The Crock of Christmas
What a holiday, Christmas. When we're kids, we really take it for granted, you know? We believe in Santa Claus, who Mommy and Daddy tell us brings all kinds of wonderful presents, and they even begin telling us, as far as our young minds can grasp, about some guy named Jesus who was born on this day. Those things and playing in the snow are all we needed to know about Christmas. In a few years, we pretty well know Santa is fiction and our parents are the benefactors of the bounty of that year's cool toys, games and such. By then, we're dragged to whichever church we happen to be attending with Mom and Dad at the time (if you're lucky enough to actually have both parents), and it's pounded into our heads even further what the "true meaning" of Christmas is. Several years later, we're probably in a position where we have some kind of income, and we begin giving presents of our own in return for what we receive. We also realize, since we now most likely drive cars, that the snow we used to frolic in offers us whole new adventures, and more times than not, it ain't a lot of fun anymore. It's at this point the real "true meaning" starts becoming clear, and becomes more and more evident as time goes on:
Christmas is a crock.
Religious meaning aside temporarily, Christmas is all about one thing: greed. It's about the almighty dollar, and it plays on our guilt by forcing us to go out and buy for those who we know are going to buy for us. It's a giant, commercialized marketing plan...perhaps the most brilliant ever devised. Toy companies, and in more recent years, electronics companies, have come to know that this is the time of year when everyone will be clammoring to buy presents for one another, and they know everybody has to have the newest, shiniest, most expensive thing. That's all this holiday is about...things. Never has a civilization been more materialistic as it is during the last two months of every year, for as long as anyone can remember. It's probably going to eventually come to a point where people will completely forget about the religious connotation of the holiday...which brings me to the next reason why Christmas is such a crock (and it pretty well ties into everything I just said, so just bear with me).
The real meaning of the Christmas holiday season is the two things that everyone has blown completely out of proportion over the decades: togetherness and giving. Sadly, it's the guilt I mentioned before that has caused these two things to become sullied and twisted in all the commercialism. Studying the traditions of the season, we learn that families thought absolutely nothing about getting together and giving each other gifts, in the way that gifts were originally given to Jesus after his birth. People never thought about what they were going to get in return, and they weren't "guilted" into buying something, thinking "well, they're going to get me something, so I pretty much have to." It was about genuine, warm feelings of family togetherness and sharing. Kids used to be satisfied with getting a little toy horse that their daddy or grandpa had made out of wood with their own bare hands. Enter the invention of plastic, and things went straight to hell soon after. Combine shiny metal with that plastic...forget it! And togetherness? Just try to not invite certain relatives for Christmas, or not go and visit them yourself, and you will hear about it all year. Guilt strikes again.
Face it, folks. The greed of corporation and the guilt instilled in us to satisfy our children and family have forever destroyed the one good thing we had to look forward to during the year. Why do you think everyone wishes they could stay kids forever? Because, as kids, we've been brainwashed to look forward to getting a shitload of gifts from our parents every...you guessed it, Christmas! It has nothing to do with seeing family, except to think to yourself when you saw old Aunt Fanny you only see that time of year, "what did you get me?" What did you get me, indeed. That's all life is about anymore, what are you going to do for me? Well, junior, you'll find out what Life has for you when you get a little older.
What, you ask, happened to the religious aspect I implied I would return to a couple paragraphs ago? Oh, it's here. It's always here. Religion in the biggest thing in this world that won't let you forget it's here. People of every race, for centuries, have been killing each other by the millions worldwide over conflicting religious beliefs. Trust me, it's here. In regard to Christmas, however, it's barely here. When we get older, experienced and educated, a lot of people are forced to question life and the universe, and the concepts of "Jesus" and divine birth and all that come under great scrutiny by those who have traded the faith from our upbringing for intelligence and learning. There's very few people in the world who have both vast intelligence and good Christian faith. One is a very good friend of mine from school, and I sort of envy him in his ability to form his life around both of those things. Myself...I'm one of the ones who have come to question many things in life, including God and creation. I'm still working on it, but I don't think any doubt I may have makes me a bad person at all. I say that because many of those of Christian faith say that unless I have faith and believe, that I will be condemned to Hell. Ok...whatever. You just keep passing judgement on people, and I'll be over here being what I can see is a better person.
Anyway...I didn't intend to allow this to get off into too great of a tangent about religion, but hey, when you're talking about Christmas, there's really no way to avoid it, is there?
I wish everyone a wonderful, happy, guilt-free Christmas. Remember, there's more to giving than with how much money you may have in your bank account. Give of yourself, from your heart, and the rewards you'll receive in return will mean so much more than the latest plastic thing. Cherish the people in your life, and don't regret too much because of the people you may no longer have in your life. You had them at one time, and if you loved them, and they loved you, the memories of them will be their presents to you for as long as you live...not just for Christmas, but all year through.
Christmas is indeed a crock. Put good things into it, keep it warm, and something even better will come out.
Get it?
Christmas is a crock.
Religious meaning aside temporarily, Christmas is all about one thing: greed. It's about the almighty dollar, and it plays on our guilt by forcing us to go out and buy for those who we know are going to buy for us. It's a giant, commercialized marketing plan...perhaps the most brilliant ever devised. Toy companies, and in more recent years, electronics companies, have come to know that this is the time of year when everyone will be clammoring to buy presents for one another, and they know everybody has to have the newest, shiniest, most expensive thing. That's all this holiday is about...things. Never has a civilization been more materialistic as it is during the last two months of every year, for as long as anyone can remember. It's probably going to eventually come to a point where people will completely forget about the religious connotation of the holiday...which brings me to the next reason why Christmas is such a crock (and it pretty well ties into everything I just said, so just bear with me).
