Observations on Christmas

I confess that over the years I have been known to listen to Christmas music as early as July (often as a psychological means to beat the heat...wishful thinking, aye?). And it does seem that on a retail level, stores keep pushing the holidays sooner and sooner. The moment one is over, another holiday's memorabilia hits the aisles. It used to be that fairly reliably, the Christmas shopping season began at Thanksgiving. Over the past decade it has crept earlier and earlier until at last this year Christmas decorations appeared the day after Halloween! Since Thanksgiving is not really a holiday from which retailers profit (other than Black Friday), they have completely skipped over it and already begun pushing Buy Buy Buy! The message we are continually bombarded with is that Christmas is all about gifts. We have a local radio station that routinely begins playing Christmas music (entirely, nothing else) right after Thanksgiving. It's something I have always enjoyed in years past, so when they started up a few weeks before turkey day, I happily tuned in. They've been playing an assortment of favorites, but one song that often gets played that just absolutely grates on me is Santa Baby. The lyrics are as follows:

Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me
Been an awful good girl
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby, an out of space convertible too, light blue
I'll wait up for you dear
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Think of all the fun I've missed
Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be o' so good
If you'd check off my Christmas list
-Bee Doo Bee Doo

Santa honey, I wanna yacht and really that's
Not a lot
Been an angel all year
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa cutie, theres one thing I really do need, the deed
To a platinum mine
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby, fill my stocking with a duplex, and checks
Sign your 'X' on the line
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's
I really do believe in you
Let's see if you believe in me
Boo doo bee doo

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring
I don't mean on the phone
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight...


Apart from what appears to be a disturbing sexual fixation on Santa Claus, it is an endless list of obscenely expensive things, as if that is the point. This is perhaps the epitome of the crass commercialism that has come to dominate America these days. They skip entirely over Thanksgiving, a time of year at which we ought to count our blessings and give thanks for the goodness in our lives and the family and friends who surround us, then move on to the absolute least important aspect of the Christmas season. Sure presents are fun...but for me the joy is in the giving, not the receiving. I LOVE picking out (or making) thoughtful gifts, to say something about how special the recipient is to me. After that song came on the radio yesterday I was immediately inclined to find somewhere to volunteer. As it was after 5 PM, I didn't actually get the opportunity to call the church to find out what they're doing as a Christmas charities this year, but I'll do that tomorrow afternoon (working this afternoon and tomorrow morning and have class to deal with). I would rather focus on the real reason for the season. My husband and I have set our budget for our entire Christmas list at a mere $150 (which is a considerable improvement over the hundreds we've spent in years past). Other than a few isolated purchases, we are creating our gifts in the comfort of our own kitchen. Consumable gifts that everyone can enjoy and no one has to store! Except perhaps on their hips...