There are a lot of people right now who are just not feeling that elusive "Christmas Spirit." You know the one: that idea that everyone has to be happy and joyful for the entire month of December (or longer, if you take your cues from the retail industry). Christmas is supposed to be a time of generosity and love, a time to enjoy friends and family, buy presents that will make the people you care about happy, and a time to eat lots of cookies but somehow not gain any weight.
But 20 young children died last week. People are losing their jobs, and families are losing their homes. A lot of people have strained relationships with their families or have recently lost loved ones, and Christmas Day brings out all the dysfunction you've been trying so hard to ignore.
For a lot of people it's not a very happy time, this Christmas season.
Fortunately, it's not really Christmas.
It's Advent.
You might remember Advent from Sunday School or CCD. If you're a church-goer, you might recognize Advent as the excuse your pastor gives for not singing all the Christmas carols you love at church, at least not until the radio stations have stopped playing them.
But just as so many fervent Christians shout out that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season," there is a reason for the season of Advent as well. And the reason is that a celebration of the Savior's birth makes no sense in a world that doesn't recognize its need for salvation.
Isaiah writes in chapter 9:
2 *The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
4 For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (NRSV)
The light is so important because the people have been living in darkness. They were burdened with yokes across their shoulders, weighing them down. They were under the rod of their oppressors. They lived a reality of tramping warriors and bloody battles bringing terror into their lives. There was pain, and suffering, and misery.
The Christian story does not deny the harsh realities of life. The Christian story is so powerful because Christ comes to us in the midst of those harsh realities.
Advent is not merely a preparation for Christmas; it is the active expectation of redemption and liberation. And in a world where children are murdered, people are homeless and hungry, and families are fractured, we need to know that we are redeemed and liberated. Advent is a time when we look forward in hope and anticipation for better days, even as we acknowledge that although we currently sit in darkness, we have seen a great light.
Don't worry if you're not feeling the Christmas Spirit this year. Advent will meet you exactly where you are, wherever you are.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Chicken, the Egg, and the Retail Dilemma
Not only is it old news, but it's practically ancient history by now that several retailers began their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving evening. I responded by ignoring the Thanksgiving Day sales with as much enthusiasm as I ignore the Black Friday sales. Having been forced to participate in a run on Cabbage Patch Kids at Toys R Us with my mother when I was about eight years old, I have a pretty negative reaction to the mob mentality that comes with the cattle-call pursuit of STUFF that is the backbone of doorbuster sales. Even though the Cabbage Patch Kid was for me, I knew back then that it just wasn't worth it. Sure, I was glad I got Francis Xavier (who later had a bow tied in his hair and was re-Christened Crystal Something-Or-Other). But if I'd known that I'd have to stand in line with a couple hundred adults and a (very) few children, then go stampeding with them to the very back of the store, and then witness grown-ups ripping dolls out of each others hands and pushing each other down, I think I would have chosen to do without Francis Xavier/Crystal Something-Or-Other.
Of course, after months of pre-election coverage and weeks of election post mortem, the talk shows on NPR that narrate my errands during the week were trying to fill the election vacuum with discussions about the new trend in Black Friday sales: starting them on Thursday, regardless of the fact that it's still Thanksgiving. And what struck me was the claim the retailers kept repeating over and over again: We're only trying to give the customers what they want. If they want to shop on Thanksgiving, then we want to provide them with that opportunity.
With a few notable exceptions, nobody wants to shop on Thanksgiving. What people do want, what many people need in this crappy economy, are the deals. And if retailers are only offering the good deals on Thanksgiving, then people are going to shop on Thanksgiving. Of course, if the retailers wait until their normal week-day opening time on Friday morning to offer the great deals, the customers would happily do their shopping at that time. But the retailers don't want to wait until 9 or 10 AM Friday morning, because they mistakenly believe that being open an additional 12 hours will beat out their competitors and improve their bottom line.
