Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Seasons Greetings

I had hoped I'd be organised enough to write some book posts between Christmas and going to spend time with family over New Year, but with only Christmas Day and Boxing Day off work, I've not managed to organise myself. It doesn't help that I've not been thinking about books at all, but a lot about what this time of year means, and represents, to me.

Like many people I find Christmas Day itself challenging, and whilst I used to enjoy the run up to Christmas, the current challenging retail environment makes that a big ask - and it's a shame. I like winter, the cold and the dark don't particularly bother me, but I feel increasingly separated from what I think should be the natural rhythm of the year, and it bothers me.

I've mostly spent the last ten days at work listening to people complain. Complain because some item they want is unavailable, complain about how much things cost, complain about how much effort it is to make things*. A small amount of effort is a good thing. As autumn turns into winter I've found Making mince meat, Christmas cakes, Christmas puddings, chutney something to look forward too**. I love the way the kitchen smells when I do these things, the slow pace they demand which lets me listen to the radio, read a bit, potter around, make lists, plan things, and most of all think about the people I'll be sharing this stuff with. That, to me, is the point of Christmas - a time to share, in the dead of winter, when community matters the most.

It's not just for December either - it's the light at the end of the tunnel of dark days, so gentle preparations from the point the clocks go back seem sensible to me. The way advent is celebrated in the colder parts of Europe makes perfect sense as well, and surely Christmas itself lasts until 12th night? And yes, if it was up to me there would be far more time off for everyone around now. One of the things I miss most about working at Oddbins is how slack January was as everyone swore off the booze for the first few weeks of the new year. However cold it could be in that shop (it could be very cold, we were meant to leave the doors open) and dull without a constant stream of customers, it meant time to re-charge, to gossip, drink endless cups of tea, skive a little, and tidy up.

There's a reason too that this is traditionally a time for ghost stories. The older I get the more Christmas becomes about the people who aren't here anymore. Which in turn stirs up all sorts of things (there are always tears in our house at Christmas because we all pitch up tired and on edge, sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not). Sharing the sort of ghost stories that replace the genuine fears that lurk in the dark (fear of being cold, hungry, a lack of basic security) with ones you can begin to laugh at suddenly seems like a good idea.

Mostly though, and I know I'm middle aged when I say things like this, I miss the sense of general goodwill that I used to find at this time of year, which increasingly seems to have been replaced with a sullen sense of entitlement (retail makes you hate people). I'm not sure why anyone thinks it's okay to berate a shop assistant over an unavailable cake until they cry, but I've seen it done, and more than once. A little genuine goodwill and kindness goes a long way, so too, unfortunately, does ill will. Be nice to people, especially strangers. It's dark, and cold, everyone is dealing with crap, so why make it worse?

All of which is why I rather prefer 'Seasons Greetings' to 'Happy Christmas' - it covers so much more. And on that note - I'll be back in the New Year.


*Mulled wine, mince pies, and Buck's Fizz are top of this list, none of which require any particular effort. I might add that the threat to go to Marks & Spencer's instead is something I'm more inclined to view as a promise (just go), and seriously, how is opening a bottle of orange juice, or even squeezing an orange (god forbid) more effort than getting in a car, driving to another retailer, finding a parking space, searching for the product in question, and then queuing to pay for it?

**I like doing these things, I know not everyone does, and there's no earthly reason why they should.

6 comments:

  1. I am more of a Pagan myself and would rather welcome the Solstice than the awful, greedy Christmas. I am old so I think I am allowed to be cynical!

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  2. I'm an atheist, and as such Christmas means more to me as the turning point of the year when the dark literally begins to recede again. I assume there have always been festivals around this time of year to mark that - and for good reason. I love giving and receiving presents, but consider that far to much money is thrown around, and that there's also to much pressure to get it right on every level. Its generosity of spirit that matters most. I've been back at work for 3 days, and we're all saying that it feels like it was weeks ago now and concentrating on the next sales opportunity- which makes me wonder what the point of it all is?

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  3. I feel for you. I spent one year in retail (book shop) and the holiday season was brutal. On the other hand, there's nothing like working in retail to make you forever a kinder customer.

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    1. This is true. What I chiefly remember from the one Christmas I did in a bookshop is the number of customers who would appear with a slightly battered book asking for a discount - 'because it's for a present'. It was already a discount bookshop which is why we had so many battered books to begin with. Never mind, onwards, upwards, and happy new year.

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  4. Thank you for expressing so well what I've been thinking about. I am sorry that so much rudeness prevails around you.

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    1. Part of the problem is that it's the rudeness that sticks with you throughout the day, and not all the perfectly pleasant interactions. Mostly though I think we'd all be a lot happier if everyone excercised a bit more goodwill. I hope I've been doing that...

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