Careless carolers

Posted by admin on Dec 1, 2009 in Issues & Ideas | 0 comments

Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Sing we joyous, all together,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Aside from the fact that the repetition of “fa la la la la” sounds suspiciously similar to “fail” and “fall,” I wonder if those who enjoy singing it are heedless of more than just the wind and weather. I am leery toward the usage of the word “joyous” and I question what generates holiday gaiety. Merry carolers will, to a small extent, understand that “Yule” is ancient. Granted, it is ancient; however, I think that in general, they are unaware that it is an ancient Germanic pagan winter festival.

Consider another time-honoured carol:

You better watch out, you better not cry,
Better not pout, I’m telling you why,
Santa Claus is coming to town.

He’s making a list and checking it twice,
Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice,
Santa Claus is coming to town.

In the absence of a larger religious framework in which to situate morality, this carol conjectures to provide a means for parents to control their selfish devil-children in the season of senseless consumption. To purgatory with the notion that Santa Claus is a Christian saint – at work here is something far more important. Punishment and reward methods are not entirely without promise.

Here’s a heart-warmer:

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write.

As good as a white Christmas might be, should we ask what commends the writer to wish that his hearers have all of their days “merry and bright?” In 2006, a survey in Britain reported that only 70 out of 5,500 Christmas greeting cards contained any religious imagery or message at all. Go tell that on the mountain, and everywhere. One can imagine that statistics in Canada are not so very different.

I recognize I am pushing more buttons than just Frosty’s nose – but know this: Christmas time is my favourite part of the year. I have a compulsive desire to attend as many Christmas concerts as possible between December 5th and 25th. Three family members of mine have their birthdays during this season – including myself. Blanketed white landscapes are among the finest of wilderness aesthetics. The chilly weather is refreshing and invigorating. I have no objections to eggnog and peppermint.

But why is it that a holiday with origins that are mostly Christian, needs to end up being stripped of its Christian meaning? Why is it that for the richest part of Christmas – the event that it is founded upon – I am required to work so very hard to find? I need not give examples of the obfuscated Christian symbolism and the cultural materialism that disparages Christmas’ meaningfulness. The message of the incarnation is contained in some Christmas carols, and in some fragmented way with nativity scenes. But I want to learn more about it.

If we investigate the etymology of the word “holiday” in only a very cursory way, we can see that the words ‘holy” and “day” emerge. In light of the results from this exercise, can we presume to treat the holiday with some reverence? I wish not to become a puritan this season, but I do wish to honour Christ with my meditations and actions. I think that I’ll open up more books on that topic than I will presents this season.
But that’s just my two front teeth.