Christmas-ish in USA

Almost three years ago the gathering darkness near the winter solstice caught my eye when passing the inflatable lawn figures that have become so popular in the rotation of seasonal themes since 2005 as the prices from China dropped, the moving pieces grew more sophisticated, and the internal lighting became a standard feature. Seeing a similar display elsewhere this week triggered the observation that the spectacle nicely symbolizes the present moment of tension between the Jesus Story on the one hand and on the other hand, the consumers giving themselves permission to spend for themselves, others, and even for strangers sometimes.

First there is the relative size difference in secular and sacred figures in this 2015 photo; the 2018 display in a different city lacked the Mary/Joseph element altogether. Next there is the electrically powered, inflated hollowness of the brightly colored, computer-designed and trans-Pacific sourced factory products here.

Finally, there is "cheap and cheerful" philosophy of brightening up the neighborhood at little financial cost, and with nearly no social consideration or relationship involved. In other words, there is a "me, too" aspect of joining the consumers who seize the secular imagery, as if to say, "see everybody, I am a normal person, doing what Everybody does."

It is not too big a stretch to apply these observations to the social expressions now in transition in USA: secular take-over of formerly modest or subdued Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Christmas is electrically powers and inflated. Once unplugged the light goes out and the thing (both its physical space and its meaning) collapses. The bar for participation in popular (commerce-based) culture is low indeed, and it is relatively conducive to a nation of immigrants where possibly 10% of the census respondents speak a language at home other than English. When all you need is a few colorful tokens of an event like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter/springtime, then anybody with money and a bigbox importing store nearby can play along. By comparison, commitment to a religious community or faith tradition ancient or modern takes months and years to cultivate.

So the next time you see an inflatable, consider the symbolism; not of the figures depicted, but of their construction, distribution, and display. They are hollow, dependent on electricity, and have little mass or persisting meaning. And yet, even so, year by year there seem to be as many or more than the previous year. Perhaps the post-season deeply discounted sell-off of inventory is just too hard to ignore in the minds of cost-conscious consumers.