Circus the Grinch breaks it all down
This entry was originally posted on 22 December 2004 at 1:52 p.m.
Welcome back for more holiday cheer from Circus the Grinch! On today's episode, Circus breaks it all down and wraps up the series for the year. Last in a short series.
Sorry for the delay, folks! Work (yes, this grinch has a day job) has been a bit crazy lately. But i'm here and ready to go, and i promise you'll appreciate today's program.
Before i get started, i'd like to thank daysleeper and Niomi (you should read her blog sometime--link's in her comment) for their comments on my last rant--truly, there are more tacky ways of stringing up lights in this world than i'd ever even imagined! I'd also like to thank the amazing and ever-elusive B, my partner, for coming up with the idea of lawn tipping; without her, my last tirade couldn't have existed. And finally, i'd like to thank the amazing Xine for providing me with a key part of the diatribe you're about to witness.
On we go!
So, I've been doing a little thinking, and I've come to an important realization about the upcoming holiday. I think it's something that many of you have already come to realize, or at least something that many of you have already thought about. Maybe some of you have already put it into words. In any case, it's something that I think will resonate with many of you out there, especially those of you who consider yourselves grinches.
And it's this: all the frustration at the root of my grinchhood (and, i'm sure, the grinchhood of many others out there) comes from a certain confusion about this strange winter holiday most commonly called Christmas. And that confusion stems directly from the fact that Christmas is no longer a single holiday. It is in fact two holidays with names that are pronounced in exactly the same way.
One of those holidays is a religious holiday. It's called Christmas. The other holiday (and again, i wish to express my thanks to Xine for her insight here) is a secular holiday called Xma$. It's the confusion and conflict between these two holidays that sets so many of us on edge. So let us, once and for all, discuss the differences between these two holidays. And hopefully someone out there in the Government will pick up on the differences and actually do something about them.
Christmas is a wonderful, beautiful holiday. It celebrates the birth of a man who a rather daunting percentage of the world's population consider their savior (though they'd spell it with a capital "S" and argue that he was also divine). And he was truly an amazing man: his teachings are among the wisest in human history. And the handful of people i've met in my life who really seem to follow those teachings are really the most noble souls i've ever known. To them, Christmas is one of the holiest days of the year.
Xma$, on the other hand, is strictly a secular and commercial holiday. Its entire purpose is to stimulate the economy during the dark and depressing month or so before we all hole up for winter. It's a holiday that assures that people in the retail industry will have jobs come March. And this isn't a bad thing, in and of itself. The beauty of this holiday is that it belongs to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation (or non-affiliation, as i nod to my athiest friends). Xma$ is a secular holiday whose tradition may have sprung from its religious counterpart, but which has since grown into its own being. If you're not Christian, you can still celebrate Xma$ without any guilt. Because really, it's about giving gifts to friends and family to show how much you care about them. Because, as we all know, regardless of our religious roots, we are all Capitalists! And Capitalism means that you should spend money on the significant people in your lives! ALL HAIL CAPITALISM! WOOHOO!
Ahem. Sorry about that.
Anyhow, there are some distinct differences in how these two holidays are (and should be) celebrated, observed, and spoken about--viz. and to wit, and without any further ado:
1. Reference. The obvious difference is the spelling. "Christmas" refers to the religious holiday. "Xma$" refers to the economic/secular holiday. They are pronounced the same.
2. Decorations. The decorations appropriate for Christmas include nativity scenes and Advent wreaths. The decorations appropriate for Xma$ include evergreens and ornaments and tacky blow-up snowmen. Lights are fair game for both holidays.
3. Holiday status. Christmas is a religious holiday. People for whom Christmas lands on a work day should be allowed to take this day off the same way that people of the Jewish faith would take the day off for Yom Kippur, for example, or the way that people of the Islamic faith would take off for Eid al-Fitr. Christmas technically should not be a Federal or State holiday. Because Xma$ is a secular and economic holiday, it is eligible for Federal and State holiday status, much like the Fourth of July or, as they have in other English-speaking countries, bank holidays. Please note this on your calendars in the event that Christmas and Xma$ are ever separated temporally by new legislation.
4. Observance. People who celebrate Christmas should attend mass or services or whatever their particular brand of Christianity calls it. This should take place either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (or both, depending on your denomination). On Christmas Day, Christians should feel free to exchange simple and meaningful gifts, especially things like gold, frankincense, or myrrh. People who celebrate Xma$ should watch parades and football on TV, and should have spent at least half a month's pay on gifts for their friends and loved ones. On Xma$ Day, people should exchange gifts, especially things like gift cards (oooh yeah, stimulate that economy, baby!) and mega-expensive crazy robotic toys that will be played with once and thereafter dumped unceremoniously into a spare closet full of Xma$ gifts from previous years.
And there you have it! Once you remove this confusion, both holidays become immediately brighter! There's no dimming of the meaning of Christmas--it's as meaningful as it always was. It's just being overshadowed a bit by Xma$, which is simply meaningful in a different way.
And really, when it comes down to it, both holidays have the potential to promote goodwill and peace on earth and general merriment.
So enjoy. To all of you of the Christian faiths, i bid you a very merry Christmas. And to all of you, especially those of you who have spent your hard-earned cash on gifts that really are meaningful and not just random crap, i bid you a very merry Xma$.
And with that, i remove my grinch hat and stuff it in a box until next year. Whichever your holiday, have a good one, everyone!
