The Purpose of Christmas

Christmas no longer has much to do with Jesus. It is now primarily a gift-giving festival eagerly promoted by business. Even the Japanese, who are not Christian, celebrate it. Count the Santas and count the Jesuses if you doubt.

People go mad for ritual every Christmas season. Every family has its own rituals they repeat every Christmas. Radio stations drag out and play the same kitschy music and tell stories about Christmas during WWI (World War I). Why? I think it is an attempt to stop time. Memories from every Christmas past merge into each other. There is an illusion time has stopped and we have entered a sort of ground hog day where it is the same eternal Christmas day.

Christmas is also a celebration of bad taste. People compete to see who can wear the ugliest sweater. No decoration, or piece of music is too awful to celebrate; no gift too tacky. We relax the rigid standards of taste, fashion and style. It is a bit like Halloween in that regard, but without the imagination.

~ Roedy (1948-02-04 age:70)