This is day # 15 of 30 days of blogs on philosophy. This month, as part of the Praxis philosophy module I am blogging every day about something that I am in the process of learning. If you are between 17-25 and interested in becoming awesome at life find out more at discoverpraxis.com
No one really knows why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. But one popular theory is that the Catholic church moved the date from the 6th of January to take over a popular festival on the 25th of December in which the “heathen” celebrated the birth of the Sun.
Now, thousands of years later, a largely non-religious culture celebrates the supposed birth of Christ on a day that was actually the day for another holiday until the Catholics took it over.
To celebrate this somewhat arbitrary day, adults lie to children about a mythological obese man with supernatural animals and spend their money and time buying presents in an attempt to communicate affection for many people that they may not actually like very much.
I’m all for getting together and celebrating with people you care about, demonstrating that you care about them, and then celebrating something. But, for many people December 25th is about getting together with people you dislike, buying presents out of a feeling of guilt, and celebrating something that doesn’t make sense simply because that is the thing people have “always” done
The first point in my “beef” with Christmas is Santa. Most parents don’t think twice about trolling their kids by pretending that Santa exists.
They tell kids that there is a man living in the Arctic, who has enslaved elves to make toys that he brings them once a year. Even parents who are committed to being honest with their kids will still make an exception for Santa.
Many people who pride themselves on their honesty suspend logic when it comes to their children and Christmas. Imagine a situation where parents didn’t all lie to their children. You guy over to your co-workers house to find that he has made up some elaborate tale about a person who doesn’t exist and then is trying to trick his kids into believing it. You would be confused and probably concerned.
The second irrational feature of Christmas for most people is the giving of gifts.
If I give someone something because I value them, it makes total sense. Especially if that person has done something awesome for me that I appreciate. The giving of a gift brings me personal happiness, and it serves as a reminder to that person that I value and appreciate them.
Gifts can communicate something when they are unexpected, and given for a reason. When you are giving gifts to people purely because it is December 25th, you are simply communicating that you follow customs, and nothing deeper than that.
Let’s take for example the cousin who you will see at your family Christmas dinner, the one that you don’t actually like. You and your cousin are going to exchange gifts, not because you like and appreciate each other, but out of a sense of mutually assured guilt. You both don’t want to feel guilty if the other brings a gift and you don’t. You are making a mutual sacrifice of your time and money for no reason other than the day it happens to be on the calendar.
Think about how absurd it would be if you and some old friend you no longer liked spent money, time, and effort on gifts neither of you wanted and exchanged them every year on August 12th. You would now have something you are never going to use from someone you don’t really like, and they don’t have the time or money that they used to have. Your gift exchange is actually destroying value!
Compare that to receiving a gift from someone you care deeply about. This person is giving you a gift, not because it is December 25th, but instead to commemorate and celebrate something awesome you have done. They are spending their money, not to avoid feeling guilty, but instead to feel happy. The monetary value of the gift now has sentimental value as well. This is the type of enriching gift giving that usually doesn’t happen at Christmas.
Finally, let’s address the people. Every year people from all over the country get together with other people from all over the country on December 25th. Not because they are the most valuable and significant people in each others lives, but simply because they are the people they have always gotten together with on December 25th.
When people are following tradition instead of making a choice for themselves, they lose the opportunity to communicate anything meaningful. By showing up for Christmas you typically aren’t expressing care and affection for the people in your family, but rather you are demonstrating obedience. That you will follow tradition over doing what will make you the happiest.
For lots of people, interactions with family are positive and enriching experiences, but for many others, we do it because we don’t want to deal with the consequences and hub-bub that would be caused if we didn’t do go home.
Choosing obedience to tradition, and sacrificing your principles by lying to your children, spending money to buy gifts for people you don’t care about, and flying places to spend time with people who don’t enrich your life is not the path to the good life. And it generally doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Do you completely disagree? Let me know in the comments!
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