Berkley Center

Christmas in China doesn't exist as a religious holiday. On the other hand, Thanksgiving only exists in Western-style hotels, so I guess I should take what I can get. But there’s something distinctly uncomfortable about walking out of the metro to find a ‘snow machine’ spewing bubbles into a silvery Christmas tree; however, I've realized that of the people by the Christmas tree, I am generally the only one confused. Unless there's another Westerner.

Then, we exchange a look, perhaps a friendly giggle, and go on with our days, much like the rest of the population, who seem to not only fail to question this new holiday, but even embrace it. 

Though I suppose in America I face the same thing, or close enough. I dive into exams for the first two weeks after Thanksgiving, and then suddenly surface into the world of Christmas carols and "buy one-get one half off" promotions plastered onto the faces of peppermint candy cane boxes, and I don't give it a second thought. As in China, these events don't exhibit any historical basis, and no one stops to think about the modernity of the holiday; no one is confused, but that's only because they have made no attempt to understand. 

To some extent, I feel like I should write a plea for more attention to be paid to the roots of the Christmas tradition, that the holiday should focus more on the manger than the tree, or that it should be represented not by a soapy, shiny artifice, but by a bale of hay, with a little divot in it for a child. But I am led not to hope for historical accuracy, but for modernization. 

Why do I want a modern Christmas? Because Christmas is relevant today not because of its importance in a religious context, but rather because of its importance outside that context. Christmas today, certainly in China, but as well in America, is a holiday about consumption. Conspicuous consumption. 

But at Christmas, you're not allowed to give yourself presents. You have to give others presents, and what you get depends on how well others like you. 

My modern Christmas, then, is a kind of yearly reckoning. The people around you know how you behaved during the year; they may give you the old-fashioned coal in your stocking by snubbing you from their Christmas party, or they may give you something you wanted but didn't even know you did, exhibiting thought and caring. 

If you're bad, you get bad presents; if you’'re really bad, none at all. If you'’re good, though, you not only get presents, but also relationships that yield the ability to get, or give, a great present. 

I know I've left a lot out of this—the joy of giving presents, the religious basis for Christmas, and the importance of unconditional love are notable omissions, but a Christmas based on gifts isn't all bad. Every year, on December 25, people are given performance evaluations on their behavior for the previous year. Six days later, they can resolve to change their behavior. Sounds like a pretty good system to me.