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| Today's voice belongs to Contributing Editor Ken Marks |
Excuse me. May I interrupt your shopping for just a minute? I’m wondering if you’re aware that there are actually two Christmases, not one. No, I’m not joking. One Christmas is what I call the Baby Jesus Christmas, or Christmas 1. It’s all about the adoring Magi, the Star of Wonder, the awestruck shepherds and their flocks, the humble manger scene, the tender and mild infant, myrrh and frankincense, the appearance of the angel, and tidings of comfort and joy. The other is the Santa Claus Christmas, or Christmas 2. It’s all about Santa, the elves, the reindeer, sleigh bells, trimming the Christmas tree, days of shop-till-you-drop, crass commercialism, socks hung by the chimney with care, gift unwrapping, and the delight of children. Christmas 1 is fraught with religious significance; Christmas 2 is completely secular. They are two nearly independent celebrations that happen to climax on the same day. All Christmas 2 needs for full independence is a secular pretext, like “On this day we celebrate the values of good will, giving, and world peace—period.”
Christmas 1 is in a bad way. It’s living in a hospice on a ventilator. Every year it grows weaker as vampiric Christmas 2, driven by a consumption economy, becomes more robust—so robust in fact, that it begins rearing its head around Halloween and threatening to engulf Thanksgiving. Christmas 1, on the other hand, has no connection to America’s commercial heartbeat. All that keeps it going is the large minority of Americans who believe in its mythology. And in this we see the most distinguishing characteristic of Christmas 1: the Tyranny of the Plurality. Its believers have sufficient numbers to put the sights and songs of their Christmas continually in front of us. Until recently their crèches had invaded parks and city buildings and a variety of public places. These are gradually being abandoned under the pressure of the law, but they are still safe in many private places, like front lawns and shopping malls. More invasive still are the songs. Radio stations are indiscriminate about mixing secular Christmas music—“White Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and so on—with the likes of “Silent Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” TV specials often give us the same mix, as if everyone finds the nativity story moving and credible. I see it all as a case of bad manners, like the young driver who has his windows rolled down and the volume of his music ramped up. His message: “This is my music, and you need to like it too!” Or it’s like the smokers of a few decades back who decided that the sensibilities of everyone else in the room were irrelevant. Could the Christmas 1 believers confine their solemnities to the privacy of their homes and churches? Of course. But they won’t because the sensibilities of everyone else are irrelevant.
To be sure, Christmas 2 has faults as well; however, I prefer to think of them as excusable faults. Let’s look at them. First, there’s the criticism that Christmas 2 has its own elaborate myths. True enough, but at the center of them is Santa Claus, a jolly old man who wants nothing more than to make girls and boys happy while they dream of sugarplums. Is he the King of the Earth or of anything else? No. Is he the son of God? No. Is he the agent of our salvation? No. Do any adults believe he exists? Probably not. In fact, before most children reach the age of 8 or 9, they are disabused and make a full recovery from the disappointment. In the meantime, the excitement, imagery, and wonder of the myth is another gift to them, or so many would claim. Another so-called fault is the crass and unapologetic commercialism of Christmas 2. The excuse I make here is that our entire culture is one of crass and unapologetic commercialism. Christmas is part of our culture, so how can we expect it to be an exception? Let’s put the blame elsewhere because it really does belong elsewhere.
So go ahead. Plop your kids on Santa’s lap and take a picture. Trim your Christmas tree and make your home festive. Wrap the gifts prettily with bright paper and ribbons. Put your excited kids to bed, array the gifts around the tree, stuff the stockings, and bring out the milk and cookies. Enjoy the pandemonium in the morning and get out the camera again to record the happy faces amid the toys and litter. Pour an eggnog, throw a log on the fire, and lie back in an easy chair. It’s all good. That’s approximately what I’ll be doing, only I now have grandkids to share the day with.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas—and please celebrate considerately.
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Copyright © 2012 by Ken Marks
| Please comment |
Ken, excellent point you make in comparing the seasonal music forced upon us when we have to go in a store this time of year, to the loud music all too often forced upon us at stoplights.
ReplyDeleteAs for kids making a full recovery when they discover adults have been lying to them about Santa - not so sure about that. I remember listening to a radio program about that a few years ago, and it was surprising the number of adults who said their doubts about people being honest were still rooted in finding out their parents had been lying to them about good ol' St. Nick.
On the bright side, at least we all still have the Easter Bunny...
Moto, that's a good point about tracing the birth of skepticism back to the time when Mom and Dad said, "Sorry, Billy. We've been lying about Santa." But isn't it actually a blessing we grew up to question what we're told? My God, if my dad hadn't told me the truth about Santa, I might have voted for Romney!
