take it and apply it to a bigger picture, you can see the effects of apathy and a lack of pupose on a much larger scale and how it guides our culture. That is another rant though.
So I don't want to hear Christmas music and have "Tickle Me Elmo's" and whatever console gaming system is new crammed down my throat literally months before the holiday arrives. I don't think that makes me a grinch or a scrooge. I think it means I am fighting against the aggressive errosion of a once great holiday.
And if that makes me a scrooge, you can all go to Wal-Mart.