Thursday, December 27, 2012
Another Christmas... gone
Gone. Two days ago. A bit like a wedding Christmas has, for some, a lot of prep, a lot of hype, a lot of cost. Then, like the last donut in the box, like a baby bird trained and ready for flight, like a spec of dust near the noisy hoover, it's gone. Gone with the wind.
What is all the hype about? Giving? Stress? Joy? Jesus? I heard from a reliable source recently that in the States, until 110 years ago Christmas was a non-event... until department stores saw the 'value' of it. 'Course it's been running for a good while around Europe. I believe it began with a great, rich guy called Nicholas who, on the 6th of December gave money to poor orphans to keep them out of slavery. That generosity got Nick a sainthood and as time went on the whole thing morphed into a celebration of Jesus' birth and then an opportunity to give things away to people - especially children - that we love.
Anyhow, this year at our house we didn't do Christmas. And you know what? There was nothing lost. No stress came and no hype died.
I like Jesus and I like kids and I still like presents. But even without "Christmas" I had a great day with people I love. I didn't put on any weight or go into debt.
Main reason I'm writing is because lots of people get depressed after Christmas. So here's to say, you can look ahead to next Christmas and choose the option to opt out. We did and we're no worse for it. Perhaps better!
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Hi Sarah: didn't know you were doing a 2nd blog! (Saw the link on fb) You ARE ambitious. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting about not "doing" Christmas. I think everybody has to figure out what works for them. One of the songs I posted on my Advent song series on my blog has the line "In a life of hardship and of earthly toil,/There's a need for anything that frees us." For some, taking a break from the holiday expectations and habits can be that freeing thing. For others, maintaining their traditions can be very meaningful and life-giving. Both our kids really like (and I think Jonathan NEEDS) the traditional practices; they give security and peacefulness.
That's very interesting about Christmas being taken over by the department stores -- there's nothing that the marketing industry can't commercialize! But I still love the gift-giving aspect when done right. When I was little I loved the parts in books like Little House on the Prairie or Little Women where the children used their small resources to get or make thoughtful gifts for their loved ones.
Anyway, just some thoughts that your post inspired. Happy New Year (are you opting out of that too? ha ha)
Jeannie
I agree with you absolutely. Everyone enjoys - and needs - traditions of various sorts. Traditions are events to 'hang your hat on' - to take your coat off, put your feet up, enjoy and feel at home with!
ReplyDeleteAmerican history it seems, reveals that Christmas was 'illegal' because it was considered 'Catholic' -- being based on St Nicholas (I guess the Puritans objected to the Jesus connection with the Sainthood of Nicholas) -- and the Puritans had left England to escape all things 'Catholic' - until the Department stores found a good way to 'sell' the notion of Christmas.
Whereas in England, there was a great deal of religious tolerance (thanks to Elizabeth I) and so the Sainthood of one person didn't seem to be an issue for protestants and celebrating Christmas got huge endorsements from writers like Charles Dickens in Victorian times making Christmas a huge event.
In any case, for some to mark a day is important, for others it is not. We live, thankfully, in a place and time where either is possible. One should not be criticized for celebrating or not celebrating Christmas, a birthday or whatever.
One of the nicest stories I know is by O Henry (pen name). That's about Christmas. The Gift of the Magi is all about the sort of gift giving you mention. Wonderful and an example of the beauty at the heart of giving: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Henry#Stories
To you and all: A Happy New Year! (I love champagne and the marking of a new year)