DeleteA better parental practice might be to tell one's children that Santa Claus is someone else's lie and "We don't buy in to that in this household...Son, my own parents had to confess that they'd lied to me about Santa. I'm grateful that they taught me not to trust all adults, and I hope you can learn that from them also, without MY having to lie to you."
DeleteAnd undo the timeworn, dysfunctional pattern of every generation trying to mentally undo the next at as early an age as possible, thereby risking an abandonment of the myths and superstitions that have hamstrung civilization since time immemorial? Surely you jest.
DeleteLighten up, Moto. A myth is harmful only if we don't know it's a myth.
DeleteOf course,"never trust an adult" is not an entirely bad lesson for a child to learn early on. Especially if the adult might recommend voting for Romney - glad you didn't suffer that fate.
ReplyDeleteI liked it when it was merely a Pagan Winter Solstice Celebration.
ReplyDeleteJim, may I ask your age?
DeleteIn this life, I'm 7 days younger than Moristotle
DeleteAlmost time to wish each other a happy birthday, eh, Jim?
DeleteJim, that was clever. Ken, damn, that was quick. Ken, 1; Jim, 1/2; the rest of us, 0.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the lecture, and the commercilism has gotten way out of hand. But that is the fault of the stores, the economy, or...., not the parents. We would still be content for Christms to start maybe two weeks before the 25th, not before Halloween.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it's gotten so secular, and that people like you, Jim, and Morris, do no believe in Christ.
Patsy, what I believe is that Christ was a model of love and compassion that we would all do well to emulate. I don't believe that he is the agent of my salvation. In fact, I don't accept the concept of salvation. However, I value your concern for my soul and know that you wish me happiness. Thank you.
DeleteYes, Patsy, thank you for your concern. And thank you for not only visiting our blog but taking the time to comment thoughtfully. In modeling the compassion of Jesus, you provide an example for us.
DeleteAs for what you and we believe, each one's heart and mind have their reasons.
Would you be content to celebrate the holiday season for whatever secular or religious reason you choose, only without the rest of us being forced to share some parts of it with you, particularly the music? For those of us who can't stand Christmas music not necessarily because of the implied religious connotation, but simply because most of it is untenable, this is the season we go into a store only because the other alternative is starvation. Back to the point Ken made in his original post: How do you feel when you are stuck beside a car at a stoplight and you are forced to listen to their music? How would you like to have to sit next to that car, listening to that music, several times a day for weeks on end? For the deaf and the brainwashed, Christmas music may sound great, but not for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteKen, you've identified precisely the two Christmases that I don't like. Both of them are observed and even celebrated because they're on the calendar, they're traditional. Well, I'm ambivalent towards traditions—family, racial, national, religious, or otherwise. On the one hand, they can promote benevolent familiarity and togetherness. But, on the other hand, they keep practices and beliefs alive that retard progress and enlightened understanding. I always start from a position of being skeptical and require a tradition to prove itself. I don't see the proof when it comes to Christmas. I see silly parties, overspending, too much junk purchased, overeating, yucky music, sentimental movies, excessive noise, glare, traffic, and wasteful fuel consumption, not to mention the annual rise in depression and family violence attendant on people's getting together who really don't like each other that much. Christmas is about my least favorite time of the year. I believe in "peace on earth" EVERY day, same as I believe in giving thanks and being grateful EVERY day. National holidays to commemorate such everyday values once a year goes against the grain.
ReplyDeleteChristmas 2 is certainly a case of wretched excess, as are so many phenomena in America. Our culture is pop culture par excellence. It seems that every sentiment, every avenue of expression, is amped up beyond the limits of good taste. I've experienced Christmas 2 in another country and found it much more appealing.
DeleteI don't understand the idea of a tradition having to "prove" itself. You seem to be looking for a validation—some evidence that an observance deserves to be observed again. Wouldn't this evidence have to involve emotion rather than intellect? I doubt that it's possible to validate experience with geometrical logic. Perhaps you're just saying, "I didn't enjoy that and wouldn't care to repeat it."
Ken, I haven't worked out the calculus yet for deciding whether a tradition proves itself; maybe I'll enter a doctoral program and write a dissertation on it. It involves both emotion and intellect, however, not one or the other only.
DeleteWhat happens when Christmas 1 meets Christmas 2? Take a look:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Bizarro/
After Sunday the 23rd, this link will no longer connect you to the intended page.
Yes, indeed, Ken, as you said, Dan Piraro is a genius!
Delete