Issue no. 273
Festivity Behind Glass
The anticipation of Christmas is perhaps always the best part of the year's end. How to configure this tradition-laden time of year is primarily a personal decision. It strikes me that a general scramble ensues around the middle of November. This shortage of time has only superficial bearing on the original significance of joyful anticipation.
Compared with previous years, little has changed in show window displays. We could discern neither less glitter nor really new interpretations. Light is and remains a fundamental part of all interior decoration. And every attempt to create a cozy ambiance owes much to light. By this we mean, of course, warm lighting and not those cold rods of light that continue to disfigure Bahnhofstrasse in Zürich, Switzerland. For the last time, as is loudly proclaimed. Other cities have obviously studied the human psyche more closely. It never occurred to them to attempt arresting the seasonal penchant for kitsch.
Christmas is celebrated according to ritual, either gaudily or modestly, depending on tradition. In contrast to previous years, Christmas 2009 is constrained by the wallet. Much must remain simply wishes. A circumstance which is not only negative. A bit of a problem for the retail trade maybe, but not bad for many other aspects of life. It can't hurt to consider thoroughly what one truly needs. And a celebration can also be a celebration when sometimes forgotten aspects once again come to the fore, such as: a group of close friends, a good conversation, cheerful children whom one can perhaps give insight into a world that is not only consumption, and perhaps even a lovely, snowy city. A heart-warming image, at least visually.
After Christmas, as usual, a new year is excitedly expected in the naive hope that everything will change dramatically. It will be different. Whether better we will know only after 12 months. In any case, thousands, perhaps even millions, attempt to comprehend the complexities of a world that, on the one hand, is getting smaller and closer, while, on the other, attempting to assert special interests. We will do what we do every year. We await surprises and will be pleased with your company. Visually the new year promises to be another fascinating chapter.