Why do I say they 'mistakenly' believe this? First because people will go for the deals, regardless of when the stores offer them. Second, because people only have a certain amount of money to spend and shopping to do, and forcing them to get it done earlier means they won't do it later. The New York Times recently reported that even though sales on Thanksgiving Day were up from last year (most likely because many stores were open more hours on Thursday compared to last year), Black Friday sales were down from 2011. Overall sales of the weekend (if you can really call the five-day period beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with Cyber Monday a weekend) were up a bit from last year, but the evidence suggests that would have happened anyway.
But the retailers will only look at the improved sales from Thanksgiving, and convince themselves that if people were lining up at the doors at 8 PM, then that means they really want to be shopping at 4 PM, and that's an extra four hours of sales, which means an extra four hours to earn a profit (not that that's why they're doing it--they only want to give the customers what they want, after all). And since there's zero chance of the economy improving significantly in the next twelve months and plenty of data suggesting it's going to get worse, the shoppers with dutifully show up for the great deals whenever they're offered. And that will improve next Thanksgiving's sales, which will tell the retailers that the customers really want the stores to open at noon, and, well, you see where this is going.
In the meantime, Black Friday sales and early and mid-December sales will decrease, keeping the overall holiday shopping frenzy reasonably stable, with the modest increases or decreases (based on overall economic health) being spread thinner and thinner over the ever-expanding 'Holiday Season,' further diluting the meaning of the season and reinforcing the idea that our primary purpose in life is to be consumers, not citizens with a heritage to celebrate, a religion to observe, or families to enjoy.
Retailers and shoppers, supply and demand, chickens and their eggs. Which came first? In this case, for as long as the retailers have the most sought-after prize (good deals on stuff people want), the retailers make the rules. Only when we stop behaving according to the retailers' assumption that we're nothing more than consumers can we begin asserting ourselves as people.
Of course, after months of pre-election coverage and weeks of election post mortem, the talk shows on NPR that narrate my errands during the week were trying to fill the election vacuum with discussions about the new trend in Black Friday sales: starting them on Thursday, regardless of the fact that it's still Thanksgiving. And what struck me was the claim the retailers kept repeating over and over again: We're only trying to give the customers what they want. If they want to shop on Thanksgiving, then we want to provide them with that opportunity.
With a few notable exceptions, nobody wants to shop on Thanksgiving. What people do want, what many people need in this crappy economy, are the deals. And if retailers are only offering the good deals on Thanksgiving, then people are going to shop on Thanksgiving. Of course, if the retailers wait until their normal week-day opening time on Friday morning to offer the great deals, the customers would happily do their shopping at that time. But the retailers don't want to wait until 9 or 10 AM Friday morning, because they mistakenly believe that being open an additional 12 hours will beat out their competitors and improve their bottom line.
Why do I say they 'mistakenly' believe this? First because people will go for the deals, regardless of when the stores offer them. Second, because people only have a certain amount of money to spend and shopping to do, and forcing them to get it done earlier means they won't do it later. The New York Times recently reported that even though sales on Thanksgiving Day were up from last year (most likely because many stores were open more hours on Thursday compared to last year), Black Friday sales were down from 2011. Overall sales of the weekend (if you can really call the five-day period beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with Cyber Monday a weekend) were up a bit from last year, but the evidence suggests that would have happened anyway.
But the retailers will only look at the improved sales from Thanksgiving, and convince themselves that if people were lining up at the doors at 8 PM, then that means they really want to be shopping at 4 PM, and that's an extra four hours of sales, which means an extra four hours to earn a profit (not that that's why they're doing it--they only want to give the customers what they want, after all). And since there's zero chance of the economy improving significantly in the next twelve months and plenty of data suggesting it's going to get worse, the shoppers with dutifully show up for the great deals whenever they're offered. And that will improve next Thanksgiving's sales, which will tell the retailers that the customers really want the stores to open at noon, and, well, you see where this is going.
In the meantime, Black Friday sales and early and mid-December sales will decrease, keeping the overall holiday shopping frenzy reasonably stable, with the modest increases or decreases (based on overall economic health) being spread thinner and thinner over the ever-expanding 'Holiday Season,' further diluting the meaning of the season and reinforcing the idea that our primary purpose in life is to be consumers, not citizens with a heritage to celebrate, a religion to observe, or families to enjoy.
