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SecretMethod70 · 12-18-2007, 07:10 AM

http://www.thisisby.us/index.php/con..._be_much_worse

Quote:

Christmas Wasn't Always Like This: It Used to Be Much Worse
Christmas Was Secular Before Your Righteous Indignation Was In Your Mommy's Sacred Womb

Every year, as kids get excited and parents get panicked, you see soft news stories all over TV. Has Christmas lost its focus? What is Christmas really about? Why don’t children understand the real meaning of Christmas?

The last question is especially bothersome because it implies that this generation is the one that misses the point. Previous generations? Oh, they had their shit together. They went to church, said prayers, chopped wood, accepted a moderate gift, and had a long discussion about the importance of family in every day life.

Wrong. Christmas wasn’t always like it is now. It used to be worse.

You think Christmas is commercial now? Look back a generation or two. You’ll see Santa Claus shilling cigarettes. And while it isn’t quite true that Santa Claus as we know him today was invented by the Coca-Cola corporation, it is true that the ad campaign appeared in the 1930s as a way to bank on his popularity.

In other words, Santa Claus, the very representation of winter gift-giving and consumerism was shilling products you didn’t need before most of the parents who claim their kids “don’t understand Christmas” were even born.

But, you might argue, Christmas is about Jesus. Right? Am I right? Can I get an Amen! Righteous indignation!

Wrong again.

Yes, it’s been designated as the birth day of Jesus. But then it shouldn’t be the most popular Christian holiday – Easter should. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. It’s a bigger deal to get resurrected than born. Easter is technically the most important holiday in Christianity. Yet it definitely isn’t treated that way. Christmas is always a bigger deal, even when it comes to churches decorating themselves.

Christmas, name withstanding, actually has its historical roots in Yule, a Northern European winter festival that was meant to bring joy to the dark seasons. The gift-giving element of Christmas so many people claim has taken away from Christ actually has as much to do with feasting on slaughtered cattle – you had to kill most of your cattle during the winter or chance it all going to waste – as it does the three wise men.

Of course, this means that many people who complain of Christmas’ “meaning” speak of “yuletide” celebrations without knowing the meaning of that either.

Also, there’s the Roman God Sol Invictus whose feast day was December 25th. He was also drawn with an orb around his head the same way Christ is portrayed. And on his feast day gifts were exchanged.

You might say, “So what? Christmas should be a celebration of Christ’s birth!”

Okay, sure. But then why was it banned by many Protestant sects in the 17 and 1800s? Many early English and American Protestants – and their local governments – banned Christmas as too raucous. Apparently, folks were using the celebration as a reason to have sex and get drunk. Protestants believed that celebrating Christmas – which, at the time involved demanding money from the upperclass and generally making a mess of things – was just too socially damaging. Churches were kept closed on December 25th.

Santa himself does come from St. Nicholas, a real Christian bishop who gave gold to people in need, especially children. But his feast day became so popular with kids who wanted gifts that Christian officials – centuries ago – demanded that people change the gift bringer from St. Nick to the Christ Child. That way, kids got their toys without worshipping someone other than Jesus.

Do you understand what I’m saying? This whole “stop making Christmas secular!” argument has been going on for centuries. Kids have wanted gifts since time immemorial. Parents have wanted a reason to complain about it for almost as long. The whole argument that people should just quietly worship their religion doesn’t only go against the entire history of the holiday, but of the reason behind it’s creation by officials.

I know no one likes a history lesson, but my point here isn’t that your Christmas shouldn’t be about Christ. I don’t care what you do on Christmas. But when you get on television and complain that your kids wanting a Nintendo Wii is a vast departure from the “real” meaning of Christmas, you are an asshole. Christmas has no meaning because it is culled from so many sources. It means the birth of someone’s savior, sure. But it’s also a time for people to drink and be merry. And have sex. And worship the sun god. And feast on the harvest during a dark time.

It’s not yours to decide what to do with it. Nor was it ever religious enough to warrant the demand that it “goes back” to being about something it was never really about.

And one last thing.

X-Mas means the same thing as Christmas. Stop saying it “takes Jesus out of Christmas.” The X represents the first letter in the Greek word for “Christmas.” Okay? He’s still there.

Now leave me alone and let me enjoy my Santa.

And a good response from the comments...

