Re: Christmas...

Emily Friedman (bananafish_9@yahoo.com)
Sat, 12 Dec 1998 15:10:09 -0800 (PST)

> I couldn't help but respond to this one. I mean, is Christmas 
> commercialized? YES. There's no doubt about it. But Christmas isn't 
> phony. It COULD be phony, but it just isn't. Let's see if I can 
> explain...
> 
> When I was in high school, a full believer in everything Holden had
to 
> say, I thought he was so right about all the things he said about 
> phoniness and how terrible it was to have all these actors who
couldn't 
> wait to have a cigarette dragging Jesus who was dragging his cross
all 
> aroung the stage or whatever. That's why I stopped going to Church,
in 
> fact. I was SURE that the guy in front of me was thinking about what 
> he'd have for dinner while he was saying the Our Father. I just KNEW
it, 
> and it damn near drove me crazy. I couldn't even go anymore because I 
> thought it was such a load of crap.
> 
> But then I got older, and I realized how stupid it was for me not to
go 
> to Church because I thought OTHER people were there for the wrong 
> reasons. I mean, why should I let what I think other people are
thinking 
> stop me from believing in something?
> 
> I believe in Christmas. I believe in it for all the right reasons.
And I 
> love it. I love those chessy Christmas songs, and I don't care who's 
> making a buck for singing them. I like red flannel pajamas and I like 
> candy canes and advent calendars, even. And I don't care if someone 
> makes these things to benefit financially from a sacred day. What I
do 
> care about is that it is sacred to me. It means something to me. My 
> heart is full and my belly is full and the house is full and the 
> stockings are full and I'll be damned if I let the cynicism I fought
so 
> hard to beat get me down again.
> 
> Phoniness isn't what everyone else in the world is doing or thinking. 
> It's just when you start not being true to youself. And you just
can't 
> force your values on other people. (Although I'm trying really
hard...)
> 
> I wish everyone could just watch "It's a Wonderful Life" and love it
the 
> way I love it. I don't care who made it or why or how much the actors 
> got paid or what they thought of the movie itself. Because somebody 
> thought of that wonderful story. And whether they thought of it for
the 
> "right" reasons or not, those thoughts came from someplace so human,
and 
> someplace that thought that maybe, even if it is just in the movies, 
> life can be good no matter how rotten it seems. You know? 
> 
> I don't know. I'm a sap on a soapbox. But what depresses me around 
> Christmas or any other day isn't all the crap that blinks, it's all
the 
> people who don't...the ones who aren't phased by the witnessing of
all 
> the tiny miracles that do happen and that are real. I believe in 
> Christmas, and I believe in myself, and I believe in the general 
> goodness of humanity. And I don't doubt there are grinches, but I
also 
> don't doubt Dr. Suess.
> 
> Sorry, but I had to write this.
> 
> Merry Christmas,
> 
> Erin
> 

Erin,
I never used to mind Christmas but after school I work at a store
which is packed with people buying all the Christmas crap thet can get
their hands on. This kind of mass consumption minds makes me feel ill,
because it is sick. I'm sorry but spending 500 dllars on garlands,
wreaths, and lights to impress your neigbors is wrong. 
-Liz Friedman
> 

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com