By Means of Explanation

This is an experiment.  And we are the guinea pigs.

This experiment is about Christmas.  More specifically, it is about the Christmas season, running from Black Friday through December 25th.  It's not unusual to hear people lament that, during this stretch, the commercialism and trappings are inescapable.

This is, of course, untrue.

There are numerous escapes from the holidays.  There are shelters in our homes.  We can turn the channel when a special comes on.  And, no matter how hard radio stations try, no one is actually forced to listen to Christmas music 24-7.

Christmas, while certainly obtrusive, is not all encompassing.  But what if it were?

What if someone went the entire time between Thanksgiving and Christmas listening to nothing but Christmas music?  What would happen to the human mind if it were not merely exposed to a scattered selection of Christmas specials, but if it were force fed hour after hour of Christmas movies, specials, and episodes?

What is the precise breaking point of the human psyche?

For the thirty-one days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we'll be watching and discussing a nearly constant stream of specials and Christmas movies.  And, to be clear, these will stretch across the full spectrum of the what the holiday has to offer.  We'll certainly be looking at some of the best - The Nightmare Before Christmas, Elf, The Snowman - but there are things out there said to be worse than the Star Wars Christmas Special.  We'll be sure to track them down.

In addition, we'll be removing every non-holiday song from my iPod, and listening to Christmas music non-stop - we'll let you know which are enjoyable and which we blame for the season's high suicide rate.

There will be no escape for us.  Every room in our apartment will be decorated.  Everywhere we look, we'll see Christmas gazing back at us.

It doesn't end there, of course.  Oh, no.  This is only the tip of the peppermint-coated iceberg.  It is our intention to experience Christmas is all its horror.  We'll be visiting Macy's, Times Square, and any other temple consecrated to consumerism we can find.  New York City offers some of the most impressive decorations and displays in the world... as well as some of the most gaudy.  We'll be taking a camera.

This is Christmas.  Mainlined.

Be sure to stick around for enough holiday cheer to get you hooked for life.

Comments

  1. I love the title of this blog and the idea behind it. I know I'd crack a few days in so good luck!

    ReplyDelete

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