Deck the Malls (With Debt and Folly)
By Sally Bishai (12/25/06)
In a recent article (“Mall Dashing," 21 December 2006) in Egypt's Al Ahram, Gamal Nkrumah talks of Egypt's "coincidence of two Christmases, New Year's Eve and Eid Al Adha, all occurring within the space of barely three weeks." He goes on to talk of these holidays as being "all about feasting and dressing up. The festive season is a time to wallow in a warm pool of self-indulgence...the time of the year when a family man digs deep into his pockets to buy all sorts of surprises for his children." (Very western of you, Gamal..)
Generosity and self-indulgence are all fine and well, but linking such with religious holidays (or, at least, holidays that are celebrated by certain faiths) just seems wrong to me, you know?
Focusing on the Christian holiday of Christmas (since I’m not a Muslim and would be out of line to analyze their holiday structure, especially since I live in a country that, for the most part, doesn’t celebrate Islamic holidays nationally), I must say that it’s articles like Nkrumah’s that remind me that Christmas giving is wrong on so many levels.
(Check it out for yourself at http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/825/li1.htm .)
First, why celebrate the birth of Christ when you don’t worship Him?
This goes out to all the people who call themselves “Christians” and actually surprise their friends when they mention this factoid (meaning because they’re so vocal about being unreligious, or perhaps because of a partying lifestyle, etc.).
Please don’t mistake this as a judgment as to whom I think is a Christian, who should be allowed to call themselves that or whatever, because oftentimes it’s these same people who have the issue with religiosity or “organized religion,” not the other way around.
Also, there are other religions out there! It always makes me say “Hmm…!” when I hear about Muslims or Wiccans or atheists who get mad because they had to work Christmas day. Their anger would ring truer if December 25th was the joyous birthday celebration of their religion’s Number One Man. (For the record, several scholars have posited that Christ’s birthday was actually around modern-day April or May.)
Moving along to Christmas Violation #2, which ties in to the whole “forgetting the real meaning of Christmas” thing again, why give presents to other people and neglect Him? (Jesus, I mean. You know, the guy who’s the true reason for the season?)
It’s His birthday after all, and how would you like it if some brat came to your B’day Shindig with nary a gift for you (and lots of things for everyone else)? I don’t know about you, but I would be majorly Not Amused in such a situation. Not that God’s as petty as I am, but there you are.
Next, why give presents to those who mean most to you, when you probably give them things (or at least love, friendship and support) throughout the year?
Why not give something to someone who doesn’t have anything?
It makes me sick when I see some mega-rich (or at least not financially hurting) person laying out 20 bucks for overnight shipping on some ridiculous bauble that’s overpriced from the beginning, claiming “Ahh, well, it’s Christmas! It only happens once a year!” and ignoring charities or their less-than-bosom buddies that are less-than-fortunate and more-in-need-of the $20 that just went to FedEx. (Sorry about all the hyphens! I’m normally part of the local Hyphenators Anonymous but I fell off the wagon today…)
But back to “Christmas happening once a year..” Hmm. I didn’t realize birthdays and Valentines Day and those sort of commercialized Hell-i-days—I mean “Holidays” weren’t enough. Can we say greed?
I know, I know, last year’s rant was about Christmas trees, but now I’m really annoyed by this gift-giving thing. Like, the very thought of candy-cane wrapping paper is really offensive to me! (Not that I’m proposing Jesus wrapping paper.)
You may be wondering if I get Christmas presents, and if this article is to make up for the fact that I don’t. But I am annually bombarded!
You may be wondering if I “feel” this way to get out of buying presents for those closest to me. But I buy stuff for them all the time!
In fact, I give out so many presents (out of my feelings of gratitude, or happiness, love, whatever) during the year that people sometimes protest accepting them, or else ask me if my name is secretly Corleone and I’m going to make them an offer they can’t refuse in the near future.
But I’ve never really been one to hide my feelings (kind of) and besides, I happen to have impeccable manners and realize exactly when gifts should be given and how to pen the perfect thank-you note. (One of the perks of being a non-famous yet infamous-in-some-circles-anyway writer.)
This doesn’t mean that I’m some swami of gift-giving, or extra-generous or nice or anything, because, as those nearest and dearest to me will attest, I’m something of a holy terror.
(Contrary to popular thought and the oft-discussed/dissed “quest for holiness” that Christians are supposed to embark upon, Christians are generally the worst sinners of all, so many thanks to God that Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven! Ok, ending the bumper-sticker sermon now, I just got caught up in the moment again, sorry..)
You may be wondering what my final solution is, then, after all this bellyaching about how Christmas is being mistreated.
Well, what if people just saved their presents for another six days? They could trade gifts on New Year’s Eve or Day and be done with it.
The beauty of that is that no one could say “Well, I don’t celebrate New Year’s” because it’s not religious, it’s a fact of life.
On the other hand, the January-December calendar isn’t the only one in use. Copts, for example, have different month names and a whole different set-up going.
(Oh no, now my lovely idea’s on shaky ground, as I rack my brain for another “catch-all/non-religious” holiday that we can all celebrate together. I hope you realize that my harebrained schemes all stem from the silliness that is “the legal system,” and the whole “suing people because of religiously- or ethnically- or gender-based lawsuits” thing. And lest you think I’m all talk, I really don’t allow gift-exchanges or “Christmas trees” in my house, and eschew, nay, shun, the greeting “Happy Holidays.”)
I hope nobody who isn’t a Christian will take today’s goings-on as an overture that I wish to exclude them, for there is nothing I would rather do than welcome someone—anyone—to faith in the person I call Lord, or at least a celebration of His entrance to humanity on earth.
In fact, I tell you now that the most important gift He wants from you this Christmas—and yes, I’m talking about Him as though He’s alive and well and expecting treats (because He is)—is your HEART. Your love. Your acceptance of Him as a divine bridge between Him and his Dad, whom you may have heard about (that would be God, creator of all heaven and earth).
A very merry CHRISTMAS to everyone out there, and God’s blessings to you on this day!
(Printer friendly version) Email: Sally Bishai
