Hippity Hoppity

Note: The Commmon Man wanted to post this over the weekend, but there was difficulty finding a computer on which to do it while he was celebrating Easter with his inlaws in Lancaster.

The Common Man promised a blog entry over the weekend, and so a blog entry you shall have:

This is the Easter weekend, a joyous time in the Christian church. As such, The Common Man, with The Uncommon Wife and The Boy in tow, will venture far and wide, first to Philadelphia then to just outside of Lancaster, PA to spend the Easter holiday with The Uncommon Inlaws. This will be The Boy's first opportunity to meet his maternal great-grandmother, so he is excited (though at this point, sucking on his fist and finding his toes also qualify as exciting).

The Common Man has often wondered why Easter gets relatively short shrift in our culture, among Christian holidays. Indeed, among all holidays. Christmas, of course, has blown up like the Olson Twins and is a force unto itself. Even non-religious families feel pressure to celebrate it. The Fourth of July has a drawing power that brings families together to grill and watch fireworks. Valentine's Day has become a massive financial industry. Veterans Day gets spread out over a full weekend.

Yet Easter, by most accounts, is the most important of the Christian holidays. Even more than the birth of Christ, this day celebrates the reason why Christianity exists. It is a day to remember why Christians are Christians in the first place. But Christians in this country treat it like a second-class holiday. Some roll it into Spring Break. Some do not celebrate it. Some think of it solely as a day of bunnies and colored eggs (by the way, if you haven't already, watch South Park's take on Easter from last week; hilarious). It should be exalted among holidays but it is not. Why?

The Common Man thinks that it's mostly because people like Baby Jesus more than Adult Jesus. Call this the Ricky Bobby effect. It seems like people are happiest with a cute little 8 lbs, 6 oz baby Jesus. Adult Jesus was, apparently, kind of scrawny and hairy. Also, once he gets arrested, Adult Jesus gets uglied and bloodied up pretty quick. Ever wonder why we don't see Adolescent Jesus? Because nobody wants to see a pimply, awkward, greasy Jesus with a cracking voice. People prefer their Jