The time has come, once again, to endure the commercial excesses of our materialistic culture. In our time and place, many will be having to put up with businesses trying to pull us in, attempting to tell us that their baubles and beads are something that will placate our loved ones and make up for the times we have missed being there when it could have provided comfort, or proven our love for them by simply being there. This is also the time of year that we are supposed to be celebrating the enduring qualities of family and forgiveness, feasting and fraternity. However, if the commercial interests are to survive, they need to sell us things. It is not supposed to matter that some stores collect 60% of their revenue for the year in the six weeks or so between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are supposed to gloss over the fact that all year long, we go without so we can pack the area under the tree with presents for one night.We are also supposed to ignore the fact that the X-tian myth of three wise men visiting a manger would have turned out completely different had there been wise womyn in the story instead. The grandmothers would have brought blankets, food and compassionate care to the young family, not silver and gold or incense.
When I was preparing to write this, I thought that it would be primarily about the way families are taken down by corporate forces, perhaps not on purpose, but as a result of their attempting to survive. The more I thought about it and tried to write, the more I realized that the "reason for the season" has nothing to do with survival. It is completely about exploitation. Even asking people if they want to use cash or credit belies the thinly veiled fact that in our culture clerks and shopkeepers don't care one whit about whether you can afford to have a nice holiday or not...they are only interested in the money.
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