The Tuesday Quotable
tis the season
Yes, The Tuesday Quotable returns from a two week break with a jam packed holiday edition. Apologies for the absence, holiday season obligations, work deadlines, and a sick dog were the priorities that have mandated my attention lately.
Much Ado About Nothing
Getting right into it, we’ll start with a personal pet peeve; the never ending heated debates over what is the best response to someone wishing us well for the holidays. For example, do we offer “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? And what is the appropriate term when we are returning the greeting? While I think the answers to those questions are inherently personal, they are also ones that need to be grounded in appropriate perspective and a bit of give and take.
Let me say at the outset; I am not Christian. I celebrate the holiday season that is commonly referred to as Christmas in the spirit and good cheer that is normally thought synonymous with that particular holiday. However, I do realize that, until recently, I lived in a large urban center with many people from varied cultures, backgrounds, faith, and/or lack of faith.
Thus, I believe it is vital that when we celebrate a holiday that applies to the current dominant culture, we always be conscious of those who do not subscribe to what is being celebrated. If one side has to inevitably give a little, I think it needs to be the majority. In other words, we need to err on the side of those at greatest risk of exclusion.
A few fundamental underpinnings on this issue for me are:
- I don’t think public or governmental business space should display religious imagery of any kind.
- I don’t think there should be prayer in public schools.
- I don’t think that public buildings where justice is carried out should display religious imagery or scripture.
- No matter how much we do, I think we could always do more to recognize minority cultures, faiths, and those of no faith in North American society.
- I think sometimes we can take things to appallingly selfish degrees, and sometimes we need to get the fuck over ourselves and stop acting like a petulant three year old.
For Example
If someone I don’t know wishes me a sincere Merry Christmas, I will respond under the assumption that the greeting was just that, an offering of good wishes. I will probably smile and wish them Merry Christmas as well. Without having to go into lengthy and involved proclamations of how I do not celebrate Christian-centric traditions etc. It was a casual offering made in good faith and I will respond graciously. If I can’t do that, I need to stop acting like that petulant three year old. Enough said.
That Being Said
If I don’t know you, I will wish you Happy Holidays, as I would rather offer a general greeting instead of unfairly attributing a faith-based belief system onto you, one which I have no reasonable expectation to assume you are a part of.
However, if I make a mistake and you happen to be a member of said group that ascribes to faith-centric beliefs, please recognize my greeting as respecting your power of individual agency, and do not be forever mortally wounded that I did not reference your belief in the divine.
Which is to say, if I know you are Christian or any other specific faith, I will be more than happy to offer you the greeting that applies, and I will humbly accept yours in kind. If I don’t know you, or I am unsure as to your beliefs, you’re getting the default Happy Holidays.
Please have the good sense, manners, and maturity to accept either with ease. I can assure you, I will.
Rant over.
Holiday TV Favourites
Holiday TV specials were always a big thing for me when I was a kid. Being a rather precocious only child with a strong imagination and definite opinions I was only too happy to express, I made a tough critic. For example, I hated Frosty The Snowman, the number one reason being that it made absolutely no sense that Frosty and that insipid girl made it to the North Pole and back again in time for dinner. How did that glaring error even make it past the first writer edit?
Rudolph was kind of cool for the animation style, but a few things in the underlying premise of the plot narrative disturbed me, though I had no name for it at the time. Today, I would site the heteronormative pissing contest that was the Reindeer Games, then the infuriatingly weak response when Rudolph’s dad bowed to peer pressure and chose shame instead of defending his kids nose. An ironic comment on the insidiousness of traditional masculinity if I’ve ever seen one!
There was also the concerning misogyny in having the two women, Rudolph’s mother and his girlfriend Clarice go look for him when he went missing. Once again, painting the woman as peacemaker while the man who caused the issue in the first place silently stews in an anger pot of his own creation.
Though most troubling to me was The Island Of Misfit Toys. In my early years of watching the special I would always cry when they thought they were being passed over and I’d want to bring them all home. Fuck, you think that would have been a clue to what would later become my co-dependent streak?
Though I must admit, there was always a duality with the Rudolph special, as I did have a rather large crush on that burly red headed bear, Yukon Cornelius. What can I say, my tastes in men developed early on. Moving on …
I loved The Grinch, especially Max the dog, but I’m sorry, those damn Who’s and the whole Whoville thing? Just creepy and weird. The pear shaped bodies not dissimilar to “weebles who wobble but don’t fall down”, and the bloody overly earnest, good cheer mood. It was like being at a never ending Up With People concert. I’m normally not a negative person, but I’m sorry, I’d fucking hate them too!
I think probably The Little Drummer Boy was always, and still is my favourite. Interesting isn’t it, for a kid who was raised in a decidedly non religious family yet ended up engaged to a priest. Whatever the reason, the comforting voice of Greer Garson doing the narration, and the ultimate outcome and message of the piece left me in a warm, authentically peaceful Christmas mood. The road to that mood was bumpy however, as the scene with his mother burning in the house fire, and the accident with Baba and the chariot were, in my early years, always problematic moments, or so my mother told me years later.