Quote:

I love it when some pompous dick goes on a rant like this; mostly correct history that might be elucidating if just a history lesson, but then shoves their foot up their mouth with some blanket asshead statement attempt to make a point, like:

"But when you get on television and complain that your kids wanting a Nintendo Wii is a vast departure from the “real” meaning of Christmas, you are an asshole."

Nice interpretation of the sentiment of the statement when many say things like that. Did they mention Jesus? Did they say screw Santa? No, they usually go onto pine for things like quality family time, the Yule Log on the fireplace, and that time in college when their fiancé took them skating and proposed on Christmas Eve at center ice.

If you had the intellect of someone more educated than a 5th grader, you'd realize the intent behind such a statement can easily reflect a broader (secular, or other) understanding of Christmas than the "Birth of Jesus" and it might actually incorporate everything you just said; Usually, and you glossed over this with your intro, what people resent is blind fucking consumerism.

Fifty years ago, we did not have "Black Friday" when the nation opens its stores at 4am and manages to collectively place itself in 20 billion dollars more credit card debt.

Gifts were still gifts, children got their toys, but they were not necessarily store bought. They did not put you in debt, and the kid didn't run around screaming "I WANT IT I WANT IT GIVE GIVE GIVE." They didn't fucking know what they wanted, and not all of them had to get the exact same Power Ranger, and you didn't look like an ass in front of all your relatives when they show up and little Johnny didn't get the last Tickle-Me-Elmo, even though you got a concussion fighting a 400lb mother of 7 for the last one (she already had 8).

As a member of the advertising community that is so effectively (more-so than at any point in previous human history), duping all of you this holiday season into buying worthless shit, I say wake up. When someone complains that his 5 year old wants a $250 Wii ($400 on Amazon, $200 for games, and $70 for more controllers) I think that's damn fair and maybe you should all listen to him. My spending so far is $79— and that was for Vodka, Rum, and Eggnog, that I'm pretty sure I wouldve gotten if it were April because my liver gets cranky.

To be trite, the medium is the message; we don't need to shill with Santa clause because we've moved beyond needing simple icons; the behavioral paradigm has been established and is so ubiquitous and insidiously pervasive, that you actually now even have the balls to say it used to be worse. Haha.... We've sure got you hooked. You're going to buy because we told you to; its what Americans do every December. Seriously. Go buy something, we'll give you 60 ideas in the next minute that won't even process as sales pitches.

What you're forgetting, is that it used to be if Tommy's Dad got laid off from The Mill and couldn't afford to buy Tommy the Candy Apple Red Radioflyer, Tommy didn't get it; or anything else for that matter. Tommy's Dad didn't refinance the house he can't afford anyway, debt from one card to another, and then buy Tommy the Radio Flyer as well as Brand New Lay-Z-Boy for himself.

In conclusion, you're an idiot. Thank you for wasting my, and the entire Reddit community's time with your article. Next time you try to use flamboyant rhetoric and a confrontational style. Make sure you're right. I hope Santa eats you.

Frankly, I think they've both got points. As for myself: I really don't care.

Making a big stink about lying to kids about Santa Claus just seems ridiculous to me. Everyone tells little lies like that, and there's nothing wrong with it. Eventually, kids learn that there isn't a Santa and they move on. A very small handful are traumatized by learning that their parents lied to them about Santa, and I imagine that's where this whole "lying about Santa is bad!" argument is rooted.

It's just like anything else...if you don't like the idea of lying about Santa, don't do it.

The degree to which Christmas is commercialized is, I think, directly related to our consumer culture in general. That is to say: I don't think Christmas is any more commercial relative to current everyday consumerism than it was in the past relative to the degree of consumerism at that time. If you want to be smart and not spend a ton of money on gifts, go ahead and do so. Spread the word of simple gifts if you want, so long as it's not done with righteous indignation. But if people want to max out their credit cards buying all the latest toys for all the kids in their family, even though you've politely suggested that there's another way to celebrate...let them. It doesn't make your Christmas any worse.

Setting aside the issue of consumerism, if there's on thing that I think is pretty clear cut, it's that there is no religious monopoly on Christmas. Christmas is rooted in at least 4 different celebrations. It's your last paragraph that bothers me the most because of this...there is no "real" Christmas. The Christmas tree, lights, wreath, and colors (the red and green, not the advent colors) are all taken from pagan celebrations. Even the date is taken from pagan celebrations: the knowledge that Jesus was probably actually born in springtime is not particularly new. Celebrate Christmas however you want, and attribute whatever meaning to it you want...but there is no universal "actual Christmas."