A Consumerist Christmas

This Christmas I find myself a little lacking of spirit; I don't know whether this is because of my own mind and emotions or because I see Christmas as having lost its original message. Probably both.

Christmas is the time of year when humans feel
once again the crippling desire to conform
and so thus, in their hurry to do so,
pull out from dusty cupboards gaudy
and balding strips of tinsel,
and candy coloured crass strings of lights,
and chop down trees from Nature
who they are so willing to defile,
in order to paint their house in the
colours of unity: which is conformity.

“Christmas- a time for love, and peace on earth!”
is the supposed saying.
What I see is companies, led by fat sleazy men
whose guts are filled with cash,
exploiting us with reindeer headbands
and trashy Santa hats and glittery baubles,
and more s**t we don’t need,
so that they can feed the consumer market
(which is very devoid of peace and love)
and keep our little society spinning round.

Those who don’t participate in such
consumerism and the ‘Christmas spirit’
are promptly labelled stooges
for not feeding the market.
“You stooge, where’s your tinsel
and stockings and superfluous
presents that you could buy from me?”
the fat, bald, sleazy men ask.
You offer up peace,
and you offer up love,
and you offer up yourself,
with intentions that while not might always
be good,
or pure,
never intend to harm anyone.
But your self is never enough
to our consumerist society,
unless it comes coated in a sticky
glaze of money.