In deference to being fair-minded about the world’s religions, the overall rating of Christmas 2009 will not utilize stars. We will use thumbs up or down. If thumbs are in any way used in a religion, please let us know.
- If blogs are any indication, the ghost of Christmas Past won out this year. They were filled with songs [On My Watch] and Christmas Shows [Frugal Cafe] from as far back as the radio days of 1942 [VotingFemale Speaks!]
- On Television, the Lifetime Movie channel featured all of those Fa La La La movies with the formulaic plots we all love. The primary one: Man and woman previously unknown to one another forced by circumstance to share the holiday together. The outcome known; the pleasure immeasurable due to familiarity. There is so much strange going down these days. Familiarity breeds contentment. Other channels featured old classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Christmas Story” and “A Christmas Carol.”
- Thousands more of our men were sent to or scheduled to go to Afghanistan putting a damper on many holidays
- Fewer homes with lights or fewer lights on homes that always featured them.
- Growth in distance between those with historical knowledge of how the celebration of Christmas truly plays out and the current generation. I have more than one young friend bemoaning the fact that Christmas is over by the 25th of December. They are amazed it lasts until the 6th, Epiphany.
- The most favored toy this year was not one that was exciting to adults as well as children. That rough concept of a robot rodent was not inspiring.
- Church attendance varied by country and/or by part of country. In the UK, although the Queen and her family provide a good example, attendance took an 11% drop. In the American heartland, church parking lots were filled:
- The Christmas spirit had a limping takeoff. Most of us made it by midnight December 24.
- Presents were fewer and many hand crafted. This brought back the spirit of Christmas past in a big way. Things you make yourself mean more to the recipient – it is to be hoped. If you don’t like it, it then becomes a “pass along.” Pass along business was down this year so the secondary gift market suffered. And mention must also be made of the fact that “green” solutions to decorations and gift wrap were more numerous.
- A check of some local appliance and furniture stores in Western New York uncovered the fact that November had been a good month and overall, figures for this year matched but did not exceed 2008. However, Christmas spending in December for these big-ticket items was decidedly down.
Conclusion: The economy did affect the overall spirit of Christmas. It was dented but not destroyed. It was also delayed. By Christmas Eve, people out for last-minute items in the grocery store were going out of their way to wish each other a Merry Christmas. There was an air of joy and anticipation in the air.
To my young friends who think Christmas is over the 26th, cheer up and help us keep that joy and anticipation alive through the 6th of January. Do this (and vote for Republicans and Conservatives) and Christmas 2010 could be much better. This year it was a thumb on its side not down.
___________________________________
VotingFemale Speaks! – Christmas Day Open Thread
rosehips
December 26, 2009
I love this post SamHenry! Outstanding job!
I gave your request about the use of thumbs in religion some thought. The first thing that came to mind was the smudging of ashes on Ash Wednesday in the Catholic religion. The priests use their thumbs to transfer the ashes from their cups to the foreheads of the churchgoers.
I’m sure there are other uses of thumbs in other religions. I would not be surprised if your thumb reference is quite insulting to some sect somewhere in a remote mountain area in a country far away. I would suggest keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity when you are driving back and forth to take care of your errands. Just to be sure…lol
a little known fact: Jesus sucked his thumb until the age of 9. I just made that up but it might be true. lol
samhenry
December 26, 2009
Thanks for loving this post, RH and thanks for the heads up on the thumbs – I believe JC sucked his thumb, too. The Romans were after him after all and he felt insecure. That’s how he got the buck teeth hidden by the beard.