The Economics of Christmas

I wonder how much they're going to say the economy was "stimulated" by holiday spending. I'm not quite sure. But, truth be told, a whole lot less would be spent on the holiday if people would just wait until the day AFTER Christmas. You all know what I'm talking about: holiday price reduction sales. Now maybe you don't know that I'm an anti-holidite, but I consider myself almost legally opposed to holidays. I'm a pessimist, and I won't support the efforts of anyone or anything that tried to force me into "good will" or "cheer." Pish tosh.

Regardless, as I tramped the aisles of Wal-Mart today (three of them, in fact), I was blown away by the number of sales and price reductions. I mean, half off of all candy? Damn right I was all over it. I bought THREE Chocolate Oranges. Damned right, and just in time for my usual "I'm going to work out and lose weight" New Year's resolution. Fan-effin'-tastic. You know, there are some solid days to zero-in on...the Friday after Thanksgiving, the day after Christmas, and seemingly now EVERY weekend in between. As my economic background and empty wallet cry at me, I wonder if I could have done a little better if I'd kicked Christmas back a couple days...

Now, of course, I realize that for some of you the idea of pushing back "Christmas" to the 26th or even the 27th sounds like a blasphemy. But come on, what's the big deal? Unless you're a real big fan of the Winter Solstice, the date's completely arbitrary anyway. Jesus wasn't born on Dec. 25th and Joseph wasn't watching It's a Wonderful Life the night before. And that's all under the assumption that you even care about the religious connotations. Between the nonsense Old Navy commercials and catchy church marquee one-liners, everyone (along with their mothers) seems to want to tell you how/when to spend your Christmas.

At the end of the day, this "Christmas" thing is just about what you make it. For me, it's about hanging out with the family for a little bit and eating some food, a sort of Late Winter Thanksgiving. I could care less when it happens, and sometimes I think it'd be better for everyone if we just the gifting part of Christmas. The presents don't hurt sometimes, but I'd rather get gag gifts then go through the awkward "Wow, that was expensive but I don't really like it," or the infamous "Damn, you actually though I'd like this ______." Still, rants like this remind me of one of the best Christmas gifts I ever received: a gift-wrapped photocopy of an essay about happiness. The act of the gift itself, as well as the essay, changed me in ways I can't even describe. And that gift cost her virtually nothing. Unless it's copyrighted, in which case I hope she's already masked her identity, shredded her credit cards, and moved to a non-extradition country. Copyright infringement's a big deal, don'cha know.

So, at the end of the day, what's it matter how this whole "holiday season" is done, particularly Christmas? I know I just talked shit about those churches and commercials telling you what to do, but now I'm gonna eat my words and do it myself. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and do the whole deal on the 25th. Or, save a few bucks by buying your tree the night before and the decorations the day after. Take that extra cash and get brand-name butter for the rolls. At the end of the day, make sure that ALL your holidays, Christmas, New Years, and all the others, are spent the best way you know how to do them. If it's spending time with your family, friends, or even just finding some peace and quiet in a hotel room, make them all count. Find your own happiness, because that's the real reason for the season. It's the reason for every season.

-Josh