You've got it all wrong--the whole point of Christmas songs is just like holiday movies & TV specials--to package the whole sordid, depressing, consumer-greed-driven charade in a patina of anachronistic sentimentality. We've got a nation of 300 million people nostalgic for things they've never actually experienced, but it's crucial that the illusion is maintained. Most Americans have no ideal what chesnuts roasting on an open fire smell like, but they damn sure are sentimental about it.
I totally remember sitting in a filthy college apartment in '96 watching an Nth generation VHS copy of this with a dozen friends...
at the very least they need to update the song "It's the most wonderful time of the year" with "it's the most depressing time of the year" to make it a more accurate reflection of reality. people spending money they don't have to buy other people presents that they don't need all because that's what society tells them they're expected to do. I told my family about 4 years ago no more adult gift giving. I had to lay down the law because it was just silly. my brother would call me up and ask me what I wanted (about $50 worth), and I would do the same. so no, I have not (and will not) participated in any of the Christmas shopping frenzy. I bought groceries yesterday, and that's about it.
Actually, my gf was just saying this weekend that thanks to Staples commercials she no longer thinks of this as a Xmas song at all, but as a back-to-school song
Not long ago my wife and I watched "Meet Me in St. Louis," where Judy Garland sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" which has since become a (no pun intended, fatbastard) staple. Holy shit, what a sad song. And yet I've heard the muzak version of it more than any other song so far. You'd never guess that the message is basically, "we'll muddle through somehow... And it's still going to suck." Oh, Jack frost seriously nipped at my nose this morning, and while it's been over a decade, fire-roasted chestnuts are pretty damn good, though brazil nuts and almonds are better, IMO.
Well said, and spot on. That said, I think we need to up our game for the next generation, by creating a series of consumer-greed-driven carols for kids to sing. They cab be sentimental about how stores don't sell any of those things anymore, but they only come from the internet -- which is at the North Pole. It's all becoming clear, isn't it?
On a couple of trips to Zurich in previous years, in the fall (late October / early November) we found street vendors selling "heisse Marroni", aka roasted chestnuts. Most excellent. A couple of times since then, my wife has found chestnuts for sale at the farmer's market and brought some home for roasting. (Not on an open fire, though.)
I never ate a chestnut in my life. Bought some to roast one time, had no idea how to do it. Basically I had hot rocks. Ho ho, ********ing ho.
The magic is in the middle. You have to score the shell before roasting. It really is the ultimate winter treat. In Europe I grew up with chestnuts being used in stuffing, stews and pureed and whipped in desserts. Don't get me started on hazelnuts.
I actually have fond memories of the holidays, both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't think I'm cynical, I think I'm pissed off about how it's harder and harder to find space for the simpler, less commercial pleasures of the holiday season. My wife, too. It was one of her favorite treats growing up.
for Thanksgiving, my mom always uses chestnuts in the stuffing, and at Christmas time, we always have roasted chestnuts. but we're European. maybe that's part of it. besides scoring it, you also can add a little bit of water to the pan so that they don't get dried out as they roast. leaves them a little moist (sorry, I just had to use that word).
There is Nutella. The availability of Nutella in most grocery stores is a life saver for a foreigner like me who still doesn't understand the fascination with peanut butter.
Maybe, but what counterbalances are there currently for the commercialism of the 'Holiday Season'? For me, this time is all about enjoying the company of friends and family and not about buying a bunch of stuff - or pretending I think seasonal music is really good.
I love peanut butter in everything except peanut butter itself. love Reeses! I have a jar of Nutella my mom sent my son and I for a Thanksgiving care package. I don't eat it because of the calorie content, and my 4 year old doesn't seem to like it.
for me, it's the time of the year to push, shove, and trample on my fellow human beings to save 10% off something that I don't need or want, but hey, it's on sale. oh who am I kidding - I just use shopping as an excuse to give free reign to the Hun in me.
My wife and I live several hours drive from our nearest family, so we usually spend Thanksgiving with just ourselves and a handful of her colleagues who live too far away to go home. Christmas is usually just us, but we try to get to some relative's place before classes start up. The one thing we avoid is the official Thanksgiving family get together in Illinois (the one from which my cousin, pissed about Obama's re-election, temporarilly dis-invited my brothers). I avoid that because, much as I care about her (when politics aren't on the line), she suffers from one of the worst cases of "hostess neurosis" on record. Every Thanksgiving has to be better than the last, which pretty much assures that it gets worse every year. I always compare the holidays and family to my favorite food and beverage. I love the holidays and I love my extended family, just like I love cake frosting and beer: they're great, just not at the same time.