Today the managers of the building that I work in took down all the Christmas decorations that they had in the lobby, and last Sunday my girlfriend found that the radio station that had been playing all Christmas music all the time since around Labor Day had already gone back to their regular sappy music format. Christmas was only a few days ago and already the world of commerce has moved on, and I haven't even worn all the new clothes I received as Christmas gifts.
It used to be that Christmas was celebrated for 12 days, from December 25 to Epiphany on January 6. That's where the song The Twelve Days of Christmas came from. The song wasn't about some person celebrating the fact that his/her true love could afford 12 presents over 12 days, though since those gifts would cost about $96,800 this year (according to PNC Bank) that true love would have to be pretty wealthy. The song, written in 1780, actually describes the tradition of celebrating Christmas over 12 days instead of just 1, including the giving of gifts over multiple days. In England back in the day servants traditionally got the day after Christmas off and were given presents and bonuses in boxes from their master (hence the term "Boxing Day"). Other European traditions including giving gifts on Epiphany to commemorate when the 3 kings/wise men/magi (take your pick) gave gifts to the baby Jesus (see, it wasn't that fat saint in the red suit that started this gift giving business). And then there is the Twelfth Night celebrations on January 5 that include much feasting, merrymaking, and entertainment. Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night specifically to be performed on January 5, hence the name. In many of these cultures the Christmas decorations stay up until the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, though the culture the owners of the building I work in have is apparently not one of them.
In an age when the first Christmas advertisements begin airing around Halloween why are we so quick to move on from Christmas after December 25? What does this say about our culture? It seems that some of our friends in the commercial world are as anxious to end the Christmas season as they are to start it. You would think that they would want to encourage and promote the 12 Days of Christmas since it would mean more gift giving and thus more gift buying. And it is not as if New Year's Day is a big retail holiday that they would not want to overshadow, unless you happen to be the folks who sell tickets to the Rose Bowl.
So what's the deal? Is this part of that vast anti-Christian, anti-Christmas campaign that the right wing wackos always complain about? Or are we such a driven society that we cannot stand the thought of celebrating something for 12 days when there is so much work to do? Did we not just see A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, and all those other Christmas movies that tell us that driven people like Ebenezer Scrooge and Mr. Potter are all doomed to a hellish life unless like Scrooge and the Grinch they see the error of their ways and embrace the celebrations? Maybe these movies should be shown now instead of 2 weeks ago.
Speaking of movies, I would be remiss to not mention 2 Christmas heroes, Martin Riggs and John McClane.
Talk about guys who were driven, these two were the personification of the very word, but even still both of them made sure that they completed their respective tasks before Christmas so they could celebrate the holiday with family and friends. After what they went through I would guess they used up all 12 days.
My mother was right, Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie. And all this time I thought she was just being ironic.
1 comment:
Tell you what, every time I hear that hooker hit the windshield of the car, I know it's time for the holidays to start. God Bless you, Richard Donner.
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