HAS CHRISTMAS BECOME TOO COMMERCIAL?

I've been hearing this question asked ever since I was a kid myself.  
And, No.  
I don't want to get into a conversation about how long that has been 
but, if you are a child of the computer age, 
it's been longer.
There's a part of me that wonders if Mary (Yes.  That Mary.) asked Joseph the same question when the three wise guys showed up unexpected.  
Right in the middle of breast feeding no doubt.  
Gawd!  
The nerve of some people!


In any case.  
It's an honest question that deserves an honest answer.  
I don't know.


But here's what I think (Like you didn't know more was coming).
Christmas is commercial.  
There's no other way to say it.  
It has become completely secularized and turned into the time of year when virtually every public service and retail industry can count on a boost that takes annual sales to places they could reach in no other way.  Christmas sales make such an enormous difference to every retail sector of the economy that the Friday of the American Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season and the busiest shopping day of the year in the USA, has become known as 'Black Friday' because the volume of sales on that day is what pushes most retailers into 'the black' in terms of annual net income.
We spend money on lights and decorations, on gifts, on wrapping paper and cards.  We spend more money on travel, on food for guests, on dining out and on every and any other celebratory activity you can name.


I suppose the question becomes twofold.  
Why?  
And how much is too much?
Add to that the reason for Christmas.  
How important is it to remember the event we are celebrating?
Not very unless your traditions, beliefs 
or, at least, family background lean towards Christianity.


I think it's a cultural thing.
We celebrate this way because this is the way we celebrate.  
This is a part of our culture. 
The average person in North America, and probably the entire Western World, 
has more than they need and access to more than that.  
But our way of life, 
where rampant consumerism is the most popular form of physical activity, 
is not a reflection on Christmas.  
It's a reflection on the Western World.  
Christmas just got caught up in it.


What I like is that it is and remains an atmosphere of celebration 
and a time to be with family and friends.  
As a matter of fact, it has become a time to make the effort 
to be with loved ones where that effort may not be a priority at any other time.
At the same time as we are demonstrating affection by the giving of gifts 
we should not forget that we are usually showing up to give them in person 
and isn't that really what it's all about?


I'm not ashamed to say that I still believe in Santa Claus.
And here's why.
Santa Claus is actually an English mispronunciation of the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas.
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.  His reputation for giving to those less fortunate survives to this day in the spirit of giving that Christmas inspires.  In that sense, Santa Claus lives on through each of us in the giving of gifts, of good wishes and of time to and for each other.


For the kids?
Let them enjoy the day and all the treats and goodies that go with it.
I feel fairly secure in the knowledge 
that the majority of us grown-ups understand 
that it truly is far more fun and fulfilling 
to give than to receive.


And on that subject, if you find yourself worrying that you're missing the true meaning of Christmas with all the commercial shenanigans going on around you, 
take a little cash or food or time 
and donate it to a worthy charitable cause.  
Let someone in need see your true Christmas spirit shinning through.

LEGALIZED PROSTITUTION

Who's got it?

Every nation on the face of the globe with the possible exception of Vatican City.

Who's for it?

Prostitution is legal in 77 countries. 

 78 if you count the State of Nevada which is kind of a distinct country within the US 

by virtue of making up most of it's laws up according to the needs of the tourist trade.

Canada is one of the nations where prostitution is legal 

although the law prohibits being found in, or working in a brothel; 

and communicating in a public place for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. 

 Apparently, it's more about semantics than sex here at home.

The fact that it's legal in Madagascar 

but, oddly enough, 

illegal in Liechtenstein 

is both unexpected and uninteresting.

Who's against it?

Most governments claim to be against it in principle. The idea behind legalization, where present, is generally held to be control and protection of those involved in the trade. Potential tax revenues probably have something to do with it in many countries. Occasional freebies for government officials probably push the right buttons in the rest.

109 countries have specific laws making prostitution illegal. In most cases, these are the countries where it's easiest to get laid for a price.

What do I think?

Once again, the debate has arisen in the media here in Canada as it does every few years whenever someone contests existing legislation that purports to control, without overtly condoning, the sex trade.

It's like smoking. It's legal to smoke in Canada. And it's legal to buy cigarettes. Just try and find a place where you can get away with it without being busted. You can't even smoke in your car anymore without risking legal sanction unless you are alone. If I understand the present legislation, it's pretty much the same for sex.

I'm troubled by the debate surrounding legalized prostitution because I don't believe a change in legislation would result in a change in the nature of the trade. I don't think open acceptance would create a flood of hookers inundating every urban area any more than clamping down on the skin trade would make it disappear.

Yes, legalization might result in protection of those involved. Medical screening (for those who will abide) and stricter controls on who actually makes money from the sex trade. The image of the nefarious pimp abusing his charges could become a thing of the past replaced by a government body taking it's similarly large cut of the profits right off the top. At least the likelihood of physical and emotional abuses would (might) be reduced.

Trouble is, none of this addresses the real concern. No one takes up the profession purely by choice. The reduction of actions that are intrinsic to the human condition to something bartered and sold is, in and of itself, degrading and abusive. No one walks away feeling good. The intimate nature of the situation leaves everyone involved open to trauma and trauma is all too frequently a part of what drives someone to the trade in the first place.

The actress Julia Roberts, when preparing for her role in "Pretty Woman" is said to have gone out to the streets of Los Angeles in search of the proverbial 'hooker with a heart of gold' in an effort to research her character.  She was devastated to find that such a creature did not seem to exist outside the world of fiction.  In the real world, the sex trade is a hard world filled with hard people.  Some may start out that way.  All appear to end up so.

Many years ago I drove a cab in downtown Toronto for a short time. I remember one very cold night in February I was stopped at a traffic light near Dundas and Parliament. On the north sidewalk stood a young girl shivering in a ridiculously short miniskirt, high heels and skin tight sweater. As I waited, a car pulled up on her side of the street. A man in a very warm long coat got out and approached the girl. He towered over her. They said a few words with no evidence of emotion and then, out of a pocket of her sweater, she pulled a large wad of bills which she handed over to the man. He got back in his car and drove off leaving her on the sidewalk alone and shivering in the cold at four AM.  I often wonder if she is still alive.

Show me a truly happy hooker and I'll be open to the discussion. Till then, I am an advocate for protection and for a non-judgemental social support system that helps anyone working the trade to get back on emotional solid ground, whatever that may be for them.