A number of years ago, during one of the longer government shutdowns, I was listening to a radio report about the shutdown and its impact on federal workers who had been furloughed. The usual things were discussed: what to do for people with mortgages, car payments, and children, but one thing specifically has stuck with me in the years since.
“If this shutdown lasts much longer, I’ll have to cancel Christmas.” A federal employee on the show uttered these words, and I think that for such a short sentence, it is ripe with indications of our societal problems.
First, it seems that this person thinks that Christmas is only about presents, commercialization, and spending money. That it is simply a time that people go to the stores (or websites) and buy things. Advertisers have been attempting to get this into the public consciousness for years, and it seems they’ve succeeded. Making this worse, children are learning from adults that Christmas is only about presents - within a generation or two, the true meaning of Christmas could be lost to a family. Complicating these issues, our modern children are also caught in the middle of an ideological debate about the “political correctness” of Christmas: how is a child to enjoy the simple pleasures of the holiday season if adults are only bickering about how to not offend each other?
At a deeper level, this mother is implying to her family that she is “in charge” of Christmas. In an age where people see themselves as more and more infallible, this is a dangerous attitude. There is something to be said for believing in something bigger than yourself. Many children learn to believe in Santa Claus, until they grow up and learn that he’s a legend: but a good legend, that gave hope, and taught morals. Many people learn to believe in God as they mature and age, even those who don’t often have a respect for the total unfathomable-ness of the universe.
The point is to believe in something bigger than you. What about the people these days who don’t? Living for nothing but number one, themselves - and that’s what kids hear when there is a threat of “canceling Christmas.” The fact is, you or I can’t cancel Christmas, because we don’t own it. Christmas is a concept, a metaphysical idea.
At risk of being abstract, I pose an important question: what IS Christmas?
What it should be is a family tradition of happiness and warmth that can be depended on, year after year. It should be a safe time for enjoying the fruits of the season, fostering the goodwill of men, and giving thanks. Above all, it is NOT a time to fret about the exchange of money for stuff.
When my parents were children, they were happy to get a small bag of candy and fruit - when there was enough money left at the end of the year! But presents or not, there was never any talk of “canceling Christmas.”
Society would benefit a great deal if we focused more on what Christmas really is, and less on the distractions. Christmas is based on family, and family is based on love, trust, and respect. It’s not based on some store-bought thing wrapped in paper that will just be thrown away.
Remember that this year, no one can cancel Christmas.
Lt. Javan W. Rasnake is a native of Ewing, Virginia, a Virginia Tech graduate and a naval support activity public affairs officer currently serving in Bahrain. He assisted with Navy Week in Knoxville in 2016.