Seasons Greetings - Of A Sort!

There's no denying it. I am a "Scrooge". That doesn't mean I'm intemperate with those who seek charity for the needy (I like to give to food charities). That doesn't mean I imagine children should be sent to workhouse if their parents cannot meet the rent. (As long as they stay quiet I'm okay with kids...most of the time.)  None of those extreme over-the-top vile things, but what I am is tired of the spectacle of Christmas which stifles the senses and overruns all media and such, spilling into the streets and filling up the even the stillness with typically mewling Christmas songs.


I'm just tired of it before it gets started. If Christmas lasted a week, maybe even two I'd be all in. A two- week spree of holiday cheer and merchandising I could support as a bally end-of-the-year celebration. We all made it again you see; and here's something to show our appreciation all around. That would be dandy. But the damned holiday starts in September now and drags on for week after stultifying week and by the time the actual holiday itself actually arrives it's all weary anti-climax.


Now none of this has to do with the religious as side of Christmas. Ignored by the merchandising crowd for the most part, the birth of Jesus is something which perhaps ought to be marked and celebrated. The soul-sucking religion his birth spawned perhaps not so much, but the man of peace for certain. I'm down with that, unless you're not and I'm down with that too. To each his own I always say.


But the other, the dreary life-draining amble to acquire presents to make the significant others in our lives "happy" is really become a chore. I resist putting up the Christmas tree (a little thing really) as it means caving in sooner than I want to the holiday which like the Blob in both versions of that sci-fi movie seeks to absorb all around it. I want to hold it off as long as I can, to cherish the moments of the holiday with family and friends, compress them and make them potent and memorable.


So in the end I'm not so much against Christmas, but rather against it as currently practiced in a culture which has well and truly lost its way. I choose differently as much as I can, and that my friends makes me a "Scrooge".

Rip Off

Comments

  1. Colin JonesDecember 22, 2024 at 3:07 AM

    Most of our modern Christmas traditions (cards, carols, trees, Santa etc) became popular in the 19th Century so they aren't actually very old. Back in the Middle Ages the Advent period was a time for fasting like Lent and it was illegal to do any work from December 25th to January 6th. Gifts were given on New Year's Day not Christmas Day so our modern Christmas is very different from the way it used to be.
    I'm not married, I've got no children and my closest relatives are long dead so Christmas isn't such a big deal for me. I haven't had a Christmas tree for many years but I do enjoy buying the kind of food that's only available at this time of year like mince pies, Stollen loaf and ready-made turkey & cranberry sandwiches.
    You said you give to food charities but I'm not sure if you meant donating money or food - my local supermarket has a box in which shoppers can donate food to be distributed to local food banks for the needy. The box is there all year round not just Christmas so I always donate something. Here in the UK the number of food banks has increased massively over the last 15 years thanks to the policies of the previous Conservative administrations but I doubt things will get that much better now they are gone.
    In Britain December 26th is called Boxing Day and it's also a public holiday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rip JaggerDecember 22, 2024 at 3:30 AM

      I give money now as it proves most expedient and flexible for the charities I support. As you point out, the need for food charities at all is a direct result of the failure of political policies, both local and federal. My country in particular it seems is obsessed with seeing a baby being born, but it then couldn't give a sniff about the health and welfare of that child as they mature. People here bicker about school lunch programs, and other welfare programs meant merely to feed. I think all the happy talk around Christmas just reminds me of these deficiencies.

      Delete
  2. Colin JonesDecember 22, 2024 at 7:44 PM

    You should listen to I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS by Greg Lake which is very cynical about Christmas (the title is meant to be sarcastic I assume). It's one of my favourite Christmas songs and it reached No.2 in the UK singles chart in 1975. It also has a great video filmed in the Holy Land which has a very heartwarming ending despite the cynical lyrics of the song.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rip JaggerDecember 23, 2024 at 12:31 AM

      I've seen the video and perhaps I didn't listen to the lyrics closely enough. I'll give it another listen. Thanks.

      Delete

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