The incidence of Christmas on the distribution of love in society
The incidence of Christmas on the distribution of love in society
Links
Loving the self, but not the other … USA election and religion.
Love China, Love USA … “no suggestion of wrongdoing”
Two chapters
Relationships: family and friends, care and therapy, nurturing and flourishing
Gender: culture and psychology; literacy and education.
…
Christmas …
…is a time of love - a time of loving and of being loved …
… “Bah! Christmas!” Scrooge reminds us that love is not everywhere: there is a distribution of love in society. But Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol rescues Scrooge and the incidence of Christmas brings about a distribution of greater love in society.
Where is love at Christmas? The Christmas story is about the mother Mary and the baby Jesus. Primary schools put on nativity plays, with Mary centre stage, to an audience of adoring mothers with a sprinkling of fathers and grandparents. (Our granddaughter was on the national ITV news, playing the part of one of the shepherds.)
Along the street little children file from school to church and the nativity is celebrated in the Christmas hymns.
And in the home, it is little children who are at the centre of Christmas with Santa Claus coming down the chimney, bringing presents. (Adults and more knowing children know it is the parents – but vicars visiting primary schools reveal the fact at their peril!). See below.
Earlier in the month the High Street had been closed and the community gathered around the Christmas stalls and called the count down to the switching on of the Christmas lights.
Was Christmas different fifty-five years ago? Some things have stayed much the same and some things have altered.
This year 80% enjoy Christmas, 16% do not and 4% don’t know.
(In 1969, the percentages were 86%, 13% and 1%).
This year 81% will spend Christmas with family, 7% with friends, 11% alone and 2% don’t know.
(In 1969, the percentages were 86%, 7%, 5% and 2%.)
The with-family percentages varied with age, peaking in the 21-44 years old range in 1969 and in the 35-54 years old range in 2024, possibly reflecting changes in the age at which parents have children:
1969; 2024
21-34: 90%; 77%
35-44: 92%; 86%
45-54: 87%; 86%
55-64: 86%; 80%
65+: 74%; 78%
“Men have seen the biggest change in attitudes, with eight in 10 now saying Christmas goods are sold too early – up from six in 10.”
“One in nine lonely this Christmas.” The Times, 24 December 2024: 11.
The headline is a statement which is not based on the survey. What the survey finds is that one in nine will spend Christmas alone.
pdf: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/christmas-past-and-present.pdf ;
Christmas is a time for charity. Looking at thirty of our cards, 22 are charity cards, 5 are self-made and 3 are commercial. Newspapers have been running charity appeals, within the UK and internationally. And charities like Shelter are providing for the homeless over Christmas. See below.
Christmas is about loving relationships and this is a topic I have pursued in a chapter:
Relationships: family and friends, care and therapy, nurturing and flourishing
So how are loving relationships distributed in society? In view of the Christmas focus on mother and child, it is of interest how loving relationships are distributed according to gender. There are international differences between males and females in terms of literacy and education. In the UK boys and girls exhibit roughly the same level of participation and attainment across all subjects at the 16 years old stage in the GCSE exam; but then there is subject selection for 16 to 18 year olds and subject preferences have a strong gender gradient with manufacture for boys at one extreme and health and social care for girls at the other extreme (see Figure 12.15):
Gender: culture and psychology; literacy and education.
Santa Claus
Most small children believe in Santa Claus and derive great delight from it. Adults and teenagers do not believe but promote the belief for the benefit of the small children. There is an in-between age group which is in transition between believing and not believing. It can be a shock to discover that Santa is not real.
The Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain was leading an RE lesson for 10 to 11 year olds when he told them that Santa was not real. Word spread and there was consternation amongst children, staff, the head teacher and parents and the diocese. The school sent an apology from the vicar
“Pupils son as vicar ‘ruins Christmas’”. … Diocese apologises after children were told Santa wasn’t real and their parents ate the biscuits.”
The Times, December 14 2024: 5.
Pantomimes involve a lot of strong reaction from the young audience. in Peter Pan
The question “Do you believe in fairies?” receives a vociferous yes from the young audience thus keeping the fairy Tinkerbell alive.
Helping the homeless
People want to help the homeless. So they sometimes give money to beggars in the street. However “most people sleeping rough do not beg, and most beggars do not sleep rough” (but rather are professional beggars). It may be more effective to give money to Shelter, a charity for the homeless. Also the local council provides support for homeless people.
“Giving cash to beggars ‘is harmful’. … No one needs money to get into council shelter’. ” MK Citizen. December 12 2024, p.3
Links
Loving the self, but not the other … USA election and religion.
Love China, Love USA … “no suggestion of wrongdoing”
THE END