Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I start playing Christmas music the Friday after Thanksgiving, and my cousins have already begun decorating their house.  Right now as I write this post, they are sitting on the living room floor de-tangling the lights from the year before.  The words associated with this time of year are ones like cheer, love, family, joy, peace etc.  Nowhere on this list does manipulation or lies appear—but that would be very accurate. This is one of the few times a year where we expect some degree of deception.

We are manipulated by the season with all of its lights, green and red, snow, ads on television, and Christmas movies, convincing us that we should be feeling a certain way.  Everyone is supposed to be happy at Christmas time.  The commercialized aspect of this holiday manipulates everyone into buying so much stuff they do not really need, yet that is just what is done this time of year.  Purchasing presents for other people is part of the holidays.

We are also lied to by our family and friends to protect various surprises.  These are “good” lies we expect at holiday time.  The existence of Santa Clause is perhaps one of the most successful deceptions of my childhood.  Kids believe whole-heartedly in something they want so desperately to be true.  This little bit of magic adds to the thrill of Christmas morning.  Of course, this is just a blatant lie, and everyone figures it out eventually, yet no one is mad or thinks the deception cruel—they loved it while it lasted, and since they were not alone in the lie, it’s okay.

The idea that we expect the lies is interesting.  Is it still complete deception if we are conscious of it?  Experiencing the holiday season is analogous to reading a novel—we suspend our disbelief, willing to just be a part of the experience.