I don’t know what holidays in Muslim countries would be similar in their economic impact. Ramadan? Food and such, but with the daytime restrictions perhaps not so much.

Now maybe you’ve seen something different, and know the origin of all the different Christmas traditions one sees in Mexico City today. I was originally just passing on an anecdote of what I saw when I went to Mexico City, and how it (to me) dove-tailed with what lisa was writing.

As for Coke Santa, you are right if you imply that it is an urban legend that Coke created it. I mis-typed. I should have said that the year-by-year, Christmas-by-Christmas advertising campaigns by Coca-Cola has affixed Santa to be of the sort with which we are familiar today. (This is opposed to the plethora of different forms of “Santa” that I saw while living in different places in Central and Northern Europe.) The emphasis of a “standardized” Santa is an American imposition, most promulgated internationally by the Coca-Cola corporation.

“but one could also argue that the standardization of Santa Claus with a white fur-trimmed red outfit is a construct straight from the United States (from Coca-Cola’s marketing campaign in the 1930s).”

No it’s not. People need to stop mindlessly repeating this, because it’s an urban legend than can be debunked by the most basic research.

Or perhaps I didn’t see the hidden “War on Christmas” message hidden in the statement that there is a lot of spending of money and making of money taking place between Black Friday and Christmas Eve…

p.s., I looked again to make sure that lisa hadn’t made any overt War-on-Christmas statements, and none were to be found. Of course, maybe there are words that remain hidden on my screen that are in blazing bold and capital letters on yours, highlighting the War-on-Christmas meme that apparently is raging in your skull.

p.p.s., I would suggest that in our multicultural society, the best solution would be to celebrate all the holidays that take place around mid-winter (aka Winter Solstice), since this whole War-on-Christmas meme is just too stressful and annoying to have to deal with, and shouldn’t we all be part of a melting pot of multiculturalism, anyway? Celebrate any or all the holidays of the season! (And what’s with all the negativity? The days are getting longer: don’t succumb to the gloom!)

Ummm…. Yeah. I know that. From where might the US traditions of Christmas have come, EXCEPT from immigration from Europe, particularly England and (later) Northern and North-Central Europe? Sorry if I had to make you read between the lines there. Next time, I will be more specific about the fact that (like many US traditions) the Christmas traditions seen in the US came from Europe (primarily Britain and Northern Europe, thanks to successive waves of immigrants).

“Wherever Christmas spread, these traditions went with them.”

This is a nonsensical statement (especially when looking at the context in which you make it), since it is obvious that Christianity (nor the celebration of Christmas) has never been isolated in snow-bound winter areas of Europe.

Also, the traditions of Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the holly and the ivy, the Yule log, the gift-giving, etc. all pre-date Christianity. Some of them were included into Christian celebrations of Christmas, but only after “Christianizing” the symbol (either overtly or quietly).

“but what you find in Mexico or elsewhere isn’t a clear-cut example of “American Cultural Colonialism.””

Umm… I would agree that it is “clear-cut”, however, very few things are. Still, is it not more likely that there would be a massive cultural impact from the United States (and from the influence – especially in the last 20 years – of NAFTA) compared to the relatively minor direct cultural impact from Northern European nations on Mexico?

In terms of elsewhere, I had learned that the Christmas “traditions” (such as they are) in Japan were the result of US military occupation after WW2. Now, I could be wrong about this, but it seems likely, what with the removal of any sort of Western cultural influences (or the “Japanification” of them, such as with what happened with baseball) in the decades leading up to WW2. (In fact, Christians were heavily persecuted by the Japanese government during this period.)

The direct presence of (specifically) US soldiers for seven years after WW2 (Japan was given self-rule in 1952) set up many of the the practices of Christmas that are seen in Japan today (or at least when I was living there).

I haven’t listed any other non-European countries here, but one could also argue that the standardization of Santa Claus with a white fur-trimmed red outfit is a construct straight from the United States (from Coca-Cola’s marketing campaign in the 1930s).

There is an increased level of consumerism, but what you find in Mexico or elsewhere isn’t a clear-cut example of “American Cultural Colonialism.”

Too many people become employed making goods and providing service to meet the demands of greedy consumers, mostly children. The government should impose a 50% Christmas Tax on all purchases from Black Friday to Christmas Day to discourage individuals from purchasing gifts for others.

In our multicultural society, the best solution would be to ban Christmas altogether since it offends too many people. Especially Christmas trees because they make some many people feel excluded. Bah Humbug to the Christmas Season!

On a recent trip to Mexico City, I saw several different species of high-latitude (i.e., far-northern) pine trees on sale in the plaza mercados, fake snow was being applied to windows, fake-pine streamers were being hung around rooms, and sleighbells, reindeers, and snowmen were all in evidence, both in Mexico City as well as in many of the small towns that I went to. (Too, growing up in Tokyo, I was always quietly amazed at how readily the Japanese had taken on Christmas decorating, and how much money they spent on a holiday that was completely foreign to them; although it does snow a LOT more frequently in Tokyo than Mexico City, making the snow theme more climatically appropriate at the very least.)

This brings the other part of the “Economy of Christmas” (to me at least) to the fore: the globalization of “traditional” Christmas ornamentation and the apparent cultural colonialism of (primarily US) Christmas traditions. This, too, has consequences alongside those of the rampant consumerism of gift-buying (coupled with the purchase of more and more items that are effectively non-reparable).

I just wish that I had taken pictures of the Christmas trees that had to have been trucked in to Mexico City from highland regions of the country (or even from the US), the garlanding of shops with snow-tipped fake-pine streamers, the painting of fake snow on windows, etc., all in a city that almost never gets to freezing (let alone having snowfall during their dry season), and which doesn’t have a pre-Hispanic tradition or Spanish tradition of snowy Christmases.

End note: while I agree that there is a major hidden scale issue of direct consumerism with gift-buying, I would like to make the additional note that the decorations FOR Christmas (that many of us in the US take for granted) are also a major point of consumerism that carry with them the same costs of manufacture, shipping, social pressure, etc. that are inherent in gift-buying.