This picture has nothing to do with this topic. I just figured I'd open with it so you'd remember I do have creative outlets that aren't as terrible as my writing. Well... my writing's not terrible per-se. It's just not terribly interesting.
I wrote this a few months ago, but for some reason I really feel like updating this thing. Maybe in the next day or two we'll see some kind of out pouring of emotion. Yes, that's exactly what I need. Exposing personal problems to all of the internets. For now, 2+ month old ranting about Christmas.
Every time December rolls around, I will hear someone complain. Maybe it's someone complaining that the greeters at Walmart are saying "Happy Holidays." Maybe it's someone complaining that someone just told him "Merry Christmas" even though he's not a Christian. Maybe it's someone complaining about how the holidays are nothing but a hallmark construction of consumerism.
I hate all of these people, and here's why:
1) An "Attack on Christmas" is kind of like Rhode Island invading Mexico
Christians, practicing and non, are in the vast majority of the United States. Churches stand in every town, city, and county. Your religion is ingrained in the culture and history of this nation. Even though it's attempted to be kept largely secular, Christian morals are still a huge influence on the policy of our country.
You have an unfathomable amount of impact and influence on our culture, so please stop complaining about trite little things like Target going for a neutered, generalized holiday aesthetic and the like.
A manger scene has nothing to do the ruling of laws or protecting an area from fires. It, therefor, really has no place in front of a courthouse or a firehouse or whatever. You know what is absolutely perfect to put a manger scene in front of? A fucking church. A building which, I guarantee, far outnumbers the number of government buildings in any given city or town.
Because, while I wholly accept that this nation is founded on some Judeo-Christian concepts, the government of a free, democratic society should not associate itself with an organization as powerful and platformed as a religion. Kindly accept that non-Christians are completely alright with your faith and want to stand beside you in cooperation. They just don't want to be under the banner of a God they don't follow.
2) Your boss owns that desk, not you.
It's the holidays. You work in a cubicle and you can't put up directly Christmas decorations because it's against company policy. You work in a service job and are told to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Part of the thing about working for a company is that, when you're on the clock, you are first and foremost a representative of the company. Yourself, your family, your religion, your school, and whatever come after that as long as you're actively working to acquire a wage. Yes, you are definitely allowed moral boundaries that you don't have to cross, but decoration and your exact choice of salutation are pretty petty things to make a moral stand over.
Sometimes bosses don't want you to put up decorations because they're distracting or whatever, but why doesn't really matter. That isn't your space. That isn't your property. It's the company's, and you are allowed it because you are doing a job for them. Spending time trying to change policy so that you can put a tiny Christmas tree on your work space is time better spent trying to get a raise or a promotion or, I don't know, working. In the end, little things like that aren't going to make you more productive and, other than giving you a little bit more of a visual gimmick, don't make you any more of an indvidual than the millions of other office workers out there. Want to express yourself in a "faceless corporation?" Then stop caring about putting a menorah next to your stapler and start being an active personality in your workplace.
As for the "Happy Holidays" thing... "Merry Christmas" will please about +60% of the costumers you're trying to make money off of happy. The remaining percent will either be pleased by the effort, slightly put off, or just not care. "Happy Holidays" makes just about everyone happy. Shut the fuck up about it.
3) All beliefs are founded slightly on arrogance.
I completely understand that you're just saying "Merry Christmas" for good will, and I appreciate it. But, just give this a thought: when you say this to someone who does not worship according to Christian teachings, you're telling them to enjoy that this marks the day that the savior who you believe absolves everyone of their sins was born. A savior they do not accept and, therefor, aren't exactly in good graces with. It's not enough of a dick move to really overturn the thought of kindess behind the salutation in general, but it's something you need to be aware of if your apart of a religion that has damnation in it's teachings.
Non-Christians can be dicks.
Christmas is not a season of "hey, fuck you, you're going to hell." Christmas is a season of love, care, gift giving, and appreciation of those around you. Well, I mean, technically that's Saturnalia, but we'll get to that later.
Getting offended at the presence of Christmas is like getting offended at an opposing political party for passing a law that helps society simply because you don't believe in their platform. It's petty. It's unneeded frustration. It's honestly useless.
Atheists: Half of the atheists who do this are just being dicks about other people not believing what they believe. The other half have an honest lack of faith in humanity and think that people are predisposed to be selfish. I really don't like either. Get over it and be happy that someone is going out of your way to say what basically amounts to saying "have a nice day."
Jews: Yes, Hanukkah is incredibly marginalized, but it's also not a grandly important holiday. Be incredibly thankful that you're apart of a religion that maintains its solemn, respectful introspection and hasn't been turned into a huge month long carnival that's lost most of its religious meaning.
Other Minority Religions: Really, you have no impact on American culture. Yes, it sucks that pretty much no one in the United States knows a single Hindi holiday, but with such a small portion of religious population pie it's to be expected. Americans don't immigrate to China and then complain that they celebrate the New Year in February or that no one knows that Easter actually has nothing to do with rabbits.
Consumerism isn't always a bad thing/I can't afford to give gifts all year.
Materialism isn't always terrible. For example, buying only organic foods is a form of materialism. You focus on only produce that is natural and untampered with and therefor focus on a material in line with your beliefs about life. Its not about buying the food or the status of it, it's about trying to be healthier. Same thing with the consumerism involved with holidays: it's not about me buying or getting things, it's about showing people I appreciate them with a tangible object they can use and enjoy. It's about buying a shit load of food so I have 3 hours to sit at a table with my family instead of 1.
Now, yeah, this kind of intention should continue regardless of time of the year, and I really try to do that. However, buying food and shit out of good will for other people is expensive and stressful. You just can't do it every day of the year. So, on one of the days you do decide to spread good will, why not have everyone do it with you. One day where we all agree that this is where we're going to drop our extra cash, a day we have written down so we can stock up, a day that most everyone gets off so that they can spread the love so that everything goes smoothly and we're all reminded that not everyone is an ass.
Hell, the whole gift giving thing originally comes from the Roman holiday of Saturnallia. It was a 12 day celebration of the god Saturn (Zeus). Being that Saturn is the god of justice, good will, and fairness, it was a time to appreciate and pay back those around you. And not just family and friends, the main focus was on masters rewarding their slaves, servants, and employees for their unending hard work.
And there we are. Maybe sometime I'll get something a bit more personal written down.
