Well it’s Christmas eve night and I am sitting watching the usual Die Hard rerun on TV, waiting for the ten year old to go asleep so we can make it look like Santa has indeed been, left presents, a stocking, eaten the mince pie and skulled the whiskey. He is so excited and it makes me wonder at the innocence of childhood when the belief in a fat man in a red suit who cruises around the world on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, breaking into houses and distributing presents to children is so unshakeable (well, unshakeable until some enlightened school chum decides to spill the beans on Santa’s true identity). This is probably the last year that we have that magic of Christmas that comes with children believing in Santa. Sitting in front of the tv, any magic which may have rubbed off onto me from my son soon vanishes when every single advert on tv is a reminder that people have not spent enough money in the retail sector already and that the Boxing day sales are just around the corner, ready for people to spend more money on shite they do not need. I am overwhelmed with how bombarded I am with the same big box retailers trying to get even more money out of people who have probably spent way too much money already.
I realise that this all sounds very cynical but I can’t help feeling that Christmas has well and truly been hijacked by the retail sector. When I was a child I remember Christmas being that magic time when the world came to a halt for a couple of days and people spent time with family (which could be a bit fraught at times). It was the main focus. Yes the exchanging of gifts was a major theme, but Christmas had a meaning, whether it was a religious one or one where family came first. Perhaps this is an over simplistic view but it certainly wasn’t the over the top, vulgar consumerism it has now become. New Zealand retail has had a bumper of a season this year in terms of money spent during the festive season. The frenzied shopping seems to be worse than previous years, and when I say frenzied I am not over exaggerating. Last week I sat in the car waiting for my daughter to come out of some shop and I watched as people rushed out with their cheap plastic crap which they would then go home and wrap and give to people who have no need for such crap (and probably no want if the truth be known). It was interesting to watch people rush from one shop to another, buying new plates for the one day that Great Aunt Bess would be gracing them with her presence, probably never to be used again because new ones would obviously have to be bought the next year just as they had been the previous year. I watched as road rage kicked in because someone dithered a bit too long in the car park and sent some man into a rage that made me want to suggest he shout himself to some anger management classes for Christmas.
Christmas, it is supposed to be a time of joy but it seems to be bring out the worst in many. And how many people actually celebrate it as a religious event or a celebration of the winter/summer solstice? I mean that is after all what this day is supposed to be about. Instead it has become about how much money can be squeezed out of people. It is about how much food can increase in price so that those who are already struggling to put food on the table, have even less buying power because someone (whether it is the grower or the big retailer) deems it ok to make even more money from already vulnerable people. Regardless of the economics, morally it is not right. Christmas has become for many a burden that they probably wish never existed, such is the pressure which we are bombarded with from September onwards.
Christmas is so far from what it is meant to be about that it should be renamed. Consumerism day perhaps? Yes, I am sounding like a humbug but this year has worn me out and my festive spirit is wavering. I feel guilty for humming away to a Christmas carol when I know of people who are missing loved ones this year, people who are sick, some who won’t see next Christmas, those who didn’t make this one. How can I feel happy when others are grieving, hurting, suffering? All I know is that tomorrow I will awake to my ten year old being beside himself when he sees what Santa has given him, that will make my heart lift. Tomorrow I get to spend the day with my family, and while presents are not the main focus, there will be a few. I will spend the day hoping that next year I get to spend Christmas with them, and the year after, and the year after that and so on. Regardless of the cynicism I feel towards Christmas I know that I will cherish the excitement of the ten year old and the company of the teenagers. I will eat way too much, and probably drink more than I should. I am lucky to have a husband who has volunteered to make dessert, and my Dad will come out for awhile.
So happy Christmas everyone, cherish those who you are spending it with, and those who you aren’t able to be with. Don’t stress if you have forgotten the mustard or the cream, just enjoy the day for what it is. And to those who are missing loved ones, I am thinking of you. Kia kaha. Take care, see you all in the new year (when the Easter eggs will be put on sale!).
The Honest Woman's Guide to Growing Up. 