With December now well underway, the advent season, which will run to the 25th day of the month, is in full swing. For those who may have forgotten (or perhaps never knew), the month of December is marked by two events of particular importance. The first is the official start of winter (on or about December 22, depending on the juxtaposition of the moon and our planet). It (winter) usually arrives without much fanfare, having been preceded in most parts of the country by at least one of the nasty storms that will continue until mid-March or so.
The second event of note that occurs every December is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ by Christians of just about every stripe. (A few denominations observe the day in January because of a slightly altered view of the lunar calendar.) That date seems to have been set for celebratory purposes as far back as the reign of Constantine sometime in the fourth century.
The holiday has evolved over the years, but until recently it was primarily a religious observance, marked by worship and family fellowship. The giving of token gifts as a means of commemorating Christ’s birth developed early on in recognition of the scriptural story of the babe’s birth in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem, where the mother’s husband, Joseph, was forced to seek shelter for his very pregnant wife. There, amidst barnyard animals, Mary delivered her first-born, who was promptly visited by shepherds and “wise men” who were guided to the site by a giant star that pointed its rays to the manger. (Much of the story is mythical, of course—for all but the most fundamentalist believers—but, as with much of the lore of most religions, it serves its purpose.)
The three “wise men” had been told (as the story goes) that a great king would be born in that very town, and they brought the babe gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh, says the Gospel of Matthew) in an apparent attempt to acknowledge the child’s presumed royalty. And so, the first Christmas gifts were for the newborn child.
In the centuries that followed, the holiday went through various stages of recognition. For most of the first thousand years, it was celebrated with a modicum of festivities, including token gift-giving by loved ones to their kin.
With the split in the Church in the late 1500’s, the Protestant denominations began to regard the holiday with disdain (some even considering it a “pagan” festival). Throughout the 1600’s, Christmas was actually outlawed in England and throughout the American colonies.
Its appeal slowly revived, however, so that by the eighteenth century, it had been “reborn” (pardon the awkwardly obvious pun) with a newly resurrected (again, my apologies) Saint Nicholas who, in the New World, soon became Santa Claus.
Still, even in Chareles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the classic tale of the miserly Scrooge who is visited by three ghosts who revive his joyous appreciation of the spirit of Christmas, the holiday is depicted as one that focuses on the spiritual/religious significance of the day. Dickens’ portrayal of the Cratchit family honors the original purpose of the holiday, with Tiny Tim’s classic line, “God bless us, everyone,” intoning not a need for gifts but a joy in the religious significance of Christ’s life.
When, then, did the Christmas spirit devolve to the monstrosity the holiday has become? Christmas American-style is an obscenely capitalistic orgy that begins earlier every year. (This year, the first Christmas ads appeared on TV right after Halloween, thereby stretching the commercialization of the holiday to a full eight weeks. “Only 50 shopping days left ‘til Xmas,” was the tag on one ad, for high-priced jewelry, no less.)
The “big” Christmas movie five years ago, “The Polar Express” has now become a “classic.” It is a celebration of the spirit of … you guessed it, Santa Claus, with not even a passing nod to any religious observance. The children in the tale are a bunch of kids who have lost their faith in Santa, i.e. they aren’t so sure he really exists. Is the story intended to be an allegory of the question of God’s existence? Not hardly. The actual depiction of Santa’s workshop is more like a giant toy factory, with Santa hailed for his materialistic value (exemplified by his award of the first present to the story’s hero child).
And so is the holiday celebrated in every nook and cranny of blue states and red. Buy gifts to give, make out lists of gifts you want, spend money you don’t yet have on credit cards that you can’t afford to maintain. Increase your indebtedness in the spirit of Christmas, which is a spirit of buying, spending and consuming.
“Shop until you drop,” has replaced “’Tis the season to be jolly.” And why should this bastardization surprise us? Thanksgiving, that most cherished of our secular holidays, has now become a mini-Fourth of July, with nearly as much patriotic fervor, even though the original holiday was celebrated by loyal British subjects in the earliest settlements of colonial North America.
The recent Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade was full of Red, White and Blue, in an apparent attempt to convince us all that the one thing we are most thankful for is our great country. What would Miles Standish have thought of that development?
But nowhere is American excess in greater evidence than in the new millennium’s version of Christmas. It is now far more important to the country’s economic vitality than it is to its spiritual identification. The holiday has become part of the orgy of excess that begins with Thanksgiving and runs through Super Bowl Sunday, which falls at the beginning of February.
