Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!
The True Meaning of Christmas...
Since I did not get any angry comments from subscribers for describing American Halloween as stinky slime on a shag carpet, I am going to move on to American Christmas: the hap- happiest season of all.
Christmas. Its true meaning is summed up so well in A Charlie Brown Christmas, the 1965 TV special we Boomers loved to watch each holiday season. Kids today still watch this beloved animated special by Peanuts cartoon creator Charles M. Schulz. In the show, a depressed Charlie Brown laments the rampant commercialism of which Christmas has become synonymous. To try to cheer himself up, Charlie shuffles out and buys a sad little “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree. Charlie’s purchase, as you may recall, is mocked by the gang. But dear little Linus puts everything in perspective by reciting the true meaning of Christmas. Note the true meaning of Christmas in bold, italicized letters below.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord hone round about them: and they were sore afraid.And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, good will toward men.
I have not recently thought about A Charlie Brown Christmas. My memory was forcibly jogged lately, however, while standing in line at a store to pay for something. This item was displayed in the impulse zone of irresistible purchases. IZIP for short.
I may be making this up (ok, I am), but if you push a button somewhere, this is recited:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Nearly 60 years of A Charlie Brown Christmas, with its message of inane over consumption and consumerism, viewed by generations of children, and behold for unto you is born this mother of all IZIPs.
Ironic? Absurd? Ridiculous? Depressing? According to a range of resources, holiday retail sales hovered somewhere around $800 billion to $1 trillion last year. Wordless about the $1 trillion, a single image will do fine:
Speaking about the way we shop. I would like to imprint a few thoughts. Personally, I can’t unlearn what I learn, or unsee things once I see them through a clean lens. I blame others for bringing the following to my attention, so shame on them for wrecking it for me. But in the spirit of giving…
And this…
This concludes the holiday fun-sponge series. Regular Anthropocene programming will resume after New Year’s. (An alcohol holiday, BTW, in case you missed the candy vs. alcohol holiday discussion from previous posts.)
If you like Life in the Anthropocene, the only way it will find its way into the world is through people like you sharing. Remember, your mother told you it’s good manners to share.