The secular and the spiritual
Come Christmas-time, the city takes on the feel of a South Korean cram school, with cars in a permanent state of gridlock on one hand, and frazzled holiday shoppers on the other. Seeking refuge from the chaos, my friends and I met up at a local bar where, over bites of overpriced chocolate, we thought of ways to bring the year to an elegant end. Then all of a sudden I heard it.
It, in this case, wasn’t the sound of neighborhood chihuahuas pitter-pattering in reindeer outfits — though that wouldn’t have been surprising at all. It was Linus and Lucy, a jazz composition of real merit by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Taken from the soundtrack A Charlie Brown Christmas, a special I’ve come to equate with the season, thanks to a favorite aunt, it was probably my first exposure to the genre.
I’ve always been aware of it, as it’s the track that Schroeder plays while Charles Schulz’s entire Peanuts posse funky-dances on stage. I never knew what it was called, however, just “that Charlie Brown song.” I only Googled it that night, after seeing stills of A Charlie Brown Christmas being reblogged on my Tumblr dashboard. I’m glad that I did. Not only was I rewarded with one of the best holiday albums ever; I was able to download a once blurry part of my childhood, a sophisticated one that came way before *NSync’s Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or Jingle Bell Rock from Mean Girls.
As we amble — some say panic — towards the year-end finish line, being nostalgic becomes even more attractive. Though I consider myself a forward thinker, I, too, ease off the pedal and let the memories rush back in. Christmas is about traditions, both old and new, and it’s fascinating how you accumulate them over time, layer by layer. To be honest, I now consider The OC’s Chrismukkah episodes as cherished classics. My December simply wouldn’t be the same without Seth Cohen articulating the origins of the hybrid holiday.
Of course, aside from sorely-missed TV shows, there are certain movies that turn even more meaningful this time of the year because of the fuzzy feelings that come with viewing them yet again. At the top of my list is Home Alone, followed by Love, Actually, then Jumanji, then Jurassic Park. I don’t know why a film about dinosaurs makes me all warm and gooey inside, but I guess it’s because it was one of the first films I recall seeing in the theater as a kid.
While you can count on some things to stay the same during Christmas, you can bet on others to definitely change. Again, I saw a graph online that illustrates how one’s attitude towards presents changes as he or she matures: we whine “Socks?!” when we’re younger but exclaim “Socks!” as we get older. Our notion of Santa Claus — well, at least my notion — shifts as well. US illustrator Graham Annable summed it up best with his Hipster Santa greeting card, which reimagines Father Christmas as a waifish Brooklyn type in skinny red jeans. “He’s making a list / Checking it twice / Gonna find out who’s mainstream or underground.” Very appropriate, I must say.
Anyway, I think that finding a balance between the secular and the spiritual is the challenge of the modern Christmas. Howsoever you achieve that zen is your thing. So before I mentally exit the building and consider this year closed, I’d like to send everyone some drunken holiday vibes. May you have the best Christmas ever!
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