The real meaning of the Christmas holiday season is the two things that everyone has blown completely out of proportion over the decades: togetherness and giving. Sadly, it's the guilt I mentioned before that has caused these two things to become sullied and twisted in all the commercialism. Studying the traditions of the season, we learn that families thought absolutely nothing about getting together and giving each other gifts, in the way that gifts were originally given to Jesus after his birth. People never thought about what they were going to get in return, and they weren't "guilted" into buying something, thinking "well, they're going to get me something, so I pretty much have to." It was about genuine, warm feelings of family togetherness and sharing. Kids used to be satisfied with getting a little toy horse that their daddy or grandpa had made out of wood with their own bare hands. Enter the invention of plastic, and things went straight to hell soon after. Combine shiny metal with that plastic...forget it! And togetherness? Just try to not invite certain relatives for Christmas, or not go and visit them yourself, and you will hear about it all year. Guilt strikes again.
Face it, folks. The greed of corporation and the guilt instilled in us to satisfy our children and family have forever destroyed the one good thing we had to look forward to during the year. Why do you think everyone wishes they could stay kids forever? Because, as kids, we've been brainwashed to look forward to getting a shitload of gifts from our parents every...you guessed it, Christmas! It has nothing to do with seeing family, except to think to yourself when you saw old Aunt Fanny you only see that time of year, "what did you get me?" What did you get me, indeed. That's all life is about anymore, what are you going to do for me? Well, junior, you'll find out what Life has for you when you get a little older.
What, you ask, happened to the religious aspect I implied I would return to a couple paragraphs ago? Oh, it's here. It's always here. Religion in the biggest thing in this world that won't let you forget it's here. People of every race, for centuries, have been killing each other by the millions worldwide over conflicting religious beliefs. Trust me, it's here. In regard to Christmas, however, it's barely here. When we get older, experienced and educated, a lot of people are forced to question life and the universe, and the concepts of "Jesus" and divine birth and all that come under great scrutiny by those who have traded the faith from our upbringing for intelligence and learning. There's very few people in the world who have both vast intelligence and good Christian faith. One is a very good friend of mine from school, and I sort of envy him in his ability to form his life around both of those things. Myself...I'm one of the ones who have come to question many things in life, including God and creation. I'm still working on it, but I don't think any doubt I may have makes me a bad person at all. I say that because many of those of Christian faith say that unless I have faith and believe, that I will be condemned to Hell. Ok...whatever. You just keep passing judgement on people, and I'll be over here being what I can see is a better person.
Anyway...I didn't intend to allow this to get off into too great of a tangent about religion, but hey, when you're talking about Christmas, there's really no way to avoid it, is there?
I wish everyone a wonderful, happy, guilt-free Christmas. Remember, there's more to giving than with how much money you may have in your bank account. Give of yourself, from your heart, and the rewards you'll receive in return will mean so much more than the latest plastic thing. Cherish the people in your life, and don't regret too much because of the people you may no longer have in your life. You had them at one time, and if you loved them, and they loved you, the memories of them will be their presents to you for as long as you live...not just for Christmas, but all year through.
Christmas is indeed a crock. Put good things into it, keep it warm, and something even better will come out.
Get it?
posted by aboynamedjimmy at 1:25 AM
3 Comments:
Merry Christmas to you, as well, Infidel! Thanks for what is probably the most balanced take on the holiday I've ever read. Notice that not only has our culture given us tons of throwaway plastic and electronic junk, but how many people today can actually make a gift with their own two hands? How many people under 40 can carve wood, make jam, sew a doll or a dress? We have become dependent on stores for gifts, we have traded time to learn skills for extra time at work to earn money. The only option open for most of us is to exchange that money for the gift we haven't the time or skill to make (because we were to damn busy earning the money.)
Well said, brother.
There's a quote I've always liked: "Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of little children."
I didn't mention it in the post, but all we really need to find the real, true meaning of Christmas is to look in our hearts and find Mom. I know you can relate to that sentiment the same way I do.
Have a good one, my friend.
I have to say, well written and expressed. With minor exception, it pretty much is a mirror of how I feel about the Christmas season.
I know people who grew up during the Great Depression or shortly after. I remember my Dad telling me how lucky they felt if at Christmas they got an orange and maybe some hard candy. My Mom’s Dad was good with crafting wood and made many of the toys given at Christmas.
But now, even if someone has this skill, it is usually not displayed by anyone under 70 it seems. And face it… I’ve seen the look on my own kids faces when their Great-Mamaw hand makes something for them (usually cloths) for a present. They don’t realize how lucky they are to have something like that, even though we try to get them to understand. But the damn commercials and store displays won’t allow them to understand.
And speaking of stores, WHO HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA OF PUTTING OUT CHRISTMAS STUFF BEFORE HALLOWEEN!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Peace on earth, good will towards men… Whoever wrote that hadn’t been introduced to the local Wal-Mart store or worse yet, the Mall… There is NOTHING peaceful getting into or out of any of these places. And Good Will… WHERE? The person flipping you off because you have the right of way to pull into the parking lot? The people pushing you out of the way to grab something off the shelf? All of the cows wandering through the store, taking up as much room as they possibly can in the isles so no one else can get through? HA!!
Well… Muddle through we will and hope for the best. And try to remember what Christmas should be about.
So here is my Christmas gift to a couple of old friends… My sincere gratitude for your friendship; My love for each of you; My appreciation for knowing that at least there are a couple of people out there in the world who think of me from time to time; My best wishes for each of you… Merry Christmas.
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