Issue date: 12/8/06 Section: Opinion

Keep holiday season in December, it's more than just presents

by Chris Hokanson

I love Christmas - it's the most wonderful time of the year. But, I like to keep that time within the confines of the month of December. Unfortunately, stores and advertisers across the nation are pushing the Christmas season way before Thanksgiving and into October. In fact, the day after Halloween, Christmas decorations flew to the shelves quicker than Jorvorskie Lane to Thanksgiving dinner.

The ever-expanding season of Christmas has little to do with Americans' love of the holiday or with celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It has more, if not everything, to do with the fact that it's a lot easier for retailers to sell products if they're being hawked by Santa. Best Buy can sell twice as many 42-inch plasma screen TVs for Christmas as it can in April. So if retailers and advertisers can spread Christmas to three months, they will.

The push of Christmas advertising, while retailers would like to tell you that it encourages giving, does just the opposite. More "Christmas" season means more shopping, more buying, more presents. But who doesn't love presents? Well, when families feel more obligated to buy increasingly expensive Christmas presents than pay off their credit card debt, something's wrong. Unfortunately, that's happening more and more. Americans are spending more and saving less. Sure, increased Christmas buying helps the economy each season, but consumer debt will soon catch up to those families, and they won't have very merry Christmases.

In addition to increasing debt, increased Christmas buying also has a negative effect on giving. All around the nation, Salvation Army centers are short, not only on donations, but also volunteers. In fact, in Salt Lake City, Salvation Army "red kettle" donations are down 15 percent from last year, and the campaign is short 20 to 25 bell-ringers each day. Americans are spending more on video game systems, iPods and flat screens, leaving their wallets and checkbooks emptier, leaving little to give to those whose Christmas Eve might be spent on the street.

A certain plus about the holidays from Christmas bonuses and work holidays, allowing families extra time and money to celebrate with each other. But, while those only benefit white-collar workers and middle and upper-class families, part-time and blue-collar workers are forced to work extra-long hours so that suburban families have more time to shop.

The expansion of the "celebration" of Christmas by retailers and radio stations alike tramples one of our most beloved holidays - Thanksgiving. Hearing Christmas music throughout November doesn't get me in the mood for turkey and football. It just makes me sad because Christmas is still a month and a half away.

"The Holidays" need to stay in December. That's still 25 days that Americans get to shop, decorate and get drunk on eggnog. Any more, and it seriously cheapens the holiday into a mere present-buying contest. Let Halloween have October, Thanksgiving have November, and let Christmas have December. (Oh, and can we give more of February to Groundhog Day?)

The earlier, the better commercializing aids in capitalism

by Kevin Alexander
The trick to debating for the commercialization of Christmas is to not to overstate the argument, so I'll sum it up like this: If you are not for the commercialization of Christmas (CoC), then you are against presents and are probably a Marxist.

The last time I checked though, the Cold War was over, and righteous capitalism won.

I could argue that CoC helps out the economy by recouping corporations' annual losses and forcing those same businesses to innovate. I could also argue that through CoC, families are brought together and the spirit of giving and "goodwill toward men" is encouraged.

But debating these would be too predictable. Instead, I have these questions to ask: Why do you Marxist-Pagans hate presents? Why do you hate happiness? Is it all right if we deport you?

Ever since Christian Capitalists (CCs) won the first War on Christmas (WoCI) Marxist-Pagans (MPs) have constantly tried to get the "true meaning of Yuletide" back into society's focus.

Face it pagans, your holiday is dead, and it was probably boring anyway. Christmas belongs to the CCs now, so take your MP crap back to France.

Now, before anyone freaks out, I know that some may say that lumping Marxists and Pagans together is unfair, but as long as none of them read this column, then it is very, very fair.

Others claim that CoC takes the Christian message away from the holiday season. Those people are Pagan Infiltrators (PIs). PIs say the reason the WoCII is being fought is to put Christ back into Christmas.

As someone who has a few CC friends, I have to laugh at this. It is obvious that these PIs are covert agents for the MPs. Christianity gets more face time through CoC than any other time throughout the year. Everyone, even those who celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, benefit from the presence of CoC - and the CC's that support it.

Of course, I believe that CoC and Christianity are good buddies. Capitalism and Christianity have thrived together for hundreds of years, and commercialization is just a tool for capitalism. It's very logical, people.

So the commercialization of Christmas is OK, but does the intoxicating magic of presents marginalize the Christian message of charity, even slightly?

To this I respond: I don't know. I'm not a doctor. Maybe. All I know is that the CCs running the corporations tell me to buy presents, and I do. Maybe I'm brainwashed into serving my capitalist masters, but then again, maybe you're a puppy-hating Marxist.

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