A Different Kind of Christmas 1 Comments
Photo of the customer service desk at a Target with dozens of angry looking people climbing over each other to get a box from an overwhelmed looking worker.
Photo of the customer service desk at a Target with dozens of angry looking people climbing over each other to get a box from an overwhelmed looking worker.

A Different Kind of Christmas

I’ve been considering Christmas lately, and what my part in it should be. I’m not Christian and I generally am very anti-corporate, so the usual way I celebrate seems a bit counter-intuitive.

The Perversion of Generosity

I like doing things for my friends and family. I like spending time with them, taking them out to places I’ve discovered, buying them little things that remind me of them on occasion, and picking up a tab once in awhile. These things make me feel warm and squishy inside, so I try to do them year-round when the inspiration strikes me.

NY Man Recalls Black Friday Trampling At Target
Meme from a vintage Batman comic frame with him slapping Robin. Robin starts asking Hey Batman! What are your parents getting you for Christm-- and Batman interrupts My parents are dead!

Christmas is a completely different feeling though. It is a checklist of things I NEED to do. It is an expectation of generosity. Once Thanksgiving is over (a holiday I like much better), it’s just “Oh crap, I have to budget this many dollars and shop for this many people in the next 30 days.” Not fun, not spontaneous, and it feels super-fake.

And what do I even buy for my parents these days? My dad will return anything I get him that’s not less than $40 or so because he doesn’t think I should spend so much money on him. My mom never wants anything. Both of them are much happier when I visit and they get to see their grand-dog and sort-of daughter in-law than when I buy them something anyway.

I think the best way to show one’s generosity is to donate the money you would normally spend on Christmas presents to the homeless, the poor, or the sick. Giving my brother that makes plenty of money for himself a PlayStation 3 while people are homeless, hungry, and dying in the streets doesn’t seem like generosity at all to me.

Being Grown-Up

Two shepherds in a field with their sheep at night look up at a large sparkling star in the night sky. One says to the other, It's strange, but ever since that star appeared I've had this overwhelming urge to go shopping.

Ever since I got my first “real” job after college, I haven’t really had any trouble buying myself whatever reasonable thing I’ve wanted. Couple that with my strong affinity for independence and you get a guy that really doesn’t like asking other people for things.

I hate when people ask me what I want for Christmas too, since I always prefer to be surprised. My Amazon wish list was my way of keeping things a surprise when I was younger, but now it’s just a shopping list for when I have extra cash and want to splurge a little on myself.

In my family, we do a Secret Santa for the adults, which is actually all of us nowadays since none of my cousins nor my brother nor I have spawned a brood yet. The secret santa basically goes like this: 1.) We get the randomized list for the year. 2.) We ask our person what they want. 3.) We tell our santa what we want. 4.) We all spend the same amount of money and give each other things the giver has never heard of. It’s fairly thoughtless and sterile, but it’s nice for the adults to get presents too I guess.

Xmas 2011

Photo of the customer service desk at a Target with dozens of angry looking people climbing over each other to get a box from an overwhelmed looking worker. Black Friday. Welcome to hell for anyone in retail.

In light of these conflicting feelings about the most commercial of all holidays, I’m making a change. Next year, don’t buy me anything for Christmas. I don’t want anything unless it is spontaneous, homemade, and/or food. I will be doing something different for the gifts I give as well. I haven’t decided exactly what just yet, but its monetary value will be nothing at all or perhaps just indeterminable. I want to treat others as I’d like to be treated.

So scratch me off your shopping lists for next year. Don’t worry about burdening yourself with credit card debt for my sake. Just seeing everyone and hanging out with them for the holidays is my favorite part of the season. If you insist on giving me something I will graciously accept, but I would be just as happy with a hug.

If you’re a Christian that likes the traditions and values of the holiday, then think of me as anti-commercialist. I feel that I’m paying more respect to Jesus’s words by celebrating in this way than I would be if I continued to give and accept the same opulent gifts. I may not believe in him being the son of God, but I greatly respect his philosophy.

Xmas 2010

Don’t worry! I’m still buying some of you presents this year as per usual! This is a next year thing 😉

A disturbing-looking shouting Santa Claus illustration points at the viewer like Uncle Sam in a propaganda poster. The text beneath says I want you to spend a lot to prove you love your family.

What do you guys think? Would Christmas be any less special if you only gave each other small stocking-suffer type presents and homemade stuff?