2B

My Cultural Currency: Commercial Christmas

D

espite the fact that I 
belong to a long line of 
practicing Hindus, I 

am, surprisingly, a big fan of the 
holiday season — in particular, 
Christmas. 

You’d think I’d be uncomfort-

able at the sight of predominant 
Christian imagery and music dur-
ing this time of year. But I take it 
in stride. 

I’ve bought into the commer-

cial hype of Christmas. Maybe it’s 
the result of living in the United 
States for so long, but as soon as 
my calendar shifts to December 
my entire demeanor changes.

I’m in it for the aesthetic appeal, 

for the very fact that everything 
just looks prettier around the fes-
tive time of year. Mall and home 
décor — considering the amount 
of tinsel and sparkles that occupy 
every corner — look like they’ve 
been blessed by the ghost of Lib-
erace. 

It seems as if, almost overnight, 

I turn into an ugly-sweater-wear-
ing, Vanilla-Bean-Noel-smelling, 
compulsive 
candy-cane-eating 

version of myself. 

I know Christmas is a sig-

nificant and auspicious time for 
Christians, but I guiltily get excit-
ed just at the prospect of listen-
ing to Wham! and Mariah Carey 
Christmas tunes 24/7 without 
judgment.

December is my moment. It’s 

what I’ve been waiting for since 
practically the day after Christ-
mas the year before.

I can blast my Christmas Spo-

tify playlist, appropriately titled 
“YAS CHRISTMAS YAS,” and 
put on an elaborate one-woman 
lip-sync performance of “Baby It’s 
Cold Outside” — which is ordered 
four times consecutively in the 

playlist — without the intense, 
burning shame that usually fol-
lows when I do the same thing in 
the middle of July. 

As an outsider from another 

faith, even the commercial build-
up around Christmas can’t avoid 
reminding me about the true 
meaning of the holiday. Believe 
me, I’m aware that Christmas is 
about family, charity and worship. 

Diwali, the festival of lights, is a 

particularly important holiday for 
Hindu families, where, in a man-
ner similar to Christmas, loved 
ones make an effort to spend time 
together. During the holiday, fam-

ilies will decorate their houses 
with lights — again, like Christ-
mas — and eat special, celebratory 
meals. 

But, because of the relatively 

small Hindu community here, I 
haven’t been able to enjoy Diwali 
the way it’s mean to be celebrated. 
There are no light-adorned hous-
es in the middle of October, no 
Diwali songs playing on the radio 
and no special ABC Family movie 
countdown. 

It’s just another October. And 

although it’s irrational — con-
sidering Hinduism is a minority 
religion in America — the lack of 
awareness never fails to disap-
point me. 

Because my own religion isn’t 

practiced as widely in the U.S. 
as Christianity, communal cel-
ebrations of big festivals such as 
Diwali have been missing for the 
majority of my life. 

Christmas is a national phe-

nomenon and by partaking in the 
hype around Christmas — the 
ridiculously-decorated 
houses, 

the red Starbucks cups — I feel 
like I make up for Diwali’s lack of 
festivity for myself. 

It’s comforting to know that 

when I’m jamming out to “Last 
Christmas” and starting on my 
15th box of candy canes, the rest 
of America is doing the same. 

And I don’t feel so alone.

B Y TA N YA M A D H A N I

Wednesday, January 7, 2015 // The Statement

... like they’ve 
been blessed 
by the ghost of 

Liberace.

ILLUSTRATION BY MAGGIE MILLER

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