the minute after thanksgiving

By Todd Stadler · Monday, November 26, 2001 4:20pm

Of course, the exact moment that Thanksgiving stopped, all thought of giving thanks ended, and the time for getting things started. Christmastime is here! (RealAudio format)

It occurs to me that in America, we treat Christmas (aka "happy holidays") like we treat sex.

There's this huge expectation on everybody's part that it's going to be so wonderful this time. It'll be the best ever - it has to be, since everything else has been so-so. We pin all our hopes on it to be the thing that justifies all the trouble we've been through. We even go so far as to be nice to people just because of it (a niceness that, it barely merits noting, rarely lasts past the event). Ultimately, the event becomes the build-up, the anticipation.

When the object of all our energies actually happens, it's mildly disappointing. It's over way too fast. Our anticipation overestimated the significance of the event.

Of course, to recoup time spent, we try to make the warm glow last as possible, but you can only do so much, and besides, it's cold.

Nota bene: readers should be careful to not read anything about my personal sex life (or lack thereof) into this screed.

Mind you, in an ideal world, we would also treat Christmas like we treat sex. That is, as one part of a satisfying relationship in which we acknowledge the special intimacy that comes from being near someone in the flesh. This part would not overshadow the rest of the relationship, but extend from it and strengthen it. And it wouldn't just be about me, me, me.

But then, talking about Jesus at Christmastime is out of place. My bad.