Thursday, November 15, 2007

I'm such a slacker. Look at me, I haven't blogged for, like, five days. I've been ill, I've got this cold. I'm ok now, mostly better, but have had to restrain myself from getting on here and having a nice old whinge! It's a funny thing, but I feel like very little is happening in my life right now... and yet, my "social calendar" is about the busiest it's ever been - so much to do with so many people! So little time before Christmas!

Now is probably a good time to have my annual anti-Christmas rant. There are so many reasons to dislike, discourage, not celebrate, and generally complain about Christmas. I don't know where to start.

1 - Historical Innacuracy. It's generally acknowledged that Jesus Christ was not born on Christmas day. He wasn't even born in the right year. Some say the date was hijacked from a Pagan festival pre-dating Christianity, which seems likely.

2 - Lack Of Meaning. Even if it was Jesus's birthdate, why does that matter to me when I'm not a Christian or religious at all?

3 - Marketing-driven Myths. I object to the premise that Christmas is a time for giving and loving and family. Surely these things should happen all the time. We shouldn't need to be told to set aside this one particular day in the year to see our families and to give presents (as if money ever bought love anyway, pfft) and to extend the hand of friendship to every man and his dog.

4 - Consumer Driven Buying Frenzies. Everybody has swallowed the marketing hype put out by retailers (or anybody who wants you to spend your money on their products), so a simple trip to the supermarket becomes a battle past every other shop overflowing with people wanting to buy their relatives' affection.

5 - Religious Intolerance. Yes folks, Christmas is all about intolerance. If you don't celebrate Christmas, you're weird. Try telling somebody you don't believe in Christmas, see if you can count the miliseconds before they say "That's weird," or "Why not?" or "Dude, that's so screwed up, you won't get any presents".

The only reason I've done Christmas at all since I got old enough to choose is to keep my family happy. They're not religious, but they're traditionalists. Christmas is a time for family. It's other people's expectations that keeps me perpetuating a ritual I feel no association with. I wonder how many others out there feel the same? We should start an anti-Christmas society, banding together so as not to disappoint each other by not buying each other gifts or sending cards.

Sadly it's too late to start boycotting Christmas this year. I've already bought several people's gifts. But next year... oh boy, bring on next year.

5 comments:

Keshi said...

aww Stace somehow I love the spirit of Christmas...and Im not even a Christian (tho I believe in all faiths and one God).


I agree with all the points u mentioned...I mean the buying frenzy, the dates all misinterpreted, the commercialism etc etc that's attached to Christmas. BUT...:)

Think abt it this way...this world needs atleast 1 day of LOVING and JOY if not for the rest of the 364 days. Christmas brings everyone together, families n friends..makes ppl become extra generous...makes us donate to charities...it is the Sesaon of GIVING..irrelevant of who's bday it is. And thats the spirit we must revel in.

Imagine a world w.o. Christmas...we'd be more selfish.


Keshi.

lee said...

I will go have lunch with my family, but now that I'm older actually feel that the whole thing is a bit dodgy -as you mentioned -the whole commercial side of it, the fact that it bears no relation to when jesus was born, the general pagan associations of even the christmas tree. There was a thing on telly-maybe sbs -saying that it was queen victoria who brought the tree and all into popular consciousness, and that the only reason people have this image of the jolly , fat, red-coated santa is due to a coca-cola advertising campaign. And to think that lonely people kill themselves at this time of year, that people put themselves into debt.There are such very high expectations of this one day. It is a celebration of all that's commercial.

Menchie said...

I love Christmas too but you do have valid points.

There is something to be said about the commercialism of it all and not just Christmas. You have Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Fathers Day, etc. It's crazy!

And while it is true that giving, sharing, family time should be done everyday, it's nice to have a special day to look forward to and make an effort. Like we don't need mother's day to remember to treat our mothers in a special way but it's one day in a year where we specially honor moms. Or wedding anniversaries! :D

I'm not much for the frenzy and the family reunions (except for the relatives I like) too.

Romeo Morningwood said...

I will forgo my annual Christmas rant becuase I have said all that I want to say and nobody cares what I think anyway..which is just as well.

I loathe the manufactured sentiment of Christmas BLECCH!! It is so superficial that I want to scream...we have had 50 years of psychologists running ad agencies and now we are paying dearly for that priviledge...
imagine swallowing the peer pressure bullsh*t to purchase someone's love and affection Come ON!?

That being said I would like some new boots, speakers, movies, art supplies, age appropriate clothing, to be way taller, world peace..except for the psychos, just jettison them all into outer space and open the hatch once they pass the moon...um..a new puppy, I'm ready to train a new puppy..a LabraDoodle!

WithinWithout said...

Historical inaccuracies never stopped a lot of things like religion, politics, etc.

Your points are all good ones but for all its warts, Christmas is a time of warmth in what sometimes is a cold world.

...Even if it is largely based on myth and crass commercialism.