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12/25/2006: "Merry Christmas" by Alice Cavender
When I realised I had the heavy duty of blogging on Christmas day, I decided it must be symbolic: I had to find a festive subject on which to write. But when you look at it more closely, you realise there is no such thing as “Christmas art”, as there would be “Arte Povera”, “impressionist art” or then again “Pompier art”. Or course, there are many religious paintings or sculptures that pay tribute to the miracle of the Nativity and all that surrounds it, but there is not an official “Christmas art”. And it’s all for the best, as the Christmas “icon” of the man in red and white is really just a commercial stunt and a figment of imagination for children. At a time when art critics and art amateurs relish in putting everything into categories, no one has defined this type of art yet.
Everyone sees Christmas in different ways. People choose to celebrate it differently; some according to their beliefs, choose not to celebrate it at all.
But I believe there is a Christmas art, if not called that, then more of a festive ambiance. The lights in the streets, the spray-painted snow on the window panes, the drawings of children… All these innocent and childlike displays contribute to giving us what we call “Christmas spirit”. In France, the tradition is to hang a Santa Claus from the roof, the gutter or the balcony (therefore imitating his climb to the chimney) and although this is an old habit, even now, one house in three has one of these flimsy yet endearing red and white puppets hanging faithfully from the beginning to the end of the month.
All this just to point out that the 25th of December, whether you believe in Christmas celebrations or not, enables people to let their imagination run wild, to discover their inner child, and to express themselves artistically. Every person can become an artist at Christmas, the world is his canvas.
Merry Christmas everyone and see you next year for even more blogs!
