none of my business

venice, los angeles.

a friend of mine laments that this time of year makes him feel especially ill-tempered.

to quote him, he writes “All this Christmas-ness that carpet bombs our senses every December is totally overwhelming and alienating for those of us who do not celebrate the holiday. It’s no myth that suicide rates are highest in December. And why not? If you’re not celebrating, there must be something wrong with you.”

of the person whom christians are supposedly celebrating, he says, “Nice kid. Daddy issues. Founded a religion.”

having now moved back to the states, it is funny and strange to be re-immersed in “christmas culture.”

i don’t watch television, i don’t have cable, i don’t listen to commercial radio, and i don’t go to downtown san francisco during my twice a month stays up north. i have to say that this limits my exposure to the oversaturation of “christmas” commercialism to a remarkably low and manageable level.

it’s great because, outside of taking the time to send a few letters and purchase a few gifts, i hardly notice that it’s christmas.

yes, i am aware that we are in the holiday season, but it doesn’t bother me. especially down here, in los angeles, the way that enthusiasm for the holidays is publicly expressed is quite amusing compared to what we have in my home town of copenhagen.

on the other hand, when strangers wish me “merry christmas,” though most of them, in fact, have trained themselves to say “happy holidays,” i see this as an opportunity for people to actually express a little conviviality to each other, which is certainly not a bad thing.

so, when someone says “merry christmas” to a non-christian – and non-christians are a significant chunk of the san francisco population – rather than taking this as an affront, could it not be seen as an effort to reach out? not for the sake of conversion, but only for the sake of fellowship? is this such a bad thing, even to someone who wants nothing to do with christmas?

finally, there is a bright side to this – christmas day (a bit like the day of the superbowl) is a great day for roaming around the city of san francisco (or los angeles or new york) because you have the city more or less to yourself. for once, many shops are finally closed, there is a semblance of peace in the city. one can walk unhindered in the fresh air.

god jul, everyone. glædelig jul.