A Call to Action Against the Season

2011-12-15T15:33:00.000+02:00

Around this time of year, right-wing journalists and talking heads will usually begin their tired refrain lamenting the left's so-called War on Christmas. This manufactured controversy centers around public use of the terms "holiday"or "seasonal" to replace the culturally biased and monolithic "Christmas". You might hear your local Wal-Mart greeter saying "Season's Greetings!" or you may find your view of the McDonald's parking lot obscured by the same phrase scrawled across windows laden in sprayed on snow. Even in my own mostly Christian hometown of a mere 15,000 people, the light display on the main highway blazes the very general "Happy Holidays from the City of Covington". These well-meaning and politically correct messages have become common parlance in today's multicultural society. These bland salutations and all their accompanying symbols really ought not trouble us much, unless we stop to consider what they really mean.

So what is the message of Christmas in the twenty-first century? What do we have to fear from a fat man in a red suit? What holiday greetings do we have to offer our loved ones? And what makes the season so damn merry? Well, we do have a name for the beginning of the Christmas season: Black Friday. This is the first day in the fiscal year when retailers actually turn a profit, also known as going into the black. If corporations are going into the black, are American households going into the red? It is no small irony that Santa Claus is dressed in red himself, toting a large sack full of goods in the back of his sleigh. This stuffed bag of presents bears a striking resemblance to a shopping bag; the sleigh a shopping cart, intimating the spirit of the season is embodied in a spending spree at your local retailer. If you want your family to truly experience Christmas, you'd better get to shopping! Greet your loved ones with gifts. Have a happy holiday when you whip out the plastic and buy some corporate debt.

You've only to look at the season's commercials to understand its true meaning:

"It's better to receive than to give."

No one is immune from this supposed Christmas spirit. Toys and commercial goods for us all!

You're not in the spirit of the season if you're not buying. You are the fat man in the ridiculous hat, gorging yourself on empty material goods that promise nothing but debt, a glutton for the self-serving purchasing that will have you hungover with regret and remorse come January. Microeconomic studies have shown that shopping gives the buyer a sense of control in this depressed and uncertain economy. Shopping works as a stimulant, providing a temporary respite from the sad fact of penury and helplessness. But this respite is illusory. There is even a term for the day when the credit card bills come home: Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. In 2012, that day will be January 16. So all our holiday cheer will turn to cold, blue fear in a mere three weeks after St. Nick's visit.

Instead of spending your holidays heading to the mall and loading your sleigh with the latest electronics, games, and high def DVDs, show your love for those closest to you this year by spending your time off in their company. The fellowship of loved ones is a gift far greater than any fictional fat man could deliver.

Swineherd's Guild

A Call to Action Against the Season