The Bahummiest of Humbugs

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Sender: Seto Kaiba
Subject: Regarding Christmas

I'll never understand what all the fascination is with one day that was arbitrarily chosen to be significant.

Don't hand me those lines about it being a time to show "good will" and "appreciation" for your fellow man. If people truly believed those ideals were important they wouldn't need to adhere to a schedule to be reminded to extend that gratitude, nor would it lead to the near-riots at limited time sales. Nothing says "Peace on Earth" quite like elbowing someone else out of the way so you can grab the last product off the shelf for yourself.

It's all a marketing ploy.

Believe me, I should know... I wonder what the sales figures look like this year.

Comments

sender: della duck

[sos_pilot]

You must be fun at parties.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

I can't say that I care for those either.

[sos_pilot]

I'm shocked to my very core.

sender: Madhuri

[songbird_slayer]

I'd heard of the way merchants profit immensely in some worlds around this season as folk rush to gather treasures for their loved ones. I can see how it can make one feel outside of the spirit of things.

If it would loan some perspective, I would be happy to share my reason for the way I treat it. Of course, if you're merely looking to vent, that is valid and I wouldn't mind reading what more you have to say.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

It's all about the money. Always has been, always will be. I just hope my marketing department didn't royally screw up while I was stuck here.

I was just venting, but you can add your perspective. Just bear in mind that it won't change my opinion.

Sender: Ann Takamaki

[menaretrash]

And this is why I'm spending the holiday with my friends this year.

Merry Christmas, babe!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Don't think he didn't notice that you bailed on him!]

I appreciate not being invited. Saved me the trouble of saying no.

[menaretrash]

[ Oh, come on, you would have said-- ]

Exactly, you would have said no. Anyways, I'll be home in a few hours and we can do something then, although something tells me you're less than heartbroken to have me out of your hair for a while.

Sender: Norimune

[kikuichi]

Perhaps. But does it matter, when the people get to find time and have fun?

Re: Sender: Norimune

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Heh, it doesn't really matter. No.

That was kind of the whole point. So why try to inject meaning into it, or make such a big deal?

[kikuichi]

You can ask the same question for anything else people do.

Why at this time of the year? Or why do these particular traditions carry over? No matter how it started, why keep it going?

Personally, I find it all quite fun to watch.

Sender: Amy Rose

[pricklybloom]

Maybe people like having their own meaning for these kinds of things. If you don't get the point of it, then it's probably because you're not putting anything into it.

You get as much as you give, after all.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

I can't wait until it's over.

[Especially this year.]

You still can't see how superficial it is? To put in all that effort into following traditions that someone else determined should be held at this specific time?

[pricklybloom]

Look, I'm not saying you're entirely wrong. [ As much as she's loathed to admit it. ] There are plenty of people and places that take it too far or make it way over the top, and it can get pretty chaotic.

But like I said, sometimes people like giving their own meaning to it, and taking the old traditions that were set up and finding something for themselves in them. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Besides, if you're complaining about all this when it's only once a year, what would you even do if people did celebrate like this all the time? You'd really think it'd be any better with all the parties and fuss, all the gifts and people taking time off to celebrate whenever they want throughout the entire year?

Sender: Shigeru Miyata

[mysophobic]

I had never heard of Christmas before arriving here. But is it really all about marketing and buying things?

I guess buying things for the people you love and care about is a bit of a ploy, but as long as people enjoy themselves then it's not so bad, right?!

Still making people go nuts with trying to get gifts is a bit disingenuous especially if your whole marketing scheme is about peace and stuff.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

How did you manage to miss out on that?

[The idea made Kaiba feel a little envious]

As long as I make a profit off of it... it's whatever. Usually do, but I'm not there to oversee it this year.

Lots of companies push that angle, make no mistake about it.

[mysophobic]

My world doesn't have anything called Christmas! But it does sound like a few familiar holidays we have back home.

So you have your own company?! That must be stressful, no wonder you're not the biggest fan. Do you do anything with your family for the holidays though?

sender: Traveler

[startraveler]

I think no matter what celebration, there is always something special sold or produced for it. That's just a part of it, even if someone is making money off it.

But I guess the important part is that a celebration is a good excuse for everyone to gather, even if they're normally busy.

This is the first time I'm experiencing "Christmas" though, so I can be mistaken.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

It's a lot of nonsense is what it is, and someone is always going to capitalize on it. Never let an opportunity go to waste.

