The Trouble With Christmas, by Tom Flynn

[cleanhippie]

The social, political and cultural pressures involved with Christmas are enormous - and they operate even on those who are already inclined to celebrate it. The result is that Christmas becomes invested with so many expectations and hopes that it simply cannot live up to them, leading in the end to disappointment and depression.

Instead of a backlash against the holiday industry and the holiday itself, however, we get a backlash against critics and skeptics. They are saddled with labels like Scrooge and Grinch and treated like they have some sort of psychological disorder - why else would they dare to criticize such a revered American tradition? This is what makes a book like Flynn's so important; he lays out his case about Christmas clearly and thoughtfully, forcing others to engage the issues on the field of ideas rather than polemic.

The first part of Flynn's book relates the history of Christmas and Christmas traditions. Other books do the same, but the information is not redundant here. One aspect of Flynn's argument that Christmas should not be so dominant in American culture is the fact that so much of isn't really very old or "traditional" to begin with. This doesn't mean that the celebration of Christmas is recent, however.

Many people are simply unaware of the fact that, in the English speaking world, Christmas was very nearly killed off by Protestant "fundamentalists" - Puritans who objected to Christmas so much that, wherever they held power, they passed laws banning it. Even after they lost power, they had succeeded in getting people out of the habit of celebrating, effectively breaking the tradition of Christmas. The result is that the Christmas we know today is a recreation - even the oldest elements have been reworked and rethought in order to serve modern purposes.

http://atheism.about.com/od/bookreviews/fr/TroubleXmas.htm

-------------------------------------

I had the privilege of listening to Tom give a lecture on this just a couple of weeks ago. Versions of it are widely available on youtube and I highly recommend having a look or reading his book.

[Still Blue in PDX]

1. I didn't read the article, so maybe I shouldn't comment, BUT . . .

Christmas is just the Pagan celebration of Yule renamed, and it isn't even one of the bigger Pagan holidays. If I'm not mistaken, Samhain and Beltane are the big ones.

Early Christians and today's retailers have just messed it all up.

:eyes:

[silverweb]

3. Actually, Yule is a very significant celebration.

Yule is the "return of the sun" after the longest night and shortest day of the year. The first promise of a new Spring (new life) occurs at Yule with the lengthening of the days. Pagan rites are all closely connected to "the turning of the wheel" of the seasons.

That whispered promise has to be enough to keep us through the coldest months yet to come, until the earth has thawed and the Vernal Equinox ushers Spring in fully, so the Yule celebration has great importance.

Samhain and Beltane are also major observances, but Yule ranks right up there with them when the Sun "returns."



On edit: I agree with you that commercialism has messed it all up, but we can choose to mostly ignore that and keep it simple.

[Still Blue in PDX]

4. ::smacking forehead:: Of course you're right!

I was thinking of Chanuka being one of the minor Jewish holidays. Major brain fart on my part.

[silverweb]

5. lol

Dontcha just love those brain farts? :D

[stellanoir]

2. As someone who will forever much prefer the Solstice,

I really just wish parents would stop perpetuating the Santa stuff as anything more than the Spirit of Christmas that inspires generosity.

Just remember or imagine what it's like to be introduced to the most magical time of the year as when a fat jovial guy slides down the chimney (even if they don't have one) of every girl and boy in the world (if they're good) with a boatload of toys in one night.

Kid's just aren't that dumb and even if they are naive, sooner or later (usually by kindergarten) some other kid will whisper in their ear that it's a complete and total fabrication.

An inspiring myth is far more easy for them to accept than suddenly learning that their primary care givers have been BS-ing them for as long as they can remember.

Kids generally are familiar with fairy tales.

Seriously though, I think about the disingenuousness in our culture and though I never think specificity of causality is very enlightened, it might help if we didn't bribe our kids with goodies to feign belief in something that is completely implausible, and reward them for being cute about it. Kids generally know when they are being lied to.

A healthier approach is evidenced by this. . .

A young kid once said to a Jungian when he asked him what a myth was, he simply responded that "It's a story that's true on the inside but not on the outside."

Our kids are smarter than us and they'd better be for the world we've created for them. Just don't think it's terribly wise to lie to them about the magic of generosity, 'cause it apparently results in nothing more than a not so great lack of cultural ethics.

Happy True Holidays

[rrneck]

6. true on the a story that's true on the nside but not on the inside but not on the outside."

Well, there y'go. It doesn't get any better than that.

[Odin2005]

7. ""It's a story that's true on the inside but not on the outside." Smart kid!

:D