But the contrast to the "true meaning" is nearly always the commercialization of Christmas. Every year the holiday shopping season begins earlier and earlier, people complain, and every year they feel assaulted by the marketing of the holiday.
But I'd like to point out a couple things. Anyone who has ever worked in retail knows that the space between Thanksgiving and Christmas varies from year to year. Sometimes you get an extra week and sometimes you don't, but the shopping season begins the day after Thanksgiving. It's been that way for as long as I've been alive. No longer, no shorter. Retailers can put out Christmas stuff as early as they want, but they know it'll be mostly wasted retail space until that Black Friday.
The second thing I want to point out is that no marketing can work without buyers. There are no magic spells in any advert that will convince you to do something you don't want to do. If people generally thought it was inappropriate to buy things before December 20th, and didn't, no one would hear a whisper about Christmas until that day.
Look, for most (adult) people Christmas is about a handful of things:
- Spending time with friends/family
- Time off work/vacation
- Buying and receiving gifts
- Celebrating the birth of Jesus.
But here's the thing: so what? I think it's wonderful to spend time with friends and family. I love getting time off work so that I can just relax. I think buying gifts I know people will love is a real gas, and I love getting them. If I had more money I'd do lavish and outrageous things for the people I care about, and it would make them happy. Is that wrong? Is that bad?
If I can give somebody I care about something that makes them really happy--regardless of cost--why wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?
The commercialization of Christmas as a degradation of the holiday is a myth. What do you suppose Jesus would have thought if someone--let's say Mary Magdalene--had given him something lavish as a gift? I think he would have been touched and moved. He may not have needed or wanted it, but he would have recognized it as a very caring gesture. And what's more in keeping with the spirit of Christmas than that.
-Doug
2 comments:
OK, so I have to comment. If you had written this piece for the sole purpose of eliciting a comment from me (not saying you did), you could hardly have done better.
I don't really disagree with the substance of your argument. So making people happy is a bad idea? So ads don't magically make people buy things? I would like to install a traffic bump of two, though. Maybe three.
First, I think the Christian liturgical year represents a largely underutilized series of occasions for spending money. I think computers and telephones hearing aids should be pushed at Pentecost. I think wetlands conservation, hydrothermal heating and kitchen faucet filters should mark Jesus' baptism. I think all prices should be raised 100% to mark Jesus' ascension. When you really put your mind to it, it is amazing what you can do.
Second, I think your list of the aspects of the holiday that people truly invest in is just about right. Jesus has never been all that popular among people who wouldn't be punished for not celebrating his life and ministry.
Third, I don't seem to find anywhere in your celebration of the season the terrible despondency it brings to some people; the frantic and pointless purchasing; the fearful obligation. All part of the American Christmas, I'm afraid. They don't seem to be a part of your Christmas, for which I give you full credit, but I don't think they should be ignored.
And, finally, there is the "ads don't magically make you buy things" argument. No, they don't. It isn't magic. It is social pressure. Every micro-increment of willingness to buy anything is worth many billions of dollars to the people who are trying to sell that thing. Micro-increments aren't magic; they are inducements.
Thanks for a refreshing take on the season of giving.
Well, I'm glad I got your voicemail last night since I don't think I would have known exactly how to take this. I would have considered the messenger, of course, but it does feel a tad snide--just a tad.
You're absolutely right that people feel pressure to buy! buy! buy! this time of year, but I don't think it's all that effective in most cases. Generally people have the kind of Christmas they want to have.
I have a pretty bad memory for these kinds of things, but I remember fairly restrained Christmases growing up. They were happy and exciting and all those good things, but not overly materialistic. I think you and Mom did a really good job of making the season fun. I didn't really get the whole Jesus thing--does any child?--but I loved the tradition of getting the tree, going through each ornament, having the Christmas bread . . . that was great stuff.
But it also set a bar for gift-giving. When I joined the Wagner clan, I thought their Christmases were obscene. I'd never seen so many presents, and it was a bit overwhelming. We've all hammered on them to scale back, and they have. They still spend more on each of us than we spend on each other, but I think we've done all we can.
The point is that even if I see ads telling me that my wife would love to see a new car with a big red bow on it Christmas morning, that's just not going to happen. I look at those ads with detached amusement, and feel absolutely no pressure to do as they say. In fact, I feel no pressure to spend more than I ever have, and our Christmases are pretty modest.
So while I love giving and getting presents, I think peoples' ideas of what Christmas is and should be are established pretty early. Thank you for that.
-Doug
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