Bah humbug!

I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to observing the holiday season. While I have not traced the roots of this traditionalism it is most likely another legacy of my Roman Catholic religious upbringing. One outgrowth of this traditionalist affliction, is that it really irks me that most of my friends do not realize that the twelve days of Christmas (referred to in the popular Christmas carol) actually begin after Christmas (and run between Christmas and Epiphany Sunday) and not before it. In any case, I find that the season's start date seems to kick off more obscenely early each and every year. In defiance of this trend, I have set a personal goal to actively resist the onset of glad tidings in my life for as along as possible.

I am practical enough to realize that Christmas long ago lost most of its religious and/or spiritual meaning for most of us inhabiting the Western World at the outset of this new millennium, and instead became more of an excuse for a sustained / prolonged season of commercialism and conspicuous consumption and overindulgence—of gift giving, party going, feasting and drinking.

Retailers are usually the first to start the holiday season rolling, in an effort to jumpstart their Christmas sales. No sooner have the Halloween candies and costumes been cleared from their racks, than out come the Christmas wares. Usually my partner, Gary, and his sister, insist on making their annual pilgrimage to the William Ashley warehouse sale for an “advance preview” in early November and I tag along. The warehouse is always a zoo, chuck full of eager gift consumers claiming to be searching for gift “bargains” (but often more eager to pick up items for themselves than others!). Fortunately, this year we managed (thanks to our ongoing home renos and their mother’s continued hospitalization) to skip that ritual observance! Alleluia. There is a God and he lives still!

However, we had to venture to the Sears’ Toronto Eaton Centre store last Sunday to resolve an new appliance installation issue. We arrived to find the holiday season sales season in full bloom. The next day, I was served my first chain store coffee in a special Christmas season paper cup. Also last week, I also started to hear Christmas songs being played over the speakers in local coffee shops. At least our American neighbours to the south has a bit of a built in start delay feature in the form of their Thanksgiving holiday, which marks the official start of their retail sales season.

We observed Remembrance Day last Tuesday. To me, at a minimum, out of deference to our war dead, no Christmas decorations should go up until (at least) the poppies come off the overcoat lapels.

This weekend, the annual Toronto Santa Claus parade was staged. The parade terminates in our (St Lawrence) neighbourhood. The crowds are unavoidable. Every year we are over-run by dozens of young families making their annual trek in from the ‘burbs in their SUVs to welcome Santa Claus. This weekend hinterlands north of the GTA also got their first dusting of snow. ( Gary was up visiting his mother at Royal Victoria hospital in Barrie and had to search our trunk to dig out the snow brush / ice scraper) for the first time this season.

There were also two other signs this weekend that Christmas is already in the air. First, we attended our first party on Saturday night. Although, technically not a Christmas party per se—the couple whose home we were visiting had just welcomed a newly adopted daughter into their home, and they hosted an intimate dinner (featuring East Indian take-out food) for us and another couple—it was an early sign that the social agenda is getting busier. Next Sunday we need to return to Barrie to attend a 1st birthday party for Gary ’s great-grandniece Alyx.

We also attended an opening night screening of one of the seasonal blockbusters that Hollywood likes to launch at Christmas (when moviegoing crests). We saw the latest James Bond 007 opus “Quantum of Solace” at the Cineplex Scotiabank cinema Friday night. (I didn’t particularly care for it, but apparently it set an opening weekend box office record for the series)

Finally, this morning I arrived at the office building in which I work to be greeted by holiday decorations hanging in the lobby. This is the first holiday season that I have worked in this particular office building. Thankfully, the decorations were quite traditional and restrained—a few natural fir trees of various sizes grouped together in trios at opposite ends of the lobby—and trimmed in simple white lights and silver balls. I have see far crassly gaudy lobby displays elsewhere.

Returning to the religious origins of the season, I wish to note for the record that Advent (the four Sunday season in the Christian liturgical calendar leading up to Christmas) doesn’t even start for another two Sundays. So, until then, I refuse to start my Christmas shopping (I have two kids of my own, five nieces and nephews and one mother on my list to buy for—Gary and I have agreed that our (ongoing / never-ending home renos will be our gift to each other)! Until the first Advent candle is lit on the altar, I vow to imitate Ebenzer Scrooge and Mr. Grinch. Bah humbug! I must stop Christmas from coming!