Musical Favorites
In terms of music, I generally prefer traditional Christmas music over the Santa centered songs. Jingle Bell Rock and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus are two I have always found exceedingly annoying. They can literally bring on a rapid mood switch the minute I hear them. A trait that was not particularly well suited to working as a holiday clerk at Eddie Bauer or The Ralph Lauren store during university. Come the 24th, you’d be lucky if I wasn’t throwing purchases at unsuspecting last minute gift shoppers while barking Merry Christmas.
My favourite song is not a difficult choice, especially this version by the Kings College, Cambridge.
Though a close second would have to be none other than the leader in the aid for Africa trilogy, the distinctly British style cool of Do They Know It’s Christmas, by Band Aid. Far ahead of the US offering of We Are The World, and the somewhat cliche Canadian addition of “don’t ya know” Tears Are Not Enough. But getting back to Band-Aid, here are a few rather cynical and unsolicited armchair observations:
Sting: In his red and black checkered scarf, with that slightly too long hair and mildly detached vibe, I have to admit he was my definition of cool at the time. And probably still.
Is it me, or are George Micheal, Bono, and Simon Le Bon coming in costume as the ghastly mullet triplets? Whatever, but it is kind of funny to watch their painfully contorted faces singing in raging over acting mode.
Boy George certainly is in high glam with the requisite 80's padded shoulders intact, in what I have dubbed his “early Dynasty” phase.
Good to see The Banana Rama girls were able to drag themselves out of bed and have their morning cigarette while filming, even if they were unable to wash, comb, or untangle their hair. Though I think they went to some effort, changing out of their PJ’s.
Having said that, I really can never get enough of this video.
Bonus Question
Anyone know who the bleached blond hot mess in the football jersey and floor length fur is? A hint: At the time they were the current plaything of one of the artists in the video.
Your Turn
Bring it on! Share your quotes, pictures, stories, songs, or recommends on this theme of “tis the season”. Anything related to Christmas goes! You can either leave a response below, or send your piece in as a submission to C(G). If you are not a writer for us, just leave a response asking to be added as one and I’ll get you set up.
Want To Write A Post In The Series?
I’m now taking pitches for a quotable theme edition that you will author at C(G). Send your ideas or drafts for your own Tuesday Quotable post to crossingenres@gmail.com.
While I welcome anyone who wishes to participate to respond or submit, I’m specifically tagging individuals who have been included in previous prompts both for C(G) and other publications. If you don’t wish to be included in a prompt, just let me know in a private note or email, and I’ll remove you immediately.
favourite, Ali Aoun, Alise Leslie, Alexainie, Amy Echstenkamper, Anna Now, Anto Rinish, Aphrodite Samadhi, Ayesha Talib Wissanji, BHD, Betta Tryptophan, Bryce Reynolds, Carolyn, Catharsis ,Chany N. Steward, Anna Herrington, Anna Hundert, Veronica Montes, Lisa Renee, Grey Drane 🌀, Ezinne Ukoha, Colette Clarke Torres, Jules, Jewels, Sean Howard, David Montgomery, Gloria DiFulvio, Hana Leshner, H. Nemesis Nyx, miranda deely, Lucy B, George, Mirah Curzer, Chris Hackett, CK Sales, Colette, Crooked Little Flower, Crystal Lady, Danish Z, Dennis Hatfield, Dennett, Dewi, Don Dennis, Emily Roberts, Eric Jennings, Evelyn Marie, Garnet, Gutbloom Heath Houston, Indira Reddy, Jason Stelzner, Jack Herlocker, j.s.lamb, JB, Jackie Ann John Wryter, Judy Ann Giorchino, JusTee, Kaj Schougaard, Karl Milfburn, Kerry Kuhn, Kim Ferrer, Kim Smyth, Lexi Riley, LittleHouse, Mairead O Donoghue, marika bianca, Mavis Chuma, Meg Barclay, Michael Adewunmi, Michael Ramsburg, Nancy E. Pitts, Nugra Gente, Onimisi Onipe, Orisirisi, Osasu Elaiho, Parijat Bhattacharjee, Paul Brookes, pixie, Rachel B. Baxter, Ré Harris, Rebecca Dennett Gravely, Richard Palmquist, rinigitanusajagadhita, Rizky Luthfianto, Rocket Worley, Samantha Star, Shahzeb Akhter, Shweta, Sherry Caris, Sherry Kappel, simpleman, Stephen C. Rose, Stuart James, Susan Christiana, Susan Ranscht, Tamyka Bell, TeriJo, Tien Skye, Thomas Fortenberry, Thomas R. Barton, JD, Vinod Shenoy, walkerjojones, Wendy Diamond, Wild Flower, Willow T. Lovelace, Kathy Jacobs
