> There are several attitudes towards Christmas,
> Some of which we may disregard:
> The social, the torpid, the patently commercial,
> The rowdy (the pubs being open till midnight),
> And the childish—which is not that of the child
> For whom the candle is a star, and the gilded angel,
> Spreading its wings on the summit of the tree
> Is not only a decoration, but an angel.
> The child wonders at the Christmas tree,
> Let him continue in the spirit of wonder
> At the Feast as an event not accepted as a pretext;
> So that the glittering rapture, the amazement
> Of the first-remembered Christmas Tree,
> So that the surprises, delight in new posessions
> (Each one with its peculiar and amazing smell),
> The expectation of the goose or turkey
> And the expected awe on its appearance,
> So that the reverence and the gaiety
> May not be forgotten in later experience,
> In the bored habituation, the tedium, the fatigue,
> The awareness of death, the consciousness of failure,
> Or in the piety of the convert
> Which may be tainted with a self-conceit
> Displeasing to God and disrespectful to children
> (And here I remember also with gratitude
> St. Lucy, her carol, and her crown of fire):
> So that before the end, the eightieth Christmas
> (By eightieth meaning whichever is last),
> The accumulated memories of annual emotion
> May be concentrated into a great joy
> Which shall also be a great fear, as on the occasion
> When fear came upon every soul:
> Because the beginning shall remind us of the end,
> And the first coming of the second coming.
— T. S. Eliot, "The Cultivation of Christmas Trees"
MichaelJ
npub1wq…cqsyn
2023-12-17 02:25:40
Author Public Key
npub1wqfzz2p880wq0tumuae9lfwyhs8uz35xd0kr34zrvrwyh3kvrzuskcqsynPublished at
2023-12-17 02:25:40Event JSON
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"pubkey": "70122128273bdc07af9be7725fa5c4bc0fc146866bec38d44360dc4bc6cc18b9",
"created_at": 1702779940,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [],
"content": "\u003e There are several attitudes towards Christmas,\n\u003e Some of which we may disregard:\n\u003e The social, the torpid, the patently commercial,\n\u003e The rowdy (the pubs being open till midnight),\n\u003e And the childish—which is not that of the child\n\u003e For whom the candle is a star, and the gilded angel,\n\u003e Spreading its wings on the summit of the tree\n\u003e Is not only a decoration, but an angel.\n\n\u003e The child wonders at the Christmas tree,\n\u003e Let him continue in the spirit of wonder\n\u003e At the Feast as an event not accepted as a pretext;\n\u003e So that the glittering rapture, the amazement\n\u003e Of the first-remembered Christmas Tree,\n\u003e So that the surprises, delight in new posessions\n\u003e (Each one with its peculiar and amazing smell),\n\u003e The expectation of the goose or turkey\n\u003e And the expected awe on its appearance,\n\n\u003e So that the reverence and the gaiety\n\u003e May not be forgotten in later experience,\n\u003e In the bored habituation, the tedium, the fatigue,\n\u003e The awareness of death, the consciousness of failure,\n\u003e Or in the piety of the convert\n\u003e Which may be tainted with a self-conceit\n\u003e Displeasing to God and disrespectful to children\n\u003e (And here I remember also with gratitude\n\u003e St. Lucy, her carol, and her crown of fire):\n\n\u003e So that before the end, the eightieth Christmas\n\u003e (By eightieth meaning whichever is last),\n\u003e The accumulated memories of annual emotion\n\u003e May be concentrated into a great joy\n\u003e Which shall also be a great fear, as on the occasion\n\u003e When fear came upon every soul:\n\u003e Because the beginning shall remind us of the end,\n\u003e And the first coming of the second coming.\n\n— T. S. Eliot, \"The Cultivation of Christmas Trees\"",
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}