Of all the things we try to keep secrets about, the ritual of Secret Santa is probably the hardest to control. To be honest, it’s a bugger! (That’s one thing crossed off my Christmas list!)
It’s the complete opposite of Chinese Whispers – starting a rumour at one end of a line and seeing if it bears much resemblance to the original message when it gets to the last ‘listener’. With Secret Santa, you’re doomed! You (naively) trust a group of ‘responsible’ people to select a name from a hat, and then buy an anonymous gift. Which seems simple to that point, but then they have to keep it a secret when the gifts are handed out. Some hope! When the drink is flowing, tongues are loosened and people start to engage in hand-to-hand combat the moment a good present comes out of the box. It all gets a bit like an episode of Takeshi’s Castle….
So, let’s take it right back to basics. What do we understand about Christmas, individually and collectively? What does it mean? What are the cultural and historical contexts of Christmas in the UK, USA and the Rest of the World? Why is the meaning shaped by the social and cultural activities surrounding Christmas (watching Christmas films, television, listening or engaging with popular music and carols), its relationship to a set of basic values (the idealised construct of the family), social relationships (community), and the ways in which ideologies are used, mobilised and designed to influence, not least in times of conflict, terrorism and war.
A microcosm of all of this is the issue created by wanting to use ‘Merry Christmas’ when designing the office Christmas card. That’s a no-no! You simply can’t do it any more for fear of offending people who have only a ‘less-than-passing’ allegiance to a once proud and Western orientated Christian festival. Life can be so unfair!
And while we’re on about it, where did the names Kris Kringle, Santa Claus, Saint Nick and even Father Christmas all come from? You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth (A Few Good Men. 1992). Well, they are all based on ‘Christkindl’ or the Christ Child and take their origins from German folklore. Then each culture, even down to national and regional identities, adds it’s own layers of tradition, charm and even mystery – ‘you’d better get to bed Children, because Santa will know who’s been naughty or nice!’
From Charles Dickens' seminal tale, A Christmas Carol, Coca-Cola-nisation, Victorian cartoons and Christmas cards, to Dr Who, The Office, 'A Fairy Tale of New York', 'Happy Christmas (War is Over)', and such dystopian films as Jingle All the Way, The Nightmare Before Christmas and All I Want For Christmas, all add their unique characteristics.
Then there are the news stories that impact on, and some might say cloud, our views of this truly seasonal conceit – the Christmas Day Bomber, the Indonesian Tsunami, the global events that take the festive edge off of our pagan celebrations.
And then, of course, how does Christmas relate to social change, and how do recent events such as 9/11 and the continuing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, focus attention on traditional themes of community and family. Christmas, Ideology and Popular Culture offer us all an opportunity to experience the world's most popular festival in our own way and, if we’re interested, understand what it means to the outsider, and often the disbeliever, looking in.
Which brings us neatly back to our problem with keeping secrets. It’s a 21st century phenomenon that means we are never more than a click away from a piece of news, a social network, a way to spend money or the latest drink sensation to hit the pubs.
So with that in mind, how are we supposed to keep anything secret under our big red hats?
Seasons Greetings from Idealogy
Posted by Simon Dover
