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Commercialism, Christmas, and the jerks who make the obvious connection

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14:37 / 02.12.05

I have yet to meet a real meatperson who is "aware" of how the world works. Every other slab of meat I've met is "enlightened" to the point of rancid arrogance.

Am I the only one noticing a slight element of foul-smelling hypocrisy here?

ONLY NICE THINGS

14:42 / 02.12.05

Just youth, I think, Randy. It's very easy to feel isolated when you're young, and very useful to interpret that as being because of a superior intellect ore sensitivity unappreciated by the common herd.

So, I think you have three groups: 1) Those who are exploited by Christmas, and are sheep; 2) Those who believe themselves to be enlightened, and protest against Christmas, who are also sheep but in a different way; and 3) Those who understand Christmas, actually are enlightened and are therefore not sheep at all.

14:55 / 02.12.05

baaaaa baaaaa

All Acting Regiment

15:09 / 02.12.05

That's why I have this duality about the hatred of Christmas -> I hate the fact that it makes people into sheep, and I hate the fact that people have to make it worse by mentioning this constantly.

I take it that seing as you're cancelling yourself out now, we can stop taking this thread seriously?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:33 / 02.12.05

I love Christmas. I gave up trying to figure out why a long time ago, when it occurred to me that knowing why would make it less fun.

The only thing I hate is music in shops- the rest of the year most shops rarely play stuff I like, but I have no problem with this. At Christmas, they have a more limited pool to draw on, and it's hearing the same songs over and over again that drives me to violence (I trace this back to an unfortunate hitch-hiking experience many Decembers ago, at the wrong end of a three-day speed binge when I spent the night in a service station with a 20-minute loop tape of Christmas songs. Nobody hates "Mistletoe And Wine" as much as I. Except possibly the guy who was stuck there with me). Other than that, Christmas is great.

Yeah, the adverts can be annoying too, but only if you actually turn the telly on.

ONLY NICE THINGS

15:41 / 02.12.05

Please guys, don't fight. After all... it's Christmas!

A time for loving,
A time for peace.
A time for hating and fighting to cease...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:44 / 02.12.05

Oh, I forgot the other thing that pisses me off about Christmas- one of my friends and minions, who, about this time every year, develops the annoying habit of singing the "a-rum-pa-pum-pum" bit from "Little Drummer Boy" ALL THE TIME. Git.

Other than that, though, I love it. Honest I do.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:47 / 02.12.05

Oh, and for all the anarcho-punks and otherwise old people out there...

Merry Crassmas!

15:53 / 02.12.05

I was looking for threads on Christmas songs and stumbled across this.
'Artifish...al!" Still cracks me up.

16:25 / 02.12.05

I get chills when I see the video for "little drummer boy" with david bowie and bing crosby.

Matt, I'm afraid I cannot share your horror about the commercialization of Christmas because I am not religious to begin with. The worst thing commercialization seems to do is incite overspending. On the other hand it gives us animated television specials, small lights to hang in the windows, and warm, spicy, alcoholic beverages, so I tend to forgive it.

Incidentally, I believe it should be "teh SHEEPLE." Some of you have been omitting the "teh."

ONLY NICE THINGS

16:52 / 02.12.05

I get chills when I see the video for "little drummer boy" with david bowie and bing crosby.

Are you the butler?

Well, something like that, yes.

P. Horus Rhacoid

17:26 / 02.12.05

Matt, you aren't the only one who's fed up with commercialism in Christmas. Enemies of Christmas and ACLU grinches beware- Jerry Falwell is fighting back.

18:12 / 02.12.05

Mistoffee I looked up Weihnachtsstollen and that appears to be different - perhaps more akin to fruit cake? Anyhoo, here is a picture of a mince pie. And here is a picture of a guy on a mince pie run.

18:37 / 02.12.05

Won't anyone think of the children? All this talk about "Crass-mus" and no one's mentioned THE CHILDREN.

It is THEY who have ruined and commercialized Christmas, with their "wish lists" and their "Santa Claus" and their "what am I getting for Christmas?" Do they ever ask "what shall I GIVE for Christmas?" No. No, they do not.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

19:32 / 02.12.05

Ah. You must be David. Are you the one that sings?

As a friend once said to me, you can practically hear the coke dropping out of Bowie's nose at that point.

19:33 / 02.12.05

That explains the chills.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

19:38 / 02.12.05

The worst thing commercialization seems to do is incite overspending. On the other hand it gives us animated television specials, small lights to hang in the windows, and warm, spicy, alcoholic beverages, so I tend to forgive it.