Welcome back for more holiday cheer from Circus the Grinch! On today's episode, Circus breaks it all down and wraps up the series for the year. Last in a short series.
Sorry for the delay, folks! Work (yes, this grinch has a day job) has been a bit crazy lately. But i'm here and ready to go, and i promise you'll appreciate today's program.
Before i get started, i'd like to thank daysleeper and Niomi (you should read her blog sometime--link's in her comment) for their comments on my last rant--truly, there are more tacky ways of stringing up lights in this world than i'd ever even imagined! I'd also like to thank the amazing and ever-elusive B, my partner, for coming up with the idea of lawn tipping; without her, my last tirade couldn't have existed. And finally, i'd like to thank the amazing Xine for providing me with a key part of the diatribe you're about to witness.
On we go!
So, I've been doing a little thinking, and I've come to an important realization about the upcoming holiday. I think it's something that many of you have already come to realize, or at least something that many of you have already thought about. Maybe some of you have already put it into words. In any case, it's something that I think will resonate with many of you out there, especially those of you who consider yourselves grinches.
And it's this: all the frustration at the root of my grinchhood (and, i'm sure, the grinchhood of many others out there) comes from a certain confusion about this strange winter holiday most commonly called Christmas. And that confusion stems directly from the fact that Christmas is no longer a single holiday. It is in fact two holidays with names that are pronounced in exactly the same way.
One of those holidays is a religious holiday. It's called Christmas. The other holiday (and again, i wish to express my thanks to Xine for her insight here) is a secular holiday called Xma$. It's the confusion and conflict between these two holidays that sets so many of us on edge. So let us, once and for all, discuss the differences between these two holidays. And hopefully someone out there in the Government will pick up on the differences and actually do something about them.
Christmas is a wonderful, beautiful holiday. It celebrates the birth of a man who a rather daunting percentage of the world's population consider their savior (though they'd spell it with a capital "S" and argue that he was also divine). And he was truly an amazing man: his teachings are among the wisest in human history. And the handful of people i've met in my life who really seem to follow those teachings are really the most noble souls i've ever known. To them, Christmas is one of the holiest days of the year.
Xma$, on the other hand, is strictly a secular and commercial holiday. Its entire purpose is to stimulate the economy during the dark and depressing month or so before we all hole up for winter. It's a holiday that assures that people in the retail industry will have jobs come March. And this isn't a bad thing, in and of itself. The beauty of this holiday is that it belongs to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation (or non-affiliation, as i nod to my athiest friends). Xma$ is a secular holiday whose tradition may have sprung from its religious counterpart, but which has since grown into its own being. If you're not Christian, you can still celebrate Xma$ without any guilt. Because really, it's about giving gifts to friends and family to show how much you care about them. Because, as we all know, regardless of our religious roots, we are all Capitalists! And Capitalism means that you should spend money on the significant people in your lives! ALL HAIL CAPITALISM! WOOHOO!
Ahem. Sorry about that.
Anyhow, there are some distinct differences in how these two holidays are (and should be) celebrated, observed, and spoken about--viz. and to wit, and without any further ado:
1. Reference. The obvious difference is the spelling. "Christmas" refers to the religious holiday. "Xma$" refers to the economic/secular holiday. They are pronounced the same.
2. Decorations. The decorations appropriate for Christmas include nativity scenes and Advent wreaths. The decorations appropriate for Xma$ include evergreens and ornaments and tacky blow-up snowmen. Lights are fair game for both holidays.
3. Holiday status. Christmas is a religious holiday. People for whom Christmas lands on a work day should be allowed to take this day off the same way that people of the Jewish faith would take the day off for Yom Kippur, for example, or the way that people of the Islamic faith would take off for Eid al-Fitr. Christmas technically should not be a Federal or State holiday. Because Xma$ is a secular and economic holiday, it is eligible for Federal and State holiday status, much like the Fourth of July or, as they have in other English-speaking countries, bank holidays. Please note this on your calendars in the event that Christmas and Xma$ are ever separated temporally by new legislation.
4. Observance. People who celebrate Christmas should attend mass or services or whatever their particular brand of Christianity calls it. This should take place either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (or both, depending on your denomination). On Christmas Day, Christians should feel free to exchange simple and meaningful gifts, especially things like gold, frankincense, or myrrh. People who celebrate Xma$ should watch parades and football on TV, and should have spent at least half a month's pay on gifts for their friends and loved ones. On Xma$ Day, people should exchange gifts, especially things like gift cards (oooh yeah, stimulate that economy, baby!) and mega-expensive crazy robotic toys that will be played with once and thereafter dumped unceremoniously into a spare closet full of Xma$ gifts from previous years.
And there you have it! Once you remove this confusion, both holidays become immediately brighter! There's no dimming of the meaning of Christmas--it's as meaningful as it always was. It's just being overshadowed a bit by Xma$, which is simply meaningful in a different way.
And really, when it comes down to it, both holidays have the potential to promote goodwill and peace on earth and general merriment.
So enjoy. To all of you of the Christian faiths, i bid you a very merry Christmas. And to all of you, especially those of you who have spent your hard-earned cash on gifts that really are meaningful and not just random crap, i bid you a very merry Xma$.
And with that, i remove my grinch hat and stuff it in a box until next year. Whichever your holiday, have a good one, everyone!
posted by Circus at 10:53 AM
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