The Reason For The Season

      Happy Solstice! I think it’s weird that so many people have holidays centered around this event, and yet seem to somehow think it’s a coincidence. People have been celebrating this event for thousands of years, and yet it still doesn’t really get the recognition it deserves. Honestly, I think it will someday. It is after all, the constant. Religions will come and go, philosophies will come and go, but unless something really drastic happens, there will always be the shortest day of the year. Or the longest night, however you want to look at it. I find it to be a much more natural, observable, thing to celebrate. I hate to be the one to say it, but I think the Santa story is on its way out. So many split-home people, people without fireplaces, and just the amount of people, are going to make the story hard to sustain. Are kids really going to continue to believe that elves made their Play Station? It may have been fine back in the day of handmade toys, but now? It has to be dwindling. Kids are allegedly getting smarter. And it may still work on the ones too young to ask questions, but in general, the story doesn't hold up. The Santa we all recognize was a marketing gimmick in the first place. Now people don’t even want to say “Merry Christmas” anymore. I’m not sure exactly who’s the biggest detractor from it. I’m not married to the saying. I know it’s a phrase we grew up with. I know a lot of people don’t like change. And, even though they may be heathens, they still on some level think it has to do with Jesus. It’s as if they feel that removing the phrase “Christmas” from our annual greeting, pulls one of their founding blocks out from under them, causing everything to be a lie. It’s a tad ridiculous. Humans are going to continue to celebrate this time of year regardless of what the celebration might be called.

     It seems even more likely now, that we would possibly return to our natural ways. Commercialism is putting a lot of us off. And, it’s causing the lessor of us to act like fools trying to win favor with gifts. Fighting for the new toy, screaming at the cashier about something which they have no control over, and worst of all, creating a stressful environment when we’re “supposed to be” enjoying time with family and friends. I really don’t think feeling obligated is worth celebrating. Who’s actually gaining anything during the season? The retailers. I went to the mall the other day, just to do a lap, maybe get some ideas. I couldn’t believe how many storefronts were empty. Plus, there was almost nobody there. It was weird. Kind of eerie. I did not miss the crowd, but I couldn’t believe how little there was to look at. I suppose the bulk of people are doing their shopping online? Unless, like I was kind of getting to, they’re not shopping at all. People keep complaining about prices, maybe enough of us are like “never mind.” It seems to be becoming a gift card holiday anyway. After a while I imagine it will just stop all together. We may want to still send notes to each other, a reason to reach out, a reminder that we’re thinking about them, but I think the craziness will wane. Plus, since we’re such a melting pot here, and as the phrase “Happy Holidays” keeps gaining more momentum, we may find that eventually all the different “Holidays” will kind of blend into one big one, and it will be right around the solstice. At that point I feel like we will be finally getting back to our natural way of being. I feel our natural way of being was taken by the spread of Christianity. We no longer even know what we used to do, because the Christians went around destroying all of the evidence that would lead us to remember that we were not barbarians, we were of the Earth.

     Well, I certainly didn’t think I’d be writing all of that! I’m not down on “Christmas.” I think this is the most wonderful time of the year. I just wish it wasn’t all wrapped up in consumerism. I wish people would be more calm, and thankful. Be more at peace, and more loving. I think the sentiment is on point. I just wish we acted more like all the little happy sayings go. When I went to get groceries this week, the cashier asked how I was. I said “Good, how about you?” Then she goes into this whole thing about hating Mondays, and having to deal with all of the people who come in on Monday, because they wanted to avoid the weekend shoppers. I couldn’t believe she was so comfortable sharing this with me, someone she doesn’t know, doing the exact thing she’s complaining about. To my face. That didn’t seem like the holiday spirit. People don’t seem to be merrily skipping along, glad to be part of the celebration. That’s a bummer. I try to keep a good attitude all year long. I said try! If all the lights and decorations don’t make a difference, why still do it? Obligation? We only do minimal decorations at our home. It’s just the 2 of us, so we don’t have to try to keep up an image. But I do notice that it makes a little bit of a difference. New things to look at for a little while. Easing of the mood. Festive reminders of what we’re to be thankful for. I’m also a big proponent of the reminder that things are changing. We do not live in stasis. Things change. We need to be aware of those changes happening. And celebrations are a great way to remind ourselves. But we have to remind ourselves! It’s so easy to get caught up in the hoopla that for far too many of us, we actually forget what is the real reason for the season.