It's Christmas time in Oxford. Actually, it's been Christmas time for some time now. The city decorated the main street in town (Lamar) before Thanksgiving and a full week before Thanksgiving at that.
It's Christmas time in Oxford, not any other holiday. No Hannukah (there's not even a synagogue in town). No Kwanzaa, season's greetings, or happy holidays. It's Christmas. After working for Tulane where there were little to no decorations during the holiday season, it's weird to be in a place Christmas celebrations are so obvious and blatant. Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas decorations. They're pretty and they make me think it's more wintery than the 70 degree weather suggests. I just wonder what the Christmas decorations do to the people who don't celebrate the holiday. What do the people in Oxford who aren't Christian (what there are people who aren't Christians in Oxford? amazing, I know) or (gasp) are atheist think of the Christmas tree found on every other corner?
What does the prevalence of Christianity in the South mean to a town like Oxford? It means that come hell or high water there will be Christmas decorations on the square and the University of Mississippi will unapologetically decorate for the holiday without a second thought. Really, I'm not against the decorations. I just wish that a place so concerned with its image of exclusion might want to rethink its practice of blatantly doing so.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
It's Christmas time in Oxford
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2 comments:
As far as I know, Christmas trees are rooted in Gallic Druid tradition rather than Christian symbolism. So, if you want to feel more multicultural about it just think of it as a cultural remnant of a people nearly eradicated by Rome and Julius Caesar's genocidal imperialist policies.
Your loving redneck buddy,
Ben
Yes, but all Christian holidays are really Pagan holidays with pagan symbolism so that really doesn't count.
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