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On Hating Christmas

2015-12-25 · letter vlog · Hank · 2:27 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life · mode: Personal essay · tags: calendar ritual, timely hook

Hank argues that culture is like light, visible only where holidays focus it, so Christmas draws complaints; holidays are a chance to change culture by choosing traditions without whining at others, and giving shines through.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — The yearly complaints that Christmas is being done wrong

  • ★★ Hank notices that in recent years some people, in the lead-up to Christmas, try to define exactly what Christmas is and complain it is not being done right. — 00:00:01 · Christmas
  • ★★ Hank voices others' complaints: too much consumption, neglect of religious and historical roots, traditions co-opted from harmed cultures, Santa anagrams to Satan, Christmas Eve consumerism. (satire) — 00:00:12 · Christmas

00:00:34 — Culture is like light; holidays are lenses that make it visible, so Christmas exposes what clashes with our worldview

  • ★★★ Hank argues culture is like light: all around us, making life possible and shaping how we see, yet invisible itself, seen only in what it hits. — 00:00:35

    “Culture is like light”

  • ★ Hank's comic examples of culture's unseen rules: don't feed your visiting parents ramen, and women can wear skirts while men must put each leg into a separate leg tube. (playful) — 00:00:43

  • ★★★ Hank says holidays and rites of passage are lenses focusing culture into visible forms; as our biggest holiday, Christmas exposes the parts of culture that clash with our worldview. — 00:01:01 · Christmas

00:01:20 — Holidays as a chance to change culture: choose your traditions, don't whine about others'

  • ★★★ Hank says holidays, unlike lenses, let us change culture: look at what society is made of and say 'I don't want that bit'. — 00:01:20
  • ★★ Hank suggests people can give charitable contributions instead of gifts, or focus on children's wonder, the solstice, Jesus or whatever tradition feels deepest and richest to them. — 00:01:34
  • ★★★ Hank urges doing our best not to whine that others celebrate differently, since they value different things, live in a different culture and are different people. — 00:01:42

00:01:54 — Hank's own holiday things; diverse traditions; giving shines through

  • ★ For Hank this time of year means friends, video games, Christmas trees, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy the Elf's enthusiasm and cats on Christmas trees. — 00:01:54 · Christmas
  • ★★★ Hank says the season draws on diverse traditions because our culture is made of diverse people, and what shines through is giving, a bit of culture he can hardly object to. — 00:02:04

00:02:25 — Sign-off

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: Christmas · culture

Also: People: Ella Fitzgerald

Concepts: consumerism · rite of passage

Events: Christmas Eve · winter solstice

Characters: Buddy the Elf

Myths: Jesus · Santa Claus · Satan

Also centred on culture: Happy Graduation, Future Dead People · Some Reasons why People Suck

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