Winter Solstice Week...
...and a Boy's Thoughts turn to Baby Jesus
What Christmas Means To Me
Despite the secularist hose-clamp placed on good old Xmas for the last decade or so in the service of interpersonal realpolitik, there's little escape from the evidence that Christmas means Christ for a majority of Americans. Most seem to have accepted the desiccation of this soft, chewy candy center at their cultural core peaceably enough. Last time I brought anything up about 'Holiday' vs. 'Christmas' nomenclature I found myself arguing the side of 'Christmas' against a CEO who claimed to regularly attend bible study. She insisted that the company party invitations describe a Holiday Celebration rather than my (neanderthal) Christmas Party.
I've got to say, at that point I wasn't arguing with much feeling. Being a non-Christian about ten months shy of being run out of town on a rail by that particular CEO (we both knew it was coming) I was defending a position about which I had little feeling against an opponent whose only reason I had left to engage was sporting in nature.
Moments like this will prevent me from ever boarding the 'death of irony' train. Are they still selling seats on that one? And how's business?
Where we going with this? First, I'll spare you - and me - the whole commercialization of the sacred thing. Not only has it been done to death and done well, but at this point many of us (now that we've commercialized everything from hospitals to highways and the military to motherhood) might be suspicious of anything that can't be quantified on the crawl below the CNBC guy.
Christmas....... sales (... I .... read .....) .....may .........set........ record ......in .......2010........
What would Baby Jesus do? Raise interest rates 25 BPS?
All I really know about Christmas is what I read in the New Testament. Disclosure: I've only read those translations prepared by scheming Renaissance power brokers with an axe to grind. Just like most of you. Those versions don't mention much about on-line vs. traditional retail sales mix or year over year aggregate credit card debt, but I did note the appearance of three 'wise' men from another province, bringing gifts and making predictions of great things. If these guys aren't the spiritual progenitors of a Goldman sales team calling on the newly formed water supply district in the newly liberated (politically and economically) province of Macedonia... then the kid ain't the Son of God.
Having said all that... I'll leave the rest to you.