Feature ArticleDecember 12, 2001
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Christmas cheering againNo wonder there is more depression during the Christmas season than at any other time of the year. The early darkness, the cold and bleak sunlight, if the sun shines, both contribute. This year we have an added incentive for being depressed; buy to save the world's merchants.
Politicians declare, "Be patriotic; borrow money, and spend, spend, spend." Some economists are arguing that we should go into debt and buy our way out of the present slump (dare I say depression?), but those of us in the trenches are a bit wiser. We are hanging onto our money; the future could be a bit bleak, and a little cash will come in handy. I am not an advocate of deficit financing at any level, but to go into debt to get someone else out of debt? Paying personal credit card usury to purchase gifts is as far from the spirit of the Christmas festive season as one can get.
There may be some disappointed people, but let us get back to the basic Christian philosophy of warm and sincere exchanges of love and expressions of devotion. We should not need the bribery of expensive, and, in many instances, useless gifts. There is another more expressive term for the monetary purchase of love, and it certainly is not "Have a Merry Christmas."
In early November, I was in a large urban mall, and Christmas shopping persuasions were in abundance. On one level, large potted palms set the scene for the Three Wise Men as they trekked across the desert. Another area was saturated with Santa Claus motifs and the usual upbeat seasonal music to make you dig for your credit card and move on to the next elaborate display. This floor was far busier than the area with religious themes, but the wily merchants are going to get you one way or another, whether you are a believer or a briber.
Life is strange. In North America, September's Back-to-School, Halloween, and Christmas are all vying for first place as public spending spree events, to the tune of about 5 billion US bucks each, just within the United States! None of these occasions is for essential buying, unless you consider that over-priced children's designer clothes, expensive Mickey Mouse book bags, and name brand running shoes are necessary to send the kids back to school. The next annual occasion, Halloween, is an ancient pagan autumn celebration originally designed to help the spirits of the dead cross over when darkness falls. The third, a random night depending upon which calendar you use, celebrates the birth of a man whom we crucified for His beliefs in kindness and forgiveness. Are there touches of guilt lingering here, as all three of these events have been prostituted into buying and bribing frenzies?
Perhaps this is the year to make the break and wrench Christmas from the purveyors of material things, and give it back to the kids, with true love, rather than threats (be good or Santa won't bring you presents). Resist the temptation to buy baubles, adult toys, candy, beauty enhancers, and the other stuff that will be abandoned after Boxing Day. Forget fancy gift-wrapping and start saving our forests. Let us give gifts that are essential and valuable: more attention to our families, good nourishing food, better behavior, respect, and love. Start an educational fund; goodness knows it will be needed if you want your offspring to be educated beyond high school.
No "Merry Christmas" from the Mazinaw Muse but I wish each and every one "Happiness with your Faith", and "Year Round Prosperity" or, to paraphrase the words of a curmudgeon of yesteryear, "Hugs and Humbugs".
