“I can’t wait until it’s over; I can’t stand this time of year.” That’s what my neighbour said to me the other day about the holidays. I’ve overheard other people around me say the same thing. She’s Jewish but doesn’t seem to get into Hanukkah/Chanukah either. She did for a couple years, but I think she burned out on that.
She asked me what greeting I give to people at this time of year. I told her: I avoid giving any greeting, but if I were required to it would be Happy Holidays, because that greeting includes all the holidays around this time of year and makes no judgments about people. She said “Well good for you.” She liked that because Happy Holidays includes Hanukkah/Chanukah and the other holidays.
Unlike saying “Merry Christmas” which is very holiday-specific and religious-based and makes baseless judgments about people and what they celebrate (or don’t) and assumes that “everyone” is into “Christmas” just because someone else is and celebrates that, even if they don’t. Well, I don’t. I did as a child and loved “Christmas” as a child and I went all out when it came to decorating our house in lights — my dad wasn’t too happy with the electricity bill when it came — but I outgrew “Christmas” itself as an adult, and I know when the 12 Days of Christmas begin and end, unlike most people who pretend to be a Christian. I’m still a coloured lights person. This year I’m using cobalt blue and yellow lights — the colours of the Ukrainian flag — in solidarity with Ukraine and Russia’s barbaric and illegal war on Ukraine.
I see people saying and writing, “Merry Christmas” or “Merry X-mas” and I sort of shake my head at that because other than this time of year, who ever uses the word “merry” in their daily life? Nobody does. It is such an outdated word. Nobody says “merry” except when it comes to “Merry Christmas.” Ask someone how they are. Nobody says, “I feel pretty merry today. How about you?” So since “merry” is attached to Christmas, it seems to be me that the whole thing is really pretty dated/outdated at this point.
And the word Christmas literally means Christ’s Mass. So despite the heavy commercialism attached to this silly holiday and all that it’s become, that’s what the word means? Christ’s Mass. How many people know that? So why are people who are not even religious, or atheists and agnostics saying, “Merry Christ’s Mass?” Probably because they’re ignorant of the meaning of the word “Christmas” like most other people.
I’ve seen “Merry Christmas” on sex sites. WTF? Why the mention of a Christian holiday on a sex site, considering how many prudish Christians feel about sex?
Some of the live cam sex shows have exploited, “Merry Christmas” with trees stuck all over the place on their “set” and with silly Santa Claus hats and the like. It all looks so childish. I didn’t know that many people were so sheeple on there.
My neighbour asked me how I feel about the holidays. I said: The same as you. I can’t stand it either. I’m glad when it’s over. It’s the same thing every year with the same music, the same carols, the same hymns, the same Willcocks’ descants (which have been used every year for over 40 years), the same this, the same that. The same, same, same silly traditions. Some people even decorate their house the same every year with clear lights. They look so cold and corporate. No imagination at all. The holidays seem to come around faster each year which is why some people ask, “Didn’t we just do that?” Yeah, seems like it, just like with Thanksgiving, but that won’t make this silly tradition go away. “Christmas” is really a holiday for children, but it’s turned into a holiday for children in adult bodies as well.
The family who used to live across the street from me were into it for a bit with their two kids. At first, their dad decorated the house elaborately for about 2 years. For a few years, he dragged in these big trees for the kids. That didn’t last long. But after a bit, I sensed they all burned out on it. Before they moved out of San Francisco, for the last few years all they did was to put a wreath on the door, no trees and I heard nothing from them about “Merry Christmas,” and they were Catholics. Well, their kids went to Catholic schools but the parents were really Catholic in name-only. They never went to Mass that I’m aware of. But it was as if just like their parents, the kids burned out on all this stuff as well in their teens. I found that interesting.
The holidays are easy to burn out on because, again, it’s the same thing every year and often being required to get together with relatives whom you can’t stand to begin with, and avoiding politics and any other subjects that one knows will lead to problems/dysfunctions.