Friday, November 16, 2007

Consumerism -- It's Everywhere You Want to Be

Russia doesn't celebrate Christmas the way America celebrates Christmas. This isn't the effect of some pernicious war on Christmas. Christmas is a religious holiday, not a secular gift-giving holiday. I was looking forawrd to not having to deal with the American build-up to commerical Christmas, beginning as it does now right after Halloween.

However, in Russia, the gift-giving partying holiday involving a tree and generous magical figures with beards is New Year's. The tree is called a yolka.

There are already two up in the shopping drag near the university. My friends, who are more observant say that they've been up for a couple of weeks now.

Yep. Right after Halloween -- even in a country that doesn't really do Halloween.

Oh, yeah, it's snowing. And there is ice on the Neva and the Gulf of Finland. I am approximately four years old.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

the tree makes me think of eggs