Exactly. There you go. There's plenty that's great about christmas. You can add seasonal sweets and parties to that list too, along with Scrooged, starring Bill Murray, and the Muppet's Christmas Special. C'mon, Matt. Join the horde of Christmas undead. All the brains you can eat plus a free santa hat.

22:19 / 02.12.05

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

*sniff*

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:28 / 02.12.05

Stop it.

22:56 / 02.12.05

Gloria in excelsis deo
Et in terra pax hominibus
Bone voluntatis

23:00 / 02.12.05

I am concerned about Xoc offering to play his drum. I don't know if this should be discouraged or lauded.

23:06 / 02.12.05

Depends how much fun torturing Stoatie could be.

I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

hehe

23:09 / 02.12.05

The finest gifts we bring

Pah rump a pum pum

23:10 / 02.12.05

Get the rump a pah right, fercryeye, Xoc.

23:15 / 02.12.05

Wasn't concentraing, sorry. Too busy dashing through the snow, on a one-horse open sleigh, o'er the fields...

23:21 / 02.12.05

That sing was written by James, Lord Pierpont, in 1857 and the second verse begins, apparently:

A day or two ago,
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank;
Misfortune seemed his lot;
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got upsot.

Upsot? And Fanny Bright can stay at home, thank you very much. Entirely unnecessary, and at Christmas too.

03:13 / 03.12.05

Those of you who don't live in the US have no idea. The only way to survive here is to stock up on food around mid-November and not go to any stores, malls, restaurants, hotels, or anywhere in fact, until mid-January. I'm a reasonably inoffensive person (well, *I* think I'm inoffensive), but after the fifteenth soupy rendition of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I transform into The Hulk.

(And I'm one of the people who actually likes Christmas, if they'd only leave it alone.)

04:08 / 03.12.05

Haus: So, I think you have three groups: 1) Those who are exploited by Christmas, and are sheep; 2) Those who believe themselves to be enlightened, and protest against Christmas, who are also sheep but in a different way; and 3) Those who understand Christmas, actually are enlightened and are therefore not sheep at all.

Oh, Haus, don't get me wrong. We're all teh sheeple. Don't you remember our talk about brand loyalty? I admitted right from the beginning I'm generally blindly loyal to brands.
Note to self: avoid hypocrisy....

08:03 / 03.12.05

Mistoffee I looked up Weihnachtsstollen and that appears to be different - perhaps more akin to fruit cake? Anyhoo, here is a picture of a mince pie. And here is a picture of a guy on a mince pie run.

Ah, Now I crave the mince pie! Some months ago, I found a Local Shop (really!), who sells english cutlery and household stuff, hopefully they have those pies, too.

It is THEY who have ruined and commercialized Christmas, with their "wish lists" and their "Santa Claus" and their "what am I getting for Christmas?" Do they ever ask "what shall I GIVE for Christmas?" No. No, they do not.

Of course, they don´t. You, see, it´s the children, who understand the true meaning of christmas: it´s better to give than to get. And because they are little angels, they pass on giving, which is more joyful, and martyrize themselves by acting like greedy little house elves, demanding and wanting pwesents; thus making all the adults poor and happy for being the ones who do all the giving.

11:18 / 03.12.05

Dr Maenad strongly recommends the following yuletide activities for all those struggling under the tinsel:

Watch the original Southpark trailer The Spirit of Christmas (Jesus verses Father Christmas)

Read David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries

Play Saint Nicholas platform game

Listen to Low's christmas album

and finally,

Make and eat lots of vegan brandy truffles

After this, you will feel at one with the spirit of christmas....

11:54 / 03.12.05

I. Love. Christmas. Why not celebrate the soltace AND Xmas? Double the party! Back when i was in the U$A, xmas was a crazy family holiday where all of my aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents would cram into a tiny house with lots of food and tiny, stupid presents.

Now it's turnd into a giant feast with all the London lonely hearts with no where else to go...it'll be 15-17 poopel at my house this year! food, whiskey, mulled wine and mince pies. Long walks through empty streets and parks. It's awesome.

Of course I hate malls, advertsthe compulsion for so many poeple to spend beyond their means...but i loooove me some christmas carols (Elvis! Phil spector's XMas collection! Yeah!) and Christmas Lights.
.

16:10 / 03.12.05

Stoat;

I can see why you'd want to defend it, as an institution, Christmas - after all, nobody wants to deal with the reality of the Santa situation, which is cold, and dark, and vicious, and brutal.

16:28 / 03.12.05

To be specific about this; he exists, Father Christmas.

He exists.

16:49 / 03.12.05

Yes, he does.

Here´s the photographic proof.

16:51 / 03.12.05

That's the scariest flippin' santa I've ever seen.

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