December 18, 2006
The emptiness of Christmas
A week ’til Christmas and I couldn’t care less.
The modern symbol is completely empty to me. The corporate rape of the Christian holy day is complete – and I was never taught to believe in that holy day anyway.
If I had kids, I don’t think I’d lie to them about Santa. If I couldn’t make beautiful, joyous occasions for them without lying, there would be something wrong with me as a parent.
I prefer to buy gifts at random when I find something someone would actually want or need that they would otherwise never find for themself, not because of some externally applied commercial frenzy.
Celebrations, giving gifts, gathering together and acknowledging bonds of family, love and friendship… this is all fine. But I don’t get what it has to do with Christmas Day any more than any other day.
Filed by billy at 4:43 pm under culture
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“If I had kids, I don’t think I’d lie to them about Santa. If I couldn’t make beautiful, joyous occasions for them without lying, there would be something wrong with me as a parent.”
I agree about the empty commercialisation of Christmas completely. I personally loathe it. However, I try not to lecture my friends who are really great parents raising really great kids that there is something “wrong” with them because they “lie” to their kids about Christmas.
I’ve been kinda anti christmas presents for years. But at a party some time this year I got talking to an economist. And he agreed with me. Presents have transaction costs associated with them, you see. He thought it would be better if we all just got the money we spent on other people and spent it on ourselves (or save/invest it). And if everyone else did that as well then there’d be fewer transaction costs (and no giftwrap). And I decided that I didn’t like having an economist agree with me, even if it was for completely different reasons. Current position = presents are okay, when they are thoughful and produced in a way that has minimial negative impact on world/people (preferably positive impact even). This year the majority of mine are bought from local artists, and I like that.
And as I get that little bit older, I think its more about the sense of occassion, and spending some ace time with the fam. I’m even quite excited about christmas day this year….
And it has to do with christmas day (for my fam, anyway) cos half of them live far far away. And christmas gives us 1) time off work and 2) a reason to all be in the same place at the same time, which every other day just doesnt give us.
I’m not usually a big christmas fan myself – but this year I can actually afford to get my family some presents – and stuff which will actually be useful and make their lives easier!! (I hate giving a gift just because a gift is expected – that turns me right off).
I do enjoy the chance to get together with family and relations but also agree with Billy that this shouldn’t be just this time of the year.
I am looking forward to a bit of a break from everything and a chance to sit down and set out a bit of a plan for the next year though.
If it wasn’t for christmas, who would buy my underwear?
The whole chistmas myth for kids is ok. Get them acustomed to being lied to early on. Also, if they’re not your kids, you can try and convince them that last year, Santa was bitten by vampire mosquitos in Canada, and maybe, just maybe if you’ve been good enough, Santa will give you the gift of eternal life.
Isn’t it just a good idea to have a day when everyone gets together with their loved ones to celebrate the fact that we HAVE loved ones, and to demonstrate our love and appreciation for each other?
Who cares if it’s Christmas, Thanksgiving, or whatever? I think there being such a day is very good; that whenever that day happens to be is going to be commercialized because that is our culture (whether you like it or not – COMMERCIALIZATION IS OUR CULTURE); and that without something very much like it there would likely be a lot more regrets about not seeing your loved ones enough.
It’s all very well to say “We can do this anytime!” but if nothing else it’s nice to have a prompt, an excuse, and some sort of structured reason why everyone would gather together at the same time.
Nobody HAS to buy into the commericial aspect, and those that do are making it part of their everyday lives anyway. Xmas is only as empty as you let it be.
That’s my reality at the moment, anyhow.
Of course those of us working 9 to 5 have another reason to love Xmas that is foreign to you.
I get the Emperor’s Birthday and Christmas day off! Yay! Christmas isn’t a holiday in Japan, of course, but here the Christianity-free Christmas myth basically involves a day when heterosexual couples should get together and the guy should take the girl to a really expensive restaurant (if they’re in their 20s or older) or they should stay at home and eat KFC (this is specified by teens I’ve talked to.. not just takeaways… must be KFC). You definitely don’t spend this time with your family, because that’s what happens on New Year’s Eve.
… oh, and I’m sure it involves some Louis Vuitton products being given to each other. Could be Burberry or Prada or something, but that’s getting a little daring. Maybe that’s what counter-culture types do. :p
Yay! I’ve done all my Christmas shopping. Have YOU?
Pearce: If you take away christmas, the only time I’d see lots of my family together would be at funerals or weddings.
Either way, there is always tears.
… Yes, if YOU take away christmas.