The holiday season is fast approaching and I thought maybe
we could have a quick discussion about some of the aspects of this particular
season. Our ancestors thousands of generations past whooped it up some from the
winter solstice to the spring equinox and it seems as though we’ve forgotten
the concept of having fun. If it doesn’t have something to do with either
spending money or making money, it doesn’t exist.
As an example: Black Friday. The initial attack on
Thanksgiving was the major box stores putting up Christmas decorations a week
or so before Halloween, thus taking a lot of the fun out of celebrating All
Hallow’s Eve. But by slamming every square space in retail outlets with
Christmas all through the month of November, they diminished the celebration of
Thanksgiving.
Traditionally, Thanksgiving was a time for family, for
celebrating the harvest, for giving thanks for what we have and for that which
we strive. There was some fight by many who wanted the Thanksgiving pleasures,
but those that make money and those that spend money fought harder. Thus: Black
Friday.
And they weren’t through. If they started the Black Friday
sales early, such as maybe on Thursday, Thanksgiving would be but a memory, for
in our society today, making it to a sale is far more important than having the
family sitting together spinning tales of yesteryear.
As I write this little missive, we are a full two weeks from
Thanksgiving and I saw an advertisement this morning for a pre-Black Friday
sale to begin tomorrow. All of the blame for this cannot be laid at the feet of
the retailer for it is not the retailer that responds to the sales.
With Thanksgiving wiped off the calendar, there is now no
less than nine weeks in which to entice us to buy, and buy we will. Whether we buy
Christmas gifts or Holiday gifts, or Seasonal gifts, we’ll buy, and in droves.
Obviously Christmas began as a Christian celebration but was
absorbed into general society easily since non-Christians were already
celebrating the winter solstice with their parties and hooplas. Simple
gift-giving has changed slightly more than exponentially over the last two
thousand years or so. The gift, it seems, is meaningless. It’s the sale that
counts.
If you took the words Christmas, Holiday, and Seasonal out
of the picture, took any nine-week period in the calendar, and spent the effort
and money that is spent on what we call the holiday period, you would have the
same affect. No one seems to give two hoots and a holler about Thanksgiving,
Christmas, or the winter solstice. No, it’s the sales that are far more
important.
Madison Avenue has not won yet. Advantage: MA. But there are
still beat up old zealots like myself fighting them off. I’m not the biggest
Halloween nut you’ve ever seen, but I do enjoy the fun of it. I am a
Thanksgiving nut and really get into the idea of having lots of family around
and spending many hours in the kitchen and at the table.
The winter solstice parties evolving in the Christmas
celebrations are big-time around our household, with lights blazing, Yule logs
burning, and of course, the Wassail cup must be full at all times. The gifting?
That’s fun, but not the driving force. It’s the music, seasonal or religious,
and the gay colors and lights, long nights with roaring fires, and family and
friends.
Mele Kalikimaka.
Until next time, read good books and stay regular
Johnny Gunn
Will you join me on facebook from time to time?
Or Tweet with me, darlin’?
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