Eat hearty. Buy. Drink plenty. Buy some more. Celebrate America’s richness. And buy some more.
God forgive us, everyone.
Two additions to Ed’s marvelously penned scribe.
First, there’s a historical connection between the beginning of winter and Christmas. December 25 was indeed a pagan holiday because it signified the “return” of the sun after the winter solstice, as farmers looked for any sign that the days were thankfully getting longer again. By the 25th there was ample proof that they were. The existing pagan holiday morphed dutifully into what we now call Christmas.
Second, friends have been reporting that stores are nearly empty now. Whether it’s due solely to the economic downturn or the new anti-materialism, we can all welcome it. Whatever the reason I pray (also no pun intended) this is more than just a passing fad.
Seriously. Just what people need. Buying more shit they don’t need and can’t afford.
How pleased do you think Dickens, a writer who was concerned with social inequality and the oppression of the poor, would be to learn that his allegory is now often used to fuel consumerism/commercialism/conspicuous consumption? Oh, sweet irony. . .
Seems to me people would probably benefit from the themes in his other, lesser known, Christmas tales, such as, “The Chimes” and “The Cricket and the Hearth.” (Where he further explores these issues).
And I’m with Matt re the anti-materialism sentiment. But I don’t know. . .I swung by Nordstroms (at Arden Fair) yesterday to exchange a sweater and it was packed. I was in and out. I couldn’t hang. I love the spirit of Christmas, but not of Christmas shopping!
Bravo – you are right on! I HATE what Christmas has become. Actually I am kind of torn about the whole thing, being an agnostic verging on atheist. That said, I LOVE many things about the Christmas season – the decorations, lights, the spirit of community that causes many to donate to worthy causes, getting together with friends and family, great food, and a nice long break from work.
What I don’t love are the incessant ads, materialism, etc. This year we are cutting back a bit for several reasons, including the fact that my husband and I are on furloughs — but despite that I intend to send checks to some needy organizations. I have donated a lot of items to an “adopt a family” program at work to help out a single mother and her kids. A small thing but our group at work will make a difference for this one family.
More and more that is the most important thing- giving, not receiving. The ads do nothing to make me want things, I have almost everything a person could want for a comfortable life and then some. This is the time to step it up and help those who are in dire trouble due to the economy. Send a little more to the food bank or Loaves and Fishes. Or Toys for Tots, or any number of worthy causes. That is the spirit of Christmas, not fighting over the last hot video game at Walmart.
The message of “A Christmas Carol” was never more timely.
Ed’s bifurcated piece is so spot on relative to the state of the holiday drudge.. sad and spiritually debilitating. It doesn’t have to be so, but apparently those who handle marketing to the 80% or so of us who claim to be Christian are so dead in their own spirits they can’t see the joy and peace people are seeking in the season. This apparently means they prefer to cater to the unhappy and joyless among us.
On the birth of Christ and the legends surrounding it, he seems to be an observer looking out over a mist shrouded valley, not quite able to see what its flora and fauna are. Winter begins in the northern hemisphere when the tilt of the earth’s axis relative to its orbit of the sun reaches the southernmost point.
Perceived Pagan origins are not surprising because all mankind came from a single source of parentage in East Africa. Monotheistic belief and most religions includes an “Adam and Eve” who have had to deal with their failings yet received a promise of redemption. Christian belief includes the fullness of that promise in “the Seed of the Woman” who would suffer, but crush the enemy to redeem mankind.
Celebrating his birth in winter makes sense on the zodiac thrice repeated cycle of Promise (winter), Grace, Conflict and Fulfillment – starting at Virgo and completing the cycle at Leo according to the placement of a woman-headed/lion-bodied sphinx in the Egyptian temples of Esneh or Denderah.temple. It tells where to start and end a story told in the stars. It’s not the crazy astrology of Babylon but what I call the Redemption Model which relies on Psalm 147 where it states God named the stars. 48 constellations and around 200 star names gave early man plenty to pass on that original hope and promise however muddled along the way into human sacrifice, nature worship and other perversions. In 332 BC, Aristotle noted that Greek mythology was a perversion of ancient wisdom. Must be something there that was more beautiful and fulfllling than a few strange myths and folklore. (I wrote a 335 page book about it, but I won’t bore you.)
