Retail Ritual

It should come as a surprise to no one that I skipped the Black Friday shopping rampage. Neither crowds nor feckless spending bring me pleasure; vexation and guilt would be the likely outcomes were I to plunge into the ruckus. I'm always a little bemused at the eagerness some people show for the early morning sales or their determination to be part of the big event--why so important to shop that day and not others?. I'm disgusted to see people storming retailers' doors like they're fleeing demons, especially when people get hurt or, in the case of the Wal Mart worker in New York, killed in the melee. These scenes stand in disturbing contrast to the quiet preparation for the holiday that goes on in Christian circles. But the more I reflect on this, the more I can see a spiritual dimension to these spectacles.

Black Friday shopping is a ritual in both the common-usage sense and in the anthropological sense. It is a kind of routine that American consumers participate in annually, sometimes without much thought to its significance. But one could also argue that it, like religious rituals, represents a grasp toward some higher, ideal circumstance or value that lies beyond ordinary reality, yet should penetrate and inform that reality. In the case of holiday shopping, that higher realm would be a network of stronger and more loving bonds with family and friends, those for whom we buy gifts. The exchange of material treasure would symbolize and enact the display of love we otherwise find it hard to manage.

There are better ways to show love, of course, than buying the latest electronics or fashions. But then, there are better ways to celebrate the birth of Christ than to erect a manger scene on the front lawn.