So I finally had a day to relax and reflect on the past four days that made up the Christmas weekend (i.e. I went back to work today) and mused over the fact that going back to work was the first bit of “relaxation” that I had since Friday. And it really hit me… This sucks.
What has happened to Christmas in America? The Christmas of Ralphie and Christmas turkey… Christmas eve around the tree with a glass of brandy and good company… Twinkling lights and carolers… The American Christmas tradition that we have grown to know and love is quickly dwindling to a thing that we know only in stories and classic Christmas movies.
How sad is that?
There are some things I can handle. The hair-raising drive through the snow and ice to visit the family in the city. The annoying and peculiar relatives. The last minute shopping thanks to my forgetful and sometimes lethargic nature… I can even handle the round-the-clock Christmas music to a point. There are some things that you just come to expect with the Christmas season. But then there are things that we should never have to contend with and should not have ever become the modern-day cornerstones of Christmas that they are today.
For instance, at what point did it ever become OK to rush around like crazed maniacs until the very last minute on Christmas eve? Gone are the days of family time around the tree; that time has now been replaced with frantic last-minute shopping, wrapping, cooking, and stressing out about all of the things that still need to be done to make sure that everything is “perfect.”
As if. Perfect? Perfect is dumping this idea that the only way to throw a successful Christmas is to overextend yourself to the point of exhaustion in the hopes that somebody will recognize and appreciate what you have done.
Following that up, despite my love of all things capitalism, I can’t help but to take issue with today’s prevailing attitude of gift giving ones self into bankruptcy under the premise of love is directly proportional to the amount of money you spend on the person. But wait! It doesn’t end there since everybody knows that love µ gifts you have to carefully weigh each person’s gifts (especially if they are to be opened in the presence of others who will also be receiving gifts from you) and ensure that nobody feels that they are getting shafted by you. After all, you wouldn’t want somebody thinking that you don’t love them as much as somebody else now, do you?
But the joys of modern day Christmas don’t end there. What about the road rage you get to deal with from all of those fine people who feel that if they don’t get to the store three minutes ahead of you that you might get something over on them? And the people in the stores who spread the Christmas cheer with their phenomenally bad attitudes and bizarre inability to acknowledge anybody but their own selves despite being surrounded by many other people? It would seem that the massive over-commercialization of Christmas has bred a whole new breed of raging drones intent on out shopping each other and won’t stop until they feel content that nobody has gotten better deals than they have.
Flip on the TV during today’s Christmas season and what do you get? In between the channels showing “A Christmas Story” and “A Christmas Carol” you get inundated with talk of lawsuits over Christmas decorations thanks to the ACLU and a bunch of whining babies who prefer media publicity over American tradition and common decency.
And this year added something new to the fray… Global warming. If I would have heard one more complaint about Christmas decorations using up too much energy and destroying the earth, buying “green” Christmas presents or not using wrapping paper because it contributes to global warming I would have blown an artery. A major one. To me, there is nothing that ties the Christmas season to radical environmentalism… But to them – and ironically the mainstream media – nothing screams “Christmas Spirit” quite like criticizing the energy consumption of somebody’s Christmas decorations. Is it too much to ask for to expect people to put aside this asinine global warming bullcrap long enough to allow the rest of us to enjoy the hard work of others when it comes to expressing some Holiday cheer? Give me a break.
This is not what Christmas is all about.
Christmas is not about global warming or silly lawsuits. It is not about road raging shoppers suffering from the “gottafindthatbargain” psychosis trying to one-up everybody else. It isn’t about money or gifts or taking out second mortgages against your home to make sure that nobody on your gift giving list feels like they aren’t as loved as somebody else… Yet every year it get worse. I exempted myself from this ruckus while I was in the Navy, but each year since I have been back in the “real world” I have seen things get worse and worse, and despite the fact that I firmly plant my heels and fight it, I can’t help but to get sucked into the mess one way or another.
And I hate it.
We should all hate it. Sparky Griswald’s Christmas may be funny to watch, but take a step back and take a look. We’re living it! What should be a joke reserved for cynical comedies has become true-to-life yearly ritual here… And that sucks.
So am I to assume that you were a bad boy and got coal in your…stocking? I agree with most of what you are writing about, but Christmas has always been about doing for others in one way or another. Yes, we have strayed onto the path of overindulgence, but what other time of year do we go crazy like this? I do think that stores should be prohibited from celebrating holidays until the one prior has passed. It is just more tasteful. Besides, does anyone remember Thanksgiving?
My husband vowed to clean the basement, and I drew him a swanky anime girl picture. And we both got a baby. Those things are priceless.
I, too, am sickened by the holidays. And I find it kinda disgusting that people make “lists” of what they want. I can understand getting people in the ballpark, but come on!!
I have two children, 16 and 18. This year there Christmas attitude was greed. I have always loved Christmas but decided not to decorate or put up a tree this year. Like you, I am tired of what Christmas has become. Next year I will not be buying for anyone outside of my house and those gifts will be few. It may be too late, but I am going to attempt to bring the Christmas spirit back into our lives by making it a family time. The kids may end up hating me, but I think they will remember it fondly when they are older. Wish me luck.
Ok. I think I’m going to copy and paste this post in my files and always look back and read it every year. You hit the nail (as I all to often say here) on the head as to why I’m very glazed over about the holidays. I so miss those times around the tree you mentioned. My father is big on saying “Christmas is for kids…”
I don’t know. I must have wanted to kill about 10 people last week when I went shopping for my parents. But unlike many others, the only reason I was last minute, is I just couldn’t bring myself to accept another Christmas at my parents house without SOMEONE opening presents and looking very pleased…If I could be Santa like in that Twilight Zone episode with the drunk bum who gets to be Santa for a day, I would.
alaskancamel, I commend you for taking charge – especially since you have teenage kids. I think it’s time to forcibly return the Christmas season to what it should be. Kids might not understand what is going on, but I think in the end they will appreciate it. Things have just gotten way out of hand. I think we need to remind ourselves 9and our families)that the number one priority on Christmas should be quality time with your loved ones. Everything else comes second. I think that it’s a travesty that we are given time off work to spend with family and instead it has been turned into an extra shopping day and more time to stress out about all the things you need to do, haven’t done and wanted to do…