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December 13, 2005
December domination: Christmas invades psyche through decorations
While acknowledging the warm-hearted considerations that Secret Santas generate and the season-specific tolerance of relatives that one enjoys during the holidays, Christmas can easily be over-exaggerated and extended until it eventually ends in December domination. As gift-giving, snowfalls, caroling, and social gatherings make the winter celebration a favorite holiday for many people, the dark commercial side to Christmas and the corresponding mall battles and financial expense create a love/hate relationship for the treasured time in winter. Accordingly, Hamline’s select and tasteful decorating with the holidays is both appropriate and appreciated.
With Christmas decorating, it’s all-or-nothing; a room, indoor area, or building should either be beautifully trimmed with glittering bright lights and plastered with intricately-arranged wreaths, or should present a few stylish adornments. Since Christmas comes in October when the toy catalogs start invading mailboxes, the anticipation for parties and presents starts to actually have a negative affect on the psyche by the time one eats the truffle for Dec. 25 in the chocolate advent calendar.
On days when the season seems overpowering or dismally intrusive to ordinary lifestyles, it’s relieving to be able to go class without subjecting our vision to enormous red and green banners or a couple indiscriminately-placed tinsel drippings. For the many people who also do not observe Christmas, it is a reflection of tolerance for diversity to keep decorations tasteful and as equally representative of other religions and cultures as possible.
On the other hand, Christmas’s undeniable ability to inspire optimism and benevolence without a tangible reason besides gifts and snow deserves recognition. It’s the only season where we are told that we must be cheerful and rosy-cheeked joyful. It is the only time when that actually works; sometimes we are reminded that we should be happy and that actually overrides the pain of finals or sleep deprivation.
There are so many other benefits that Christmas carries, and for those reasons elaborate door decorations and lawns full of lighted reindeer and elves are welcome. It’s the in-between, half-attempted decorations that sometimes make the Christmas season last forever, because they are fully integrated into the ordinary scenery. When people decorate, spirit is the necessary precursor to the first string of lights or Rudolph cutouts that one puts up. Ultimately, Christmas decorations should be a few elegant pieces of classy holiday expression, or a full-blown scene designed to enthuse and excite others for the season
Posted by msveum at December 13, 2005 12:52 PM
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