Must be brave, like prawn
We can put it off no longer. Well, we could, but that would only be prolonging the agony.
This weekend Jackspatula and I decided we need to face up to the fact that the "holidays" are coming, like it or not. And while some parts of the whole ordeal are undeniably fun and heartwarming (like seeing one's tiny nephew dressed up in red fur), the bulk of it--let's be honest--is a real pain in the ass. This is not news. The weird thing for me is, almost everyone admits that Chrismahannakwanzakah (get used to it!) has become too commercial. We all spend a bunch of money we don't have, to buy people stuff they probably don't need, and in return get a bunch of stuff ourselves that we likewise don't need. (If anyone is taking note, we do not need the following: candle holders, towels, serving bowls/plates, anything with Christmasy-type pictures or patterns on it, seasonal decorations.) Everyone admits that materialism is spiraling out of control, the true spirit of the season is lost, etc. etc. And yet, everyone continues to BUY BUY BUY, SPEND SPEND SPEND! And in doing so, they continue to guilt others (like us) into buying buying buying spending spending spending. It's like the tax code--everyone agrees it's completely messed up, but we're all powerless to do anything about it. The only hope you might have is if your family happens to be somewhat sane (a rare enough phenomenon), and everyone agrees to exchange names and get one really good gift for one other person and be done with the whole thing. (It's even better if the one good gift is something the person really wants, like an iPod or a Sirius satellite radio subscription--hint hint.) Anyone who know's Jackspatula's mom knows that that is not going to happen in my family. And so, today we are going to suck it up and venture out to . . .
THE MALL.
This weekend Jackspatula and I decided we need to face up to the fact that the "holidays" are coming, like it or not. And while some parts of the whole ordeal are undeniably fun and heartwarming (like seeing one's tiny nephew dressed up in red fur), the bulk of it--let's be honest--is a real pain in the ass. This is not news. The weird thing for me is, almost everyone admits that Chrismahannakwanzakah (get used to it!) has become too commercial. We all spend a bunch of money we don't have, to buy people stuff they probably don't need, and in return get a bunch of stuff ourselves that we likewise don't need. (If anyone is taking note, we do not need the following: candle holders, towels, serving bowls/plates, anything with Christmasy-type pictures or patterns on it, seasonal decorations.) Everyone admits that materialism is spiraling out of control, the true spirit of the season is lost, etc. etc. And yet, everyone continues to BUY BUY BUY, SPEND SPEND SPEND! And in doing so, they continue to guilt others (like us) into buying buying buying spending spending spending. It's like the tax code--everyone agrees it's completely messed up, but we're all powerless to do anything about it. The only hope you might have is if your family happens to be somewhat sane (a rare enough phenomenon), and everyone agrees to exchange names and get one really good gift for one other person and be done with the whole thing. (It's even better if the one good gift is something the person really wants, like an iPod or a Sirius satellite radio subscription--hint hint.) Anyone who know's Jackspatula's mom knows that that is not going to happen in my family. And so, today we are going to suck it up and venture out to . . .
THE MALL.
I can almost feel the collective shudder of my dedicated reading audience. If I weren't agnostic (which kind of calls into serious question the whole point of the holiday thing in general--but that's another issue), I would ask you to pray for me. Just send good thoughts and hope I don't get knocked unconscious by a frantic woman trying to grab the last on-sale sweater at The Gap.
posted by flipper @ 9:58 AM
2 Comments:
At 9:37 AM,
lulu said…
What did you do--jack our Christmas list? WE want an iPod! WE want a satellite radio subscription and all the little toys!
Call me a crazy atheist, but I love Christmas. It's a great opportunity to be creative with gift-giving and gift-wrapping (one of my favorite holiday things). I even love Christmas music and Christmas cards. Here it is only early December and I have 90% bought, 60% wrapped, and all of my Christmas cards addressed and stamped. ho HO!
However, I do agree that people need to put less pressure on themselves, and families and friends everywhere need to have honest, open talks about how they feel about it all. What's that? A "problem?" Oh.
Happy Holidays!
At 4:21 PM,
Sven Golly said…
You've touched a nerve, One Mean (may I call you One Mean?), by bringing up the old "commercialization" of The True Meaning of Christmashannukahkwanzaasolstice. After extensive empirical research, it is clear to me that shopping IS the true meaning of this most holy of seasons. It's not that the folktale Dickensian Xmas has been lost in, or eclipsed by, the buying and selling of stuff. The quaint storybook Xmas has become one of the products sold in the actual yearly religious Festival of Shopping. The mall is the church, the Amerikan economy is the national religion, and good consumers are the community of the faithful.
Now, "It's for the children." That's a good one too.
Post a Comment
<< Home