Retailers and shoppers, supply and demand, chickens and their eggs. Which came first? In this case, for as long as the retailers have the most sought-after prize (good deals on stuff people want), the retailers make the rules. Only when we stop behaving according to the retailers' assumption that we're nothing more than consumers can we begin asserting ourselves as people.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Merry Christmas!
Shortly after Thanksgiving, everyone in my house came down sick and stayed that way for several weeks. Needless to say, that delayed our Christmas preparations.
Christmas shopping wasn't a problem; we don't go overboard with presents for our kids so we already had most of them purchased, with a few clicks online finishing up the job. But we haven't been able to decorate until now.
Add to that the fact that we've moved so often over the past few years, and we haven't really decorated for Christmas since 2008. We had a Christmas tree for our son's first Christmas (which, since he was only eight months old, he obviously doesn't remember), but our daughter's never seen one in her own house. This year we decided to put one up, but we discovered over the weekend that our Christmas tree stand got left behind in one of the four moves we've had since we last used it.
Have you ever tried to find a Christmas tree stand the week before Christmas? My husband went to several stores to discover that they were sold out, and called even more only to be told the same thing. When I went out looking, I found more of the same, plus in some cases I had to walk around store employees removing Christmas decorations from the shelves to make room for their next wave of inventory (thankfully they're not yet putting out pink and red heart-shaped objects for Valentine's Day--that'll probably come in about two weeks).
Removing Christmas inventory the week before Christmas? You know the classic song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas?" Those twelve days start on December 25 and continue through January 5, the night before Epiphany. That's the traditional celebration of Christmas, with Advent being the four weeks leading up to Christmas. I realize that the stores have been selling Christmas since before Halloween, but some of us actually try to celebrate Advent, and keep Christmas for Christmas. Even if we hadn't been sick, our decorating would have happened only a few days sooner than it did. So while the stores may be tired of it, some of us are just getting started.
Fortunately the evening was saved by Home Depot. They had a few tree stands left, so I was able to save my husband from having to try to 'build' something to hold up the tree that was dejectedly sitting on our porch. Furthermore, the cashier at Home Depot actually wished me a "Merry Christmas." Not "Happy Holidays," but a real "Merry Christmas." It was so refreshing to hear! And then I also got a "Merry Christmas" from the clerk at the store in the mall that sold me a lighted star tree topper (another item that's hard to come by a week before Christmas).
It's common and even expected for Christians and quasi-Christians to lament about the consumerism of Christmas, how early the stores start selling it, and the decline of the religious meaning of the holiday. We hear so much about how people who aren't religious Christians get offended when wished a "Merry Christmas," insisting instead on "Happy Holidays," which supposedly honors Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Conspicuous Consumption Day, and whatever else people choose to celebrate around the end of December. Now I agree that it's a bit foolish and insensitive for a sales clerk to wish a Merry Christmas to a customer purchasing a menorah, but in the absence of something so obvious, what's wrong with wishing a Merry Christmas to someone who is purchasing Christmas paraphernalia?
Chanukah has always been its own holiday, and should certainly be respected. Kwanzaa was originally created "as an alternative to Christmas," and Conspicuous Consumption Day is clearly a secular hijacking of the religious holiday. As such, I think it's perfectly appropriate to wish a "Merry Christmas" to anyone engaging in celebrating Christmas in any way, even if they've appropriated various aspects of the Christmas celebration for a holiday of their own creation. Does this mean that every purchase between Thanksgiving and Christmas should automatically be met with a "Merry Christmas?" Not necessarily. But anyone buying Christmas decorations (trees, ornaments, yard lights, etc.), Christmas cards (any card that doesn't specifically call out Chanukah or Kwanzaa), a ton of toys, or anything featuring snowmen, Santa Claus, Thomas Kinkade artwork, or old-fashioned people skating or riding in horse-drawn sleighs is fair game.
