It seems that every year, Christmas comes earlier. Retail chains begin to display their Christmas-themed goods as early as Halloween, if not earlier. Given that this trend seems to repeat itself, each year coming earlier and increasing in the amount of marketing gimmicks, Christmas is less associated with appreciating and spending time with those for whom we care the most and more to do with the almighty dollar.
Christmas is the most commercial holiday that we celebrate in the United States, and Americans rarely even bat an eye when spending ridiculous amounts of money on friends, family, and even people whom they don't particularly care for, all in the name of what is affectionately called "Christmas spirit". Sure, call me a Grinch, but the only Christmas spirit I have had in years is the Peppermint Schnapps I enjoy pouring into my coffee this time of year. I know that Christmas is supposed to be about giving, but that one word, giving, does not exactly describe what Americans do at Christmas. Sure, money is spent on others, but not often on those who need it the most, and little attention is given to political, moral, and personal dilemmas that are more urgent in our world.Something that annoys me more than anything is those who proclaim that our increasingly secular society is taking the "Christ" out of Christmas. Well, guess what, Americans: "Christ" has nothing to do with Christmas, at least when we consider our traditions. What many Christians fail to realize is that most of the traditions that have been passed down for generations, like bringing in an evergreen tree to decorate and calling it a "Christmas tree", is rooted in paganism, as is the tradition of hanging mistletoe and even celebrating Christmas on December 25. December 25 is actually the supposed birthday of Mithras, the Persian Sun God. The birth of Christ was not even included in this yearly winter celebration until 300 years after his supposed death. Hence, "Christmas" existed even before Christ, and the Winter Solstice has been celebrated for centuries. Needless to say, the Winter Solstice was not celebrated in the same way we celebrate it today.
So am I celebrating? I am celebrating Xmas, I suppose, in the way that I have purchased gifts for those I care about the most, and in that way I am a hypocrite. I am following tradition and doing what is expected of me, though with much chagrin. I actually enjoy showing those I care for that I appreciate them during this time of year, but I would rather do this in random spurts throughout the year rather than fall into the Capitalist trap that Christmas has become. I will limp away with with a thinner wallet, and I will forget about how I fell into this trap until next year, when I will do it again.
I think the best Xmas gift of all is to show the world that our laziness is what maintains the status quo of violence and apathy in our world. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Christmas message was "War is Over, if you want it". Do we want it? Perhaps not collectively, if we judge our desires based on our behaviors. What we need is more awareness of how our world continues to change at a frightening speed.
This season, I vow to challenge myself to not fall into the Christmas trap of simply giving gifts, but to make a conscious effort to try to improve our world by increasing awareness of corruption in our society. We can end the many wars we continuously fight, be they political or personal, "if we want it".
