Large snowflakes illuminate every avenue and turnpike. Mistletoe and wreaths hang outside every shop. People decorate their homes with elegance and joy. The aroma of hot chocolate battles the searing cold air. These are just some of the sights of the holiday season that we are so privileged to experience and take part in every year. But the sight that makes this season a communal holiday season is the joy that is in the air. People are off from work, are going on vacation, taking advantages of the sales, or are most importantly relaxing and getting together with family and friends. People are out and about. This makes it a community art. There is art on the external for our eyes to see, but there’s also art in the internal during this season. People find joy in relaxing after a year’s worth of hard work. As they look forward to the new year, they spend time with those that are close to their heart. This time of the year is not limited to anyone, rather is open for everyone to take part in. This is why I chose this as a community art. What better an art than one that brings internal joy?
Although I don’t have any past relationships with the religious holidays traditionally celebrated in this season, the beauty of the holidays in present day is that I don’t need to have one in order to participate. To me, to take part in the holiday season is to be happy and appreciate life. The year is approaching the end, giving people time for introspection in order to set new and better hopes for the coming year, hence new year resolutions. We all have things that we are proud of and ones that we regret. The new year, in our minds, is a new start with the slate wiped clean. Thus, in the most basic element, the holiday season is one belonging to all humans. One can be working for an institution that causes him/her to live away from family, so for them the holidays might mean going on vacation to visit family back at home. One can be traveling to a new place alongside a loved one. One can be, again, simply gathering with those close by, free from the constraints of time. One can be celebrating the birth of Christ, or can be observing Hanukah. To me, there are no outsiders in this time of the year. The inclusiveness of the time is what makes it as joyful as it is.
My encounter with the holiday markets of this season was not a planned one, but one that, joyful nonetheless, occured prematurely. I was headed out of the Macaulay Honors College’s STEAM Festival and towards the trains at Columbus Circle when I saw masses of people crossing the street towards what appeared to be a holiday market. The market had encompassed the entirety of Columbus Circle and seemed to fit in perfectly with the neighboring Central Park. The market itself was delightful. Items varying from ceramics to chocolates were present. In just the first aisle of stalls, I saw lights, lamps, hot chocolate, scented candles, and skin products. There were also many clothing items, including sweaters, scarves, and mittens. The items were not items expected from the concept of a traditional holiday market that we have formed in our minds. I didn’t notice any Santa Claus hats or ugly Christmas sweaters. Rather I saw an Asian-style ceiling lights and lamps stall that made me feel like, for a brief instance, as if I were in Chinatown! As a result of such efforts of inclusiveness, the atmosphere was more open and accepting. I didn’t realize at the start, but the people next to me could have been from anywhere in the world. I overheard a group of people introducing themselves to another, with the former group coming on vacation to New York City from Alabama. Although my first thought of Alabama was Roy Moore, it was comforting to see people communicating with someone they wouldn’t normally communicate with. For me, this was the essence of the holiday season. People coming together in a spirit of humanity and mankind, common to us all, regardless of faith and culture.
Another aspect of the holiday market that intrigued me was the concept of the stalls. There weren’t any big companies or brands selling the products there. All the vendors appeared to be small businesses that specialized in the products that they bought to sell. How nice is that? Having lived in New York City my entire life, it’s heard to escape the big and recognizable brands and their logos. At the market, the small business vendors contributed to the essential atmosphere of the holiday season, an atmosphere of intimacy. The vendors specialized in the products they were selling. Knowing that, I had a greater appreciation for not only the product but for the small brands as well. I have yet to find better chocolate than Lindt and Godiva, with Lindt ranking above Godiva, but the chocolate at the market tasted surprisingly similar. The hot chocolate, also from an unrecognizable brand, was better than any I’ve gotten from Starbucks. This compelled me to think, was I eating the Godiva chocolate because I liked it or simply because of the brand?
As soon as I entered the market, the big sign with “Holiday” written largely across it stood out to me. Ironically, the next day I saw an interesting social media post of a friend at a holiday market in Birmingham, England. A striking difference stood out to me at once. Instead of “holiday” market, in the pictures of the post, I saw “Christmas” market written largely across the signs. This stuck with me, so I decided to look into it. To my surprise, New York City is the only place where the term “holiday” market is commonly used. Elsewhere, especially, Europe, “Christmas” market is the norm. England, a former cosmopolitan empire that colonized people of all cultures and races, I could see Christmas markets being the norm. With the monarch also being the head of the English Church, England is at its core, is a Christian country. However, I would think that a country largely responsible for the racial disparities we see today would now, in the twenty-first century, adopt a more inclusive approach. Birmingham, on my last visit, did not seem any less diverse than New York City. Yet, they say racial relations are better in the United Kingdom than in the United States. The difference lies in questioning. In this country, we have recently begun to question many things that were once of the norm. Take for example male predatory behavior. At one time, it would be shrugged off as just men being men. Now, thankfully, we feel the courage to speak out and deliver consequences for such behavior. The same theory applies to the statues of the Confederates down in the south. Now, many things that were once in denial and in the back of our minds, are now in our conscience. Isn’t it better to question the norm rather than blindly accept it for being the norm. By doing so can we even attempt to go near equality and build a common culture of inclusiveness, which I belive holiday markets are an example of and are even setting the bedrock for.
The claims of President Donald Trump in regards to the term “Happy Holidays” are an example of something the holiday season does not stand for. President Trump campaigned on and even today in his rallies, searingly cries to reconstitute the phrase “Merry Christmas” in place of “Happy Holidays.” I even once heard the following: “We will take back Christmas.” If people are finally recognizing that Christmas is not the only holiday of the season, then why would that be seen as something unlawful or wrong? There is Christmas, but also Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and several other micro-cultural holidays. Then there’s the New Years holiday, a secular holiday that is celebrated by the majority of the world. The fact that “Happy Holidays” is seen as inapplicable clearly denotes a racist and xenophobic ideology underlying President Trump’s claims. This would be something that I would want to delve into. It would be interesting to ask people visiting the holiday markets their opinion on this topic. Since the people visiting come from all over the world, I’m interested to know what types of comments I would receive. And although some perceive this topic as divisive and not appropriate for the holiday spirit, it would be an important conversation to have. Are we heading towards cultural inclusivity, or xenophobia? Being at the holiday markets in New York City definitely felt like the former. Seeing people from all over the country, the world even, collectively interacting and appreciating intimate and cosmopolitan items spoke to the essence of the holiday season. This is a season of unity, and whether it be just for a brief moment, we all get to breathe in the air of joy.
