Happy Holidays and Bah Humbug

NaBloPoMo Day 13

So, I understand that there is Christianist group boycotting the Gap and Old Navy and Banana Republic because they won’t say “Christmas” in their ads.  Excuse me while I try to stop laughing…

There are a couple of reasons why this is just insane.  And funny.  First of all, the number of people who would actually participate in such a boycott is so small that the stockholders of the Gap et al. are probably snickering in their eggnog.  The number of people participating in the boycott will probably be quite easily offset by the number of people purposefully shopping at the Gap et al. because they think the boycott is uber silly.

The second reason why this is insane is really more relevant.  I assume that these Christianist folks are trying to put the “Christ” back in “Christmas.”  What they don’t understand is that Capitalism has co-opted Christmas just as thoroughly as the early Christians co-opted various Pagan winter holidays.  Christmas no longer has a meaning beyond rampant over-spending.  Christmas is no longer a holiday… it’s a Time of Year.  The entire fourth quarter of every year is devoted to Christmas.  Americans are still pushing back a little and insisting that Thanksgiving is still a holiday… but it is quickly being overshadowed by the marketing swill of Christmas.

I have profound reasons for disliking this time of year that I may (or may not) share at some point.  The fact that Big Business has turned it into their major retail event of the year certainly doesn’t help anyone (except Big Business) love it.

My advice for the Christianists (not that they’ll listen to me since I’m not a Christian) is to just quietly celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus, just as you always did before it became the biggest reason of the year for overspending.  I’d actually like Christmas more if it was low-key and laid back.  I’d be able to appreciate it as your religious holiday.  Really guys… you don’t want to be part of the madness.

Bah humbug.