Merry
Jesusmas! I thought that I had better
get that out of the way first just to get started on the right foot since
there’s a war on.
I recently saw
a post on social media from Heather Land, talking about seeing a Christmas
display with Santa and the baby Jesus. Heather went ever so slightly off the
rails describing what sounded like an incredible display of Christmas lights including
one of those blow up Santas looking benevolently down on the baby Jesus. Her mind
snapped a little trying to imagine what a conversation between the two might
have sounded like. (Heather does the hilarious “I Ain’t Doin’ It” videos.)
Now, just
Google images of ‘Santa and baby Jesus’. (I’ll wait.) I had no idea. They’ve
been around awhile. This isn’t actually
anything new. It just never occurred to me how truly mind boggling a concept
that really is.
There is some
serious cultural appropriation going on here. It’s either that or there’s one
strange Christian sect celebration going on here that I haven’t heard about.
Which is entirely possible since we aren’t in the loop and this isn’t
California although it does bear mentioning that some of the east coast is
starting to drift.
I do have to
play a little fast and loose by making the determination that the majority of
people that celebrate the economy-sustaining, interior/exterior decorating, gift-giving-bacchanal
that has become Christmas are not actually practicing Christian believers if
they are believers at all. In other words non-believers are committing cultural
appropriation by seizing on a Christian holiday in order to get presents and
carbo load. Secular Christmas.
What we have
going is two distinctly different Christmases. There’s the Jesus Christmas and
the non-Jesus Christmas. The non-Jesus Christmas is a season where people enjoy
the pretty lights, eating, decorating, eating, buying presents, going to
Cancun, making the electric meter spin and engaging in deep philosophical
discussions about the duality of man.
Even those of
us who celebrate the birth of Jesus are experiencing Christmas mission creep. It
starts off small. Christmas decorations start showing up beyond the traditional
tree. A wreath on the door. A red bow here and there. Then the next thing you
know there’s a Santa diorama of a Christmas workshop with whacked out elves on
a shelf staring at you.
What will Christmas be like in 15 or 20
years? It’ll likely be a lot more secular and there will be an entire
generation that has no concept of the supposedly Christian story behind the
holiday. At the rate churches are being closed and people are leaving the faith
there will be a lot fewer Christians. Like some Christians of today claim that
the holiday is pagan people in the future will talk about the myth of the
holiday having quasi-religious origins.
The commercial
Christmas could certainly have some interesting aspects though. The three wise
CEOs brought the baby Santa in the storage unit gifts: , a Kenny Loggins CD, a
Dewalt power tool, an Android phone, a credit card and opened 2 or 3 Wells
Fargo accounts in his name.
On serious
note though. If you do happen to see a baby Santa in a crib you’ll know that
the 7th seal has been broken. Hope you have a ticket for the show.