The End of Innocence, or Damn You Norman Rockwell
People face the holidays with varying philosophies; many savor the lights and decorations, enjoy planning surprise gifts for family and friends, and relish the extra socializing the season invariably brings. They pay scant attention to shopping crowds and other holiday hazards, rather choosing to exult in each moment.
Others detest the enforced jollity, cringe at the crass commercialization of a solemn and thoughtful season, and dread receiving unwanted gifts or giving others useless trinkets. They are quick to scorn the entire endeavor and often blatantly refuse to celebrate at all.
I blame Norman Rockwell.
For every excited, hectic, pleased, frazzled, harried, morose and meloncholic adult at Christmas there's a reason, and it's quite simply Norman Rockwell.
See, I think that the people who try, often against huge odds, to make their holidays as much as possible like those they remember, are remembering all too well the perfect pictures of Mr. Rockwell. If, the subconscious mind must reason, I can recreate this picturesque joy, perhaps, just perhaps, all may go right this year - dissapontment will vanish and I'll finally be happy.
Those already entirely too dissapointed look at Mr. Rockwell's creation with sadly a similar eye - they've been so ground down that the effort the subconscious mind must make to be lifted out of day-to-day pessimism proves too much - the tragically forced happiness of the holiday only reminds me of my present and most likely continued unhappiness - therefore, why should I even try?
The bucolic holidays of years past: perfectly dressed, glowing tots crowded around a jolly Santa Claus, looking up at him in awe; the picture perfect Christmas trees superbly decorated and blazing fireplaces lovingly decked with pristine holly; rings of contented adults wreathed in smiles hoisting glasses of nog; colorfully wrapped gifts holding inside exactly what the recipient wanted.
Be still oh sadly innocent heart, for you are to be broken beyond recall.
The truth is, these visions of holiday sublimity began and ended within one man's mind - they never happened. Oh, I'm sure that we all can remember very good Christmases, memorable holidays probably experienced while children, while still deep within the innocence of youth. But believe me, no matter how wonderfully vaselined the lenses of one's backwards looking rose colored glasses, there's no way those memories can ever compare with Mr. Rockwell's devilishly alluring and persistent fantasies.
It's the end of innocence, it is, that gets us all in the end. Gazing with a tingling spine at perfectly falling snow on Christmas Eve. Convinced with one's entire being not only of the existence of Santa Claus but of his impending visit that night. Gorging on holiday treats without thinking for a solitary second of gaining weight or high cholesterol. Thinking that a perfect holiday season will make up for a lifetime of slights, that either keeping or not keeping the season will redeem one's soul.
Believing, if only for one time during the year, that peace on earth and goodwill towards men can truly be accomplished.
posted by Miliana at 6:55 PM
1 Comments:
We humans, particularly those of us who reside in the USA, do seem to prefer our delusions to reality, and are very adept at wallowing in childish and unrealistic expectations far into adulthood. While Norman Rockwell's subject matter may have reinforced those 'happy thoughts,'I don't believe he should bear the entire burden.
In my opinion LIFE Magazine bears greater blame, as does the entire advertising world and a consumer culture that believes every cure for what ails the psyche or an individual's view of themself can be found in a car, wearing apparel or a cosmetic. What is a magazine or any other publication that solicits ads? It's a marketing tool for business. The numbers of reading subscribers to said magazine is important only by provoking business to spend money on advertising that will sell them more useless concepts or things.
Ergo, Rockwell's ability to depict those little nuances so important to the American consumers mythic view of themselves only reinforced pre-existing delusions further magnified by the falsehood that the item within slick, four-color ads can promise Nirvana to the common man and woman. He can't be blamed for anything more than playing off the gullibility of the readership and the greed of business.
False and overinflated expectations must be laid at the doorstep of the people who have them.
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