![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Seasonal Rant
Normally I don't mind this time of year too much, despite the busy workload we always have in the office trying to get the financial settlements sorted out for the new financial year. Christmas week itself is a pain, because it is so disruptive to my schedule: I like having the time off work, I don’t like the fact that everything from TV/Radio down is changed, sprinkled with saccharine cultural icing and repackaged with flimsy seasonal variants.
I am not a religious man, but I am reasonably certain that the modern evolution1 of the seasonal message of cheer and goodwill to all has reached the commercial point that had he been here now instead of the Middle East 2,000 years ago, Jesus might well have by-passed the temple money lenders entirely and nuked the stock exchange instead. I realise, of course, that I am conflating different Biblical periods here, but the observation stands.
Christmas has become a cultural and financial black hole out of all proportion to its importance, and we are trapped on the event horizon watching our resources drain and time slow and stretch into infinity as we make futile attempts to escape. The effects of the holiday are only negated for a fortnight or so around July when we have finally paid off the excesses, financial and physical of the previous year, and before we start fretting about the consequences of the next one.
Many committed Christians in the past wouldn’t celebrate anyway as it is just a thin Christian veneer over a pagan holiday, and only has a 1/365 chance of being Jesus’ birthday. Easter (which is only notable in the UK for the fact that the pubs close early on Good Friday, otherwise it’s pretty much a normal day unless you want a bank loan) is by far the more important holiday.
This year the build up is annoying me just as much as the commercialisation of the holiday does. This is largely due to the fact that we have a certifiable Minister who can be relied upon to push everyone to the edge of nervous breakdown with additional and unnecessary work, but it’s also due to the fact that I needed to have a rant about something, and Santa happened to be the biggest, reddest and most visible target available, and I wanted a suitably sanctimonious whinge.
1I know that one of my friends will be unhappy about both the usage and relevance of the word evolution in this context. It is exactly the right word for my purposes.
I am not a religious man, but I am reasonably certain that the modern evolution1 of the seasonal message of cheer and goodwill to all has reached the commercial point that had he been here now instead of the Middle East 2,000 years ago, Jesus might well have by-passed the temple money lenders entirely and nuked the stock exchange instead. I realise, of course, that I am conflating different Biblical periods here, but the observation stands.
Christmas has become a cultural and financial black hole out of all proportion to its importance, and we are trapped on the event horizon watching our resources drain and time slow and stretch into infinity as we make futile attempts to escape. The effects of the holiday are only negated for a fortnight or so around July when we have finally paid off the excesses, financial and physical of the previous year, and before we start fretting about the consequences of the next one.
Many committed Christians in the past wouldn’t celebrate anyway as it is just a thin Christian veneer over a pagan holiday, and only has a 1/365 chance of being Jesus’ birthday. Easter (which is only notable in the UK for the fact that the pubs close early on Good Friday, otherwise it’s pretty much a normal day unless you want a bank loan) is by far the more important holiday.
This year the build up is annoying me just as much as the commercialisation of the holiday does. This is largely due to the fact that we have a certifiable Minister who can be relied upon to push everyone to the edge of nervous breakdown with additional and unnecessary work, but it’s also due to the fact that I needed to have a rant about something, and Santa happened to be the biggest, reddest and most visible target available, and I wanted a suitably sanctimonious whinge.
1I know that one of my friends will be unhappy about both the usage and relevance of the word evolution in this context. It is exactly the right word for my purposes.
no subject
You mean he can get an NVQ in "Ministering" ?
no subject
no subject
Only if you let it
no subject
Actually Ken's fambily, which is large if you count siblings & their families (some of which have been further extended by remarriages etc etc), have the right idea: this year we drew names out of a hat. Everyone has ONE family person to buy presents from, and the value limit is firmly set at 20 bucks - even we can afford that. Means we all have something to unwrap but you don't have to dance to that "oh crap they have SO much more money than us, look she got a pony and all we gave them was a dried vomit sculpture" tune.
Have a Cool Yule...
I suppose it stops at "the family's edge" for me though which is probably enough. Still the fact that I cannot walk into a shop without being reminded Wenceslas was a good king, or that Frosty was a snowman does make me gag...
As for having to do the dance that society sends us, I agree with
no subject
*big happy festive smile(no tinsel)*
no subject
no subject
So Karen, wanna go watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' ? : )
Do I ever!
Re: Do I ever!
Re: Do I ever!
Alternately, do the right thing (you know you want to!) and BUY them. That way you can watch 'em whenever you like - I mention this because I think they recently remastered & recoloured TWoZ to be even more gloriously polychromatic.
Say it with me, all of you in the congregation:
In glooooooooorious Technicolor!
no subject
If I were in charge of things, Santa would be for children, period, and for adults the non-religious side of Christmas celebrations would be just about the cookies and mulled cider and spiked eggnog and time off work.
no subject
Hallelujah brother!
I think there should laws about how soon Christmas stuff is allowed to be advertised / go up. Cos I *like* Christmas as a small celebration, but it gets spoilt for me by all the shit that makes me hate it. Adverts, tacky houses covered in santas from about October, terrible shite packaged as something different. Yuk. Stinky.
no subject
no subject
Myself and my extended family will celebrate christmas as we do every year with food, a few board games (which Prof Woody will win as usual), food, some booze and perhaps some food, and no presents costing more than a pound or two. I hate the fact that the damn "holiday" is still - what - nearly 20 days away and yet we can't move for CHRISTMAS CHEER.
no subject
and to be too busy to go anywhere except between campus and home! I've been to the grocery store occasionally for milk, but that's not too bad. no malls.
no subject
One of your correspondents, Bwy, suggests you just ignore the commercialism, and I agree. Go to the shop, buy the item(s) you need, walk out again, go home and watch some sci-fi.
And in case I'm the chap whom you expected to object to the word evolution, I don't! Especially in this context.
no subject
No, it's