Lighting Boston for the Holidays

As circumstance would have it, I’ve had quite a nice vacation the past week. The internship that I went to on Mondays and Fridays ended last week, my Wednesday and Saturday classes were cancelled, and of course there was no work on Thursday, meaning I’ve had a full week off, Tuesday to Tuesday.

I really needed a break. As great as things have been, “frantic” doesn’t even describe my schedule lately. I’ve had my new computer for almost 2 months now, and this holiday week has been the first time I’ve really gotten to play with it. I figured out how to use the newest CD burner software now, and I have to say, it gives me a power rush. There’s nothing quite like ripping off the big record labels for someone who grew up in the music business. Bwah ha ha ha ha!!!

Thanksgiving was nice. I went to a Thanksgiving dinner at my friend Courtney’s early in the evening. Courtney is a B’hai from Kansas, and her spread was the neatest mix of American heartland tradionalism and B’hai influences. After the fun of Courtney’s in Cambridge, I came back across the river where Aral had put on a vegetarian spread for some grrrrls who had been out at Plymouth protesting revisionist history. It was nice to have my home filled with people who were happy and eating and drinking. One of the guests had an 8-year-old brother who told me my room was cool. That really made my day.

Friday I met Rose Anne at the Boston Common, and we went to the corner of Winter and Washington Streets to see the mayor and a bunch of other people light the big Christmas tree there. I loved being part of a crowd of people who loved this city, and I loved watching all the Christmas lights come on, with giant stars floating over some of the streets of downtown crossing and everything. It was lovely. But there was all this other stuff going on too that got to me – the shops were just desperate for everyone to spend money, and that’s not what it’s about, you know?

There’s all this weird stuff going on since 9-11, tying patriotism and good citizenship with consumerism more than ever. It sort of colors everything in a negative light for me. The tree lighting ceremony was everything I love and despise about the holidays in one 2-hour extravaganza.

There was a “radio personality” (boo). Then a 10-minute set from Stomp, where they fought each other with trashcan lids in a dance that was a percussion song that was just awesome (yea!). After Stomp, out came traditional carolers who were really talented but also very elevator music like (boo). Then out came a plea for everyone to give to the children’s hospital (yea!) complete with sickly child to be gawked at on stage (boo, exploitive). The sick kid was with his older brother, and when the radio personality asked the brother if he had anything to say, the boy said “No” (yea! dignity). Then Santa came out, and a 40ish guy next to me yelled out “SANTA, YOU ROCK!” (yea, adult with the Santa cheer!). Then out came the mayor, and he and the kid onstage threw a giant candy-cane switch and the lights came out and the bells on the Filene’s building rang and the carolers sang and we should all go in to the corporate sponsors and buy lots of gifts! The radio guy really wanted us to buy a lot of things, because it’s been a rough year! And buying things will make everything better! America is strong! Buy buy buy!

But Rose Anne and I didn’t buy anything, because we don’t have any money. We walked down Commonwealth admiring the lights and talking all the way to the Hynes Convention Center. On the way, we saw a man teaching his toddler son how to pee on a lamppost near the Common. It was horrible, but Rose Anne and I had to laugh. This city never ceases to surprise me. Boston is always showing me things I never quite thought I’d see, in ways I never thought I’d react to them.