Have a happy and joyous Christmas, knowing there’s more about it than most of us have taken the time to enjoy and be grateful for.
I’m totally with you, Judy! While I hate shopping, and the politics of Christmas even more, I do love the spirit of Christmas. And I love all of the Christmas hymns, the festivities, and the ‘nog (with rum or cognac is especially nice!).
I know my relationship with Christmas has evolved quite a bit. When I was a kid Christmas was so awesome because there was no school and it involved lots of wicked cool presents. It was all about getting! It’s so much fun when you are kid. I remember my parents would always ask me what I wanted for Christmas and, naturally, I would provide them with several copies of my list. There was a lot of build-up, anticipation. Remember that? Like, how anything could be solved by the latest and coolest. . . toy, video game, gadget, or trinket? It was all about the presents! And you didn’t sweat anything? I couldn’t wait for Christmas! And I didn’t have to do anything, either (well, except I was stuffed in a dress and forced to attend church services, and required to play the piano, but it was manageable) And the best part was that life was free of exams, bills, and responsibilities–It was a sweet gig, being a kid.
Things have definitely changed. I don’t even know what to tell my parents when they ask me what I “want” for Christmas anymore (and figuring out what to get them is even more of a puzzle, what do you get two people who absolutely love excess, but already have everything?!). And unfortunately for me, what I truly want can’t be bought and put under the tree (no really, I don’t think “clarity of thought” is available for purchase in stores). Because everything is, somehow, so much more complicated now. Collecting shiny and expensive objects doesn’t really do it for me anymore. Somehow, it’s not as satisfying as it once was.
I sometimes feel like Edward Norton’s character in the first part of Fight Club (sans the insomnia and clinical depression, but you know what I mean). Like, is this all there is? Consumerism? Planet Starbucks? More empty calories? Are we just here buy more stuff that we don’t need?
But I do like the giving part. I like it when I’m in a position to help someone, like, truly help someone out in a meaningful way. Now that is worthwhile and satisfying. And, just, the connecting with other people.
Judy makes an excellent point. I think that this is especially an opportune time to remember that there are people in this world with serious problems. I’m talking, struggling just to survive, kind of serious. I think it’s easy to get all caught up in our own day-to-day troubles and frustrations and lose sight of the fact that—for most of us anyway–our problems are considered luxuries by most people on this planet.
In any case, no one should feel awkward. I’m living proof that you can be an atheist and still enjoy Christmas! I don’t think you need to actually buy whether a virgin really gave birth to a savior in a barn to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. I mean, if I was pregnant teenager in Bethleham circa 4 BC, I’d probably be spinning some yarn about immaculate conception, too. Just sayin’.
Remember, you don’t need an old guy in a white beard and sandals to participate, to give; to care; to love.
And all of the organizations that Judy mentioned are fantastic! I’m familiar with them all! They really do provide needy families with food, toys, etc. While in college, I worked in a battered women’s shelter, including the Christmas shifts (several years in a row). We had families that, literally, were forced to flee their homes to escape violence (often leaving everything behind). And by the way, nothing sucks more than leaving the comfort of your home and relocating to a shelter over the holidays. And it’s especially tough on the kids. I saw first-hand the difference programs like “Adopt-a-Family” make in the lives of people, at a very critical time in their lives. Adopt-a-Family came through when kids were asking me how Santa was going to find them on Christmas Eve if they weren’t home. Anyway, it was really something to see.
And it was also the difference between a mother successfully continuing with the program and pulling out of the program (taking her kids back to a violent and dangerous situation).
Thanks, Ashley. Some folks from our workplace delivered the gifts (which included such basics as sheets, towels and kitchen wares as well as toys and games) to the family this week and they were very appreciative. Just yesterday I saw a relative who is going through hard times -she’s 57 and unemployed – lost her job in a technology company in San Jose earlier this year. No way can she “retire”. Her boyfriend is also unemployed – he’s in construction. Both on unemployment. She’s hanging on to her house but barely, and the prospects are not looking good since she works in a technology specialty that has been downsized. Just one more case of a person who had had a good life, decent paying job all these years and now is teetering on the verge of a life disaster.
Great story of working at the women’s shelter. It’s wonderful that you volunteered there. I don’t have time right now but do donate to Weave regularly. Those places are so critically important.. and unfortunately with the state budget mess they have lost a lot of state $$$ to keep going so private donations are really important!
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=16790
Happy holidays to all!