every office in san diego has a damn christmas tree. will i go to hell for saying "damn" in the same sentence as "christmas tree"? probably, but i don't care because i don't believe in hell. i won't elaborate though, because that's a whole other blog entry.
anyway, im finding most businesses also have snowmen, snow drifts and snow flakes painted on their windows as well. i think i can safely say it hasn't snowed in san diego in at least a hundred thousand years or so.
what does snow have to do with being christian? was there even snow where christ was born? how 'bout evergreen trees? if so, how much/many? enough to warrant painting every window white and putting up damn trees in every lobby? im having a hard time buying that.
don't get me wrong, im not a "grinch". which, by the way, it seems like calling someone a "grinch" because they don't want to partake in celebrating the birth of jesus christ (perhaps because they aren't christian), is a lot like calling people in the USA unAmerican for not wanting to go to war in Vietnam or Iraq. im just saying.
while temping, one of the employees (not my supervisor) comes in with christmas ornaments for the tree, which is directly in font of me accross the lobby. she asks, "Why aren't the christmas lights on?" shit, i don't know. no one left me a note asking me to turn the damn things on. in fact, i didn't see the stupid thing sitting there. does that make me a bad christian? oh, wait - im not a christian.
the employee begins hanging the ornaments she brought in, then looks at me and says "i'll just give these to you - you'll need something to do today." as with most things, when im stunned by an unexpected situation or something ive never encountered before, i said nothing. she left 100 or so plastic icicles sitting at my desk for me to place nicely on the tree.
initially i was annoyed - it seems a little out of the range of temp duties - then figured, "she's right that i don't have much to do." however, once i started placing icicles on the tree, i started thinking, "good thing im not jewish or something." then i thought, "wait, im not christian, either. who cares what religion i may or may not be? people just assume they can just have another person do their religious decorating?"
it probably didn't occur to her i might not be christian. and if it did, it probably wouldn't have occurred to her that a non-christian wouldn't be giddy about decorating a christmas tree - in fact, that it might actually be offensive.
in fact, i am very offended. im so offended that although last night i was contemplating getting a little christmas tree for my apartment (christmas trees aren't really christian anyway), that i don't want a christmas tree anymore. the whole experience has left me feeling gross - forced to participate in someone else's religious practices. it might have been different if she'd asked if i minded, or if it conflicted with my beliefs. but she didn't.
of course, what is really sick is how none of this festive decor - painted windows, lawn ornaments, trees, snow, etc. - has anything to do with jesus christ or being christian. it has nothing to do with anything, really, except consumerism. of course, that's not news - that's been the case for decades, at least.
christmas is now about shopping in malls for $100 sweaters and perfume gift sets, fake snow gracing southern california windows, and plastic trees in offices sporting plastic icicles - in short, spending and glamour. not a whole lot of substance or meaning going on here. but that's alright, that's exactly the way us Americans like it.
Labels: Rawr
