All I Want For Christmas Is Some JCVD!

That’s not actually all I want for Christmas, but it’s definitely at the top of the list. In all honesty I would also like a werewolf, a vampire, a pirate, a ninja, and a jedi. Preferably all in one person who maybe, on occasion, holds aloft his magic sword and says, “By the power of Greyskull!”

I thought it behooved me to meditate on Christmas for a moment. A recent conversation reminded me of the consumer aspect of Christmas and I agree that it is awful how much pressure is put on all of us to spend the appropriate amount of money, and buy the right gifts, and follow the traditions etc. But as I opened presents with my roommates tonight and watched them open the presents I bought for them I realized how much I totally don’t care about all of that.

I love me some Christmas.

This is odd; I’ll admit that. I’m not Christian, not capitalist, not even particularly sentimental so it defies reason that I should enjoy Christmas as much as I do. But, it occurred to me, in true Jimmy Stewart fashion, how little it matters whether you believe in any single aspect of Christmas--religion, presents, or sentimentality. It doesn’t matter because it’s a tradition that creates family; when you put a tree up together and decorate together and buy gifts for each other it creates a shared memory of enjoying each other’s company. That’s the kicker. That’s why it doesn’t matter if you care about the tree or the gifts or not. The tradition is the part that matters because it solidifies a family dynamic that offers a free zone to love each other without awkwardness or complication.

Sure, someone no doubt might say why do we need Christmas to show how much we care? And they would be right. But it isn’t that we need Christmas, it’s that we have Christmas. A festival, tradition, etc, isn’t necessary, but it does offer structure and the chance to share and express emotions that might not find a viable outlet otherwise. Christmas is a version of carnival right?

But in this changing world of both increased connectivity and isolation, there aren’t moments to create family that often anymore. Ritual can solidify emotion; that’s one of the reasons it is so powerful. The Christmas ritual then, when done correctly anyway, can solidify a social unit’s--a family’s--love for each other. And the beauty of the Christmas spirit, I might hazard, is that everyone agrees to be a part of the larger social unit of humanity if only for a month. That feels nice.

Now Christmas can also be an incredibly depressing time of year; I would never be so silly as to not admit to that. But again, while the “joyous holidays” might show how alone you are, it also provides the opportunity show how not alone you are. That’s important when it’s cold, dark, and bleak outside.

Anyway, that’s why I love me some Christmas. You buy the gifts and you put up the tree because it can feel nice to make those around you happy, and sometimes it’s the holiday that most makes me want to throw myself out of a moving vehicle, but for every moment of pure agony I usually have a moment of pure joy too.

It’s nice to have a day where nobody minds if you tell them you love them. :)