[Usually.. he'd be one of those people using the season to increase the size of his bank account, but being stuck here is driving him nuts.]

If you've convinced yourself of that, I'm not going to be able to change your mind.

Still, you don't need a holiday to hold a gathering.

Sender: Octavia

[systemofadowny]

It gets especially muddy if you believe Christmas appropriated Pagan traditions to nudge a rival religion out of the way and make room for baby Jesus' newly appointed birthday. At that point, discussing its origins becomes a minefield.

I've seen enough sinners in Hell to know almost no human is perfect; while Christmas shouldn't be the only time people appreciate what they have, it is enough to motivate them to try and share that good will with others. It's so powerful, in fact, that soldiers on opposite sides during the first World War held unsanctioned ceasefires to trade prisoners, bury each others' dead and even trade rations, carols and games of football. Higher-ups hated this and banned future truces so their bloody war can continue without pesky things like compassion affecting morale.

People themselves make holidays special. The reason they're full of contention is because of capitalist bigots like you reducing it all to finances. People elbow and trample over each other because people like you enforce a parasitic economy that would suck the life out of anything as long as there's profits to be gained. You and the rich dad you probably got your money from are why people spit at Christmas each time it's mentioned.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

I didn't ask for a history lesson. The worst part? You didn't present anything new, so you just wasted your time and more importantly.. mine.

You're quick to place the blame squarely on entrepreneurs and visionaries but not on the people who buy into all the advertising and hype. I don't make people go out and shop for the latest installments and products, they seek them out because they recognize the quality that goes into each and every design and can't stand the idea of being the only person without one for themselves. They could just as easily decide not to complete the purchase.

Let me set you straight on a few of your misconceptions here and now. I didn't get my wealth from my rich "dad", I earned it. Every portion of it. I studied tirelessly day and night without end until I would collapse from exhaustion, toiling away to hone my skills and expand my base of knowledge. The technology that rocketed my company to the success it now boasts was created by my own hands. It's easy for someone whose never run a business to denounce them.

.. And for your information, I can guarantee beyond the shadow of any doubt that I have done more to demilitarize the world than you ever will. My father, if you could even call him that, produced armaments to supply any military faction with enough cash to afford them. When I wrested the company away from him I completely overhauled the business and shut down those lines. So I would appreciate it if you would refrain from drawing an association between myself and him ever again.

You can keep the preaching for someone else.

[herewardbound]

Personally, I've always felt the entire myth of 'Santa Claus' is bullshit.

An omniscient judgemental fat man is watching you sleep and judging your every move? What kind of totalitarian shit is that?

Nevermind the expectation it sets up in children who come from different backgrounds. The man hands out secondhand dolls and boardgames with pieces missing to poor children, and rich children get new game consoles and purebred puppies, and what-

What, exactly, is the takeaway from that? 'So sorry, little Kenji, but Sachiko got a new bicycle and the new Gamedude you asked Santa for, but this year you get socks. I guess you just weren't good enough!'

At the very least, I can appreciate this more historic pagan roots of winter holidays, which tended more towards the celebration of the survival of another year, and preparation for the long winter.

The really traditional 'spirit of the season', it turns out, is surviving and finding happiness at the darkest and harshest time of the year out of sheer spite.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Now this was more like it. Sure, Kaiba had actually enjoyed throwing a few written barbs back and forth with the rest of the rabble but seeing someone else brimming over with negative sentiments matched his mood perfectly. Although his reasons for said mood might seem counterintuitive to his initial rant.]

That's because that's precisely what it is.

The logistics alone are maddening. There's absolutely no one on Earth that could circumvent the globe in one night, while transporting gifts to every household. Some years you just consider yourself lucky if Fedex doesn't discard your packages into the nearest abandoned field...

What good does it do to instill children with thoughts of magic and hope when all of it is a lie? It doesn't prepare them for the harsh environment that is reality.

[Says the man that runs an amusement park that offers discounted rates for the underprivileged and totally has people parading around in costumes to give the illusion that they are in fact the monsters they represent... But no one here, knows he's a hypocrite... Except Ann... if she recalls Kaibaland]

This is the first sensible reply I've read since the initial transmission.

[And it comes from an unexpected source.]

Sender: Angela

[post_script]

You sound like a friend of mine--money and position aside.

Is the holiday truly like that? Quite a few people here seem to disagree with your perspective.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Everyone has their own experiences, but I stand by what I said.

It's accurate.