Two things I love about today:
1. Leftovers
2. Guilt-free Christmas boosterism
For as long as I can remember, it's been a standard November ritual to complain about the encroachment of Christmas on Thanksgiving (and even Halloween) -- the grievance being that far too many businesses hang their decorations and launch their holiday advertising far too early, hoping to make that one extra buck off premature Christmas cheer. Like I said, I can't really remember when this wasn't the case, and as one who'd pay good money for extra Christmas cheer, I've never really minded it too much.
However, as proper conservatism obliges me to uphold the standards of an idealized and probably never-existent past, I've always looked forward to today as the day I can finally sing openly all the Christmas carols I've had stuck in my head for the last two weeks. Must keep up appearances, after all.
So have a happy Hanukkah, a far-out Winter Solstice, and/or a joyous and expectant Advent. Just one request, if I could: Mind that you don't judge too harshly those who are only trying to make an honest dollar at a time when people aren't even shopping for themselves. Yes, we all know that Christmas is in some sense "overcommercialized," but isn't there something a bit bah-humbug in whining about it too much? Between the ACLU, the IATSE, and the folks who go apoplectic whenever Target says "Happy Holidays," we already have enough Grinches this time of year.
Richard John Neuhaus, of course (scroll to the bottom), says it far better than I ever could.
And for desert, here's Jonah Goldberg and Peter Beinart arguing about which of them loves Thanksgiving more.
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2 comments:
Amen to the entire post. Seriously. I've been saying a lot of this for awhile, and particularly on the folks who are just a touch too bitter about Christmas being an important part of the US economy... bitterness of all forms is just not cool, and I'd rather it be reserved to cranberry sauce, which I don't eat anyway. *grins* Enjoy the season, John - sorry I missed you while you were in Claremont last month.
haha! To be honest, as a someone who generally turns up my nose at holiday traditions I should probably be counted as one of the "bah-humbug" crowd, but I still enjoyed this post thoroughly. Glad to hear that you're enjoying the holiday season, and I hope that we'll get to catch up with each other next month when I move back to the city!
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