Petition for an eighteen-monthly Christmas
In my proposals for new year to be moved to 21st March I mentioned my preference for an eighteen-monthly Christmas. Let me explain.
Christmas comes around too often, people complain. They might be complaining about the expense, the energy, the disruption, all of it. Obvious solution: move it to every eighteen months.
Always fancied a barbecue on the beach for Christmas? Now us Brits don't have to fly to Australia. Still taking our chances with the Great British summer but odds are improved. Aussies want a slightly cooler Christmas? Job done. And everyone gets both.
But you can't just move Christmas! people say. Jesus was born at Christmas! No, he wasn't. At least, it is vanishingly unlikely any such person was born on 25th December. Christmas is basically secular now. Like it or not. If it becomes a minor religious celebration fixed at 25th December that's fine.
A genuine concern, especially if I'm also successful in moving new year to March, is that we need midwinter celebrations here in the northern hemisphere. When it's dark at four o'clock in the afternoon. We do. There are any number of ancient festivals that could be resurrected or we could just make new ones up. Keep the bank holidays. Have a whole programme of midwinter events. Secular, non-consumerist, chill winter events. And Christmas will still happen every third midwinter.
An eighteen-monthly Christmas would be more sustainable and environmentally conscious, more fun, less stress. Should have posted this on the first.