Dear Readers:
Now that Halloween has passed the Christmas decorations are
going up in earnest and the complaints that Christmas has become too commercial
(and that Hanukkah, as one reader put it, “gets shafted”) are flying fast and
furiously. People are screaming that we skip right over Thanksgiving and large
retailers from Target to Nordstrom are listening by waiting until the day after
Thanksgiving to put up the Christmas decorations. The truth is they are up
before Thanksgiving is actually over; you just don’t actually see them until
the stores open their doors at Midnight on Black Friday, the first official
minute after Thanksgiving (which
ironically forces employees to give up their holiday to come in and decorate).
Do you see the hypocrisy here? Are you a part of the problem
or a part of the solution? After researching the matter until I was thoroughly
exhausted (and keep in mind that cats get exhausted quickly and easily) I came
up with the following quiz for you to take – and send to your friends to take –
to see if you are a part of the reason that Christmas* has become so
commercialized:
*I do not mean to leave out my Jewish brethren, but this
year Hanukkah starts the day after Thanksgiving and is completely left out of
the annual madness. Feel free to have fun with this quiz just the same; I
included an option for you on every question! No offense is meant to my
Atheist, Wiccan, Muslim, and other readers of non-traditional American beliefs
either; have fun pointing out the hypocrisy that has taken over the season.
The Commercialization Of Christmas Quiz
By Tazi J. Kat
1.
If you send them, when do you buy your Christmas
cards:
a.
Before Thanksgiving, as soon as I see them for
sale, so I can have them signed, sealed, and ready to deliver the weekend after
Thanksgiving
b.
Sometime between Christmas and New Year’s (you
can get a great sale price after the holiday!)
c.
I am Jewish. Do you have any idea how hard it is
to find Happy Hanukkah cards among all this Christmas stuff???
2.
Your wrapping paper is decorated with pictures
of:
a.
Santa Claus, Christmas trees, skating penguins,
and other winter themes
b.
The Madonna and Child, scenes from a manger, and
other religious pictures
c.
I’m Jewish! Do you have any idea how difficult
it is to find wrapping paper with Menorahs on it among all this Christmas
stuff???
3.
It’s sometime between Midnight and 6:00 AM on
Black Friday and lucky you, you have the day off from work! Where are you?
a.
Out shopping – this is when you get the best
sales on the best stuff! It will all be gone by 8 AM!
b.
At home, sleeping. There’ll be other sales
between now and Christmas
c.
I’m Jewish! I’m at home preparing the big feast
I am hosting tonight, in celebration of Hanukkah. (Incidentally, my gift
shopping is long done; thanks for all the Hanukkah
sales, retailers!)
4.
To you, the meaning of Christmas is:
a.
An opportunity to spend time with my loved ones
and to show love through the giving and receiving of presents (we have to have
presents!)
b.
A celebration of my religious faith
c.
A day off with pay, thanks to the religious-bias
of the Federal holiday system that requires me to take personal days to observe
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (yep; I’m Jewish!)
5.
You wish people…
a.
“Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”; I don’t
want to offend anyone and besides there are several holidays happening in
December
b.
“Merry Christmas”, since America is overwhelming
Christian, but will stand corrected if the person celebrates something else and
wish them a “Happy ______”
c.
Would recognize that not everyone celebrates the
Christian holidays and that the Judaic culture has contributed a great deal to
the American culture – like that bagel and schmear they are eating
6.
You take your Christmas tree down:
a.
The day after Christmas – the holiday is over
b.
Sometime between January 1 and the day after the
Feast of the Epiphany – Christmas is 12 days long
c.
I don’t have a Christmas tree to take down (but
my menorah comes down the day after Hanukkah ends)
7.
What are your thoughts on 24/7 Christmas songs
on the radio:
a.
I love them and look forward to them starting in
mid-November
b.
I think they should hold off until Christmas
week, and even then I switch the station to one that plays a mix of music
c.
Why in the world are Barbara Streisand and Bette
Midler (two nice Jewish girls!) singing Christmas songs? Oy vey!
8.
Do you take your kids to see Santa at the mall?
a.
Yes; in fact, we go to the Santa parade and
breakfast every year to watch him arrive
b.
Yes, but usually not until mid-December, if at
all. Christmas is about Christ, not Santa!
9.
On Christmas Eve/Day, do you attend religious
services?
a.
No. My kids are young and really wouldn’t
understand the meaning of it. Maybe when they are older, but then again I haven’t
been to church in years so maybe not
b.
Always, without fail, unless I am sick in bed
which means I am also too sick to celebrate Christmas
c. Do
you really need to ask?
10.
The day after Christmas you feel:
a.
Let down. So much work went into it and now it’s
all over for another year
b.
Contented. Christmas has a way of filling my
soul with faith and warn feelings
c.
Hung over. Let me tell you, I had a wild time at
this year’s Matzo Ball!
BONUS QUESTION!
11.
Do you own an Elf on the Shelf?
a.
Yes, and I move it faithfully every night! I
even pull it out for other holidays, too!
b.
No/My answer may as well be no for all the
attention I pay to it.
c.
I am so glad that Hanukkah has not been co-opted
by the retailers!
If you got:
Mostly A’s: You are part of the problem about which so many
people are complaining. If you are one of the complainants you need to, as
Michael Jackson suggested, start with the man in the mirror and make that
change. If on the other hand you are happy just the way you are you may want to
keep that opinion to yourself lest Bill O’Reilly and his FOX News followers
come after you with pitchforks and flaming clubs.
Mostly B’s: You are doing your best to keep Christ in
Christmas, and have the right to complain that the holiday has become far too
commercial. Your next step is to write or email retailers and let them know
that you will not stand idly by as they turn your Advent period into a
three-ring circus. To stay silent is to give your blessing.
Mostly C’s: I thank you for staying with me this far! I hope
your Hanukkah preparations are going smoothly and that your Festival of Lights
is a joyous one! (Only two weeks to go – have you finished your shopping yet?
Can you save me a honey puff or two?).
Snuggles,
TaziAsk Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with Bachelors degrees in Communications and in Gender and Women's Studies. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
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