So to the clerks who wished me a "Merry Christmas" last night--thank you! Please keep up the good work! You might slightly offend someone who wants to celebrate Christmas without acknowledging its origins as a religious holiday, but you also might bring some joy and hope to a Christian who is trying to remember that Christmas is the celebration of God's breaking into human history by sending his Son to achieve salvation for us all. It's amazing how just calling the holiday by its right name can go such a long way towards helping with that.
Christmas shopping wasn't a problem; we don't go overboard with presents for our kids so we already had most of them purchased, with a few clicks online finishing up the job. But we haven't been able to decorate until now.
Add to that the fact that we've moved so often over the past few years, and we haven't really decorated for Christmas since 2008. We had a Christmas tree for our son's first Christmas (which, since he was only eight months old, he obviously doesn't remember), but our daughter's never seen one in her own house. This year we decided to put one up, but we discovered over the weekend that our Christmas tree stand got left behind in one of the four moves we've had since we last used it.
Have you ever tried to find a Christmas tree stand the week before Christmas? My husband went to several stores to discover that they were sold out, and called even more only to be told the same thing. When I went out looking, I found more of the same, plus in some cases I had to walk around store employees removing Christmas decorations from the shelves to make room for their next wave of inventory (thankfully they're not yet putting out pink and red heart-shaped objects for Valentine's Day--that'll probably come in about two weeks).
Removing Christmas inventory the week before Christmas? You know the classic song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas?" Those twelve days start on December 25 and continue through January 5, the night before Epiphany. That's the traditional celebration of Christmas, with Advent being the four weeks leading up to Christmas. I realize that the stores have been selling Christmas since before Halloween, but some of us actually try to celebrate Advent, and keep Christmas for Christmas. Even if we hadn't been sick, our decorating would have happened only a few days sooner than it did. So while the stores may be tired of it, some of us are just getting started.
Fortunately the evening was saved by Home Depot. They had a few tree stands left, so I was able to save my husband from having to try to 'build' something to hold up the tree that was dejectedly sitting on our porch. Furthermore, the cashier at Home Depot actually wished me a "Merry Christmas." Not "Happy Holidays," but a real "Merry Christmas." It was so refreshing to hear! And then I also got a "Merry Christmas" from the clerk at the store in the mall that sold me a lighted star tree topper (another item that's hard to come by a week before Christmas).
It's common and even expected for Christians and quasi-Christians to lament about the consumerism of Christmas, how early the stores start selling it, and the decline of the religious meaning of the holiday. We hear so much about how people who aren't religious Christians get offended when wished a "Merry Christmas," insisting instead on "Happy Holidays," which supposedly honors Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Conspicuous Consumption Day, and whatever else people choose to celebrate around the end of December. Now I agree that it's a bit foolish and insensitive for a sales clerk to wish a Merry Christmas to a customer purchasing a menorah, but in the absence of something so obvious, what's wrong with wishing a Merry Christmas to someone who is purchasing Christmas paraphernalia?
Chanukah has always been its own holiday, and should certainly be respected. Kwanzaa was originally created "as an alternative to Christmas," and Conspicuous Consumption Day is clearly a secular hijacking of the religious holiday. As such, I think it's perfectly appropriate to wish a "Merry Christmas" to anyone engaging in celebrating Christmas in any way, even if they've appropriated various aspects of the Christmas celebration for a holiday of their own creation. Does this mean that every purchase between Thanksgiving and Christmas should automatically be met with a "Merry Christmas?" Not necessarily. But anyone buying Christmas decorations (trees, ornaments, yard lights, etc.), Christmas cards (any card that doesn't specifically call out Chanukah or Kwanzaa), a ton of toys, or anything featuring snowmen, Santa Claus, Thomas Kinkade artwork, or old-fashioned people skating or riding in horse-drawn sleighs is fair game.
So to the clerks who wished me a "Merry Christmas" last night--thank you! Please keep up the good work! You might slightly offend someone who wants to celebrate Christmas without acknowledging its origins as a religious holiday, but you also might bring some joy and hope to a Christian who is trying to remember that Christmas is the celebration of God's breaking into human history by sending his Son to achieve salvation for us all. It's amazing how just calling the holiday by its right name can go such a long way towards helping with that.
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