As far as I can tell, the only thing vaguely Christian or Godlike about Xmas is the "religious" postage stamp offered by the US Postal Service. As always, they offer two versions: the cutesy reindeer/Christmas tree/ribbony-wrapped gifty-one, or the Virgin-Mother-cradling-baby-Jesus. Other than that, it's the same old merry-go-round: Shop early, hurry in for discounts, two-for one, lowest price, 'tis the season, happy spending, open early until midnight, holiday savings on must-have gifts, more values mean more Christmas.
At every turn we are urged to participate in "the joy of giving," to "give the gifts that impress for less," and, my personal favorite which I saw today in a Sears ad, "charge it and enjoy 18 months of no interest." Imagine, you can still be paying off this Christmas long after next Christmas!
As I've said before and will no doubt say again, this is the time of year when I most appreciate being a Jew.
6 comments:
i think that's true: that the one remaining religious vestige of christmas is the religious version of the christmas stamp!
By the way, did you read the story about walmart trying to control the after thanksgiving crowds to avoid the stampede that killed a bunch of people last year?
happy happy
Watching the marketing of Christmas on TV will surely make you glad you are Jewish. If you step into any church as a fly on the wall you will hear a different message at Christmas.
The people I know who celebrate Christmas have traditions that you can't buy and are valued by their friends and family. For example, every year one friend drops off homemade 'eggnog' secretly by the door to all her friends. Then there is the 'cookie swap', same time, same place, every year. On Christmas Eve there is a gathering that everyone brings something to share, same place every year.
There are the homemade gifts made with love. The good feeling surrounding the holiday is not gone, but you have to create it, you can't buy it.
You make a good point, Anonymous! It's good to learn that many Christians do enjoy a less commercial approach to the holidays. Thanks for writing.....
how does anonymous know how those cookies were made? with love? with stress and muttering under the breath, "I would rather be doing anything else...." more than likely.
if you read the comment again, the made with love part is referring to my homemade gifts and the gifts my friends make that we share on Christmas eve. Not the cookie swap, I certainly have no idea of the feeling of the baker while she is baking, until of course we all share about what we brought. There are always a few of us who started out with the intention of making great cookies, and how they got fucked up, and that is why their cookies look like they do...then there is the martha stewart types that bring the most amazingly decorated cookies- it is all good fun-
oh so Jackie is anonymous! I love you Jackie, no offense. really.
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