The two Christmases

All I wanted was to find an interesting Pick of the week that didn't have to do with Christmas. No chance of that by now. Christmas has blown in like a dust storm, invading every corner: radio, TV, news services, entertainment, schools, offices, community centres, and of course stores. It never fails to amaze me, this single-minded, all-encompassing, months-long focus on one event. Don't get me wrong: I don't hate Christmas. But the phenomenon always puzzles me. Indulge me for a minute while I try to figure it out.

Of course, there are two Christmases. It gets confusing, because they have the same name and happen at the same time. There's the Christian celebration, in honour of the birth of Christ. The main figure is Jesus. Customs include attending church services, singing Christmas carols, exchanging gifts and cards, a special meal, and family gatherings. Then there's the secular celebration, in honour of shopping. The main figure is Santa. Gift exchanges are the primary focus, but there is also heavy emphasis on eating, drinking, and partying. It has its own repertoire of secular Christmas music. It draws us in with multiple hooks: nostalgia for a simpler time, playing happy families, sanctioned self-indulgence, greed, cheap sentimentality, conspicuous consumption, a chance to appear generous and successful, endlessly repeated advertising messages, social pressure to conform, childhood memories, and the reflected glow of association with a key religious holiday. It's a marketer's paradise, they pull out all the stops, and we all fall in line. We can even feel patriotic about it, doing our bit to keep the economy humming.

What does this have to do with life as a senior in Toronto? Well, nothing much. But it explains why I couldn't find a Pick of the week that didn't have to do with Christmas. I do like my neighbour's Christmas lights across the street. Thanks for letting me vent.