ESPOSITO: Christmas tree indicative of holiday's shortcomings
Column: Unapologetically
The earliest recollection I have of my parents bringing me to pick out a Christmas tree is probably at the age of five or six.
I was dressed in snow boots, a hat, a scarf and a winter coat with a thick wool sweater underneath. It was the beginning of November, and I am pretty sure it was probably approximately 55 degrees. My mother is a bit overkill. We went to Christmas Tree Farm, located approximately 50 feet away from our local Wawa, about as rural as it gets.
We appraised the vast amounts of live trees, if you could call them that, considering they were all already chopped and lined up, ready for our selection. We settled on a 7-foot tree, the thickest one it had. We brought it into our house, played the holiday hits at the time, which I believe incorporated Kelly Clarkson’s rendition of “Christmas Wrapping."
Then, we began decorating it. I remember looking at my mother and asking, “Why are we decorating this tree two days after Thanksgiving”? She replied, “It is never too early to have some holiday magic”! The tree was yellow, shedding pine needles and gave everyone in my family severe allergies by Dec. 26. I guess in some cases, it is too early for some holiday magic.
After that year, we bought our Christmas trees elsewhere (Costco, to be precise).
What is the importance of a Christmas tree, to begin with? Christmas, a holiday brought to us by the Christians, originated in America with the Puritans making it illegal to decorate for the holiday, deeming any sort of glamor unholy. Flash forward, all 50 states grow Christmas trees.
So, if the people who started this whole “holiday season” thing in America in the first place did not want decorations, let alone a live tree dying in your living room, how did we get here? The answer is how we always get here, from our pals and longtime tyrants, the British.
The Queen was painted with her family around a tree during Christmas, and the rest is literal history. There is no real significance behind the Christmas tree, just a trend started by a rich white woman a few centuries ago.
“It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that matters, it’s who’s around it.” That is another famous quote from this time of year. I would like to challenge that statement. Because if that was the case, why is the world in an intense disarray as we speak, because apparently this year, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is too ugly.
The Rockefeller Center had to come out with a public statement that it will make the tree look better for the millions of angry people. To paraphrase, a multimillion dollar company had to publicly apologize for not living up to Christmas tree standards.
When my family and I gather together every year to decorate our Christmas tree, my mother always makes sure that all the best, most expensive decorations are placed perfectly in the back of the tree.
When I asked why, she told me it is because the tree is placed against a window. And she wants everyone walking by to see that we have the best tree. So, in conclusion, it is really not about the spiritual aspect of the mighty pine tree. It is a pissing contest.
The Christmas tree today represents what Christmas in the modern era truly stands for: greed and materialism. Contrary to popular belief, it is not about giving, it is about receiving, and the holidays are just a special time of year set aside to feel bad for all the things you cannot afford.
I am not diminishing the magic of this time. Long ago this time of year was sacred. The winter solstice, in nearly every documented religion, has always been seen as a special time of year. It is the re-emergence of light.
What I am arguing is that all the magic got lost in translation long ago. We know that during Christmas time we have saucy holiday parties, get drunk dressed up like Santa Claus and make out underneath the mistletoe.
But what about the true meaning of Christmas? That went to the wayside, after the commercialization of the Christmas tree. Suicide rates spike after the holidays, according to Psychology Today. People with mental illnesses are far more likely to have worsening symptoms during the holiday.
With the pressure to buy gifts when many people cannot afford them, the indication that you should be spending time with family and friends when some may have none, there is a lot that could go wrong during this holiday. And the Christmas tree is just another symbol of what we left behind.
Laura Esposito is a School of Arts and Sciences junior majoring in journalism and political science. Her column, "Unapologetically," runs on alternate Wednesdays.
*Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
YOUR VOICE | The Daily Targum welcomes submissions from all readers. Due to space limitations in our print newspaper, letters to the editor must not exceed 900 words. Guest columns and commentaries must be between 700 and 900 words. All authors must include their name, phone number, class year and college affiliation or department to be considered for publication. Please submit via email to oped@dailytargum.com by 4 p.m. to be considered for the following day’s publication. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
