YudelLine

by Reb Yudel

When Hanukkah is like X-mas

Half a century ago, C.S.Lewis kvetched that the religious feast of Christmas had been bastardized into the commerical extravaganza of "X-mas." Praise the Lord, those of us disgusted with the Christmas celebration can take the advice of the fellafel-loving Fox superstar Oreilly and go to Israel... where Ha'aretz is editorializing about Branding Hanukkah:

The Festival of Lights has been turned into the holiday of commerce and brands, the holiday of corporations and producers. There's a price to be paid for this materialist race, and parents are begining to feel it now. But the heaviest price will be paid later. They will have to work hard to finance the increasing demands of their children, since there is no end to the supply and its temptations.

Forsaking understanding of the holiday's customs, and chasing after the fashionable brands with all the financial costs involved, could be interpreted by children as total surrender to a world in which heroes are stars on TV and in advertisements and the message is that the most important ambition is to look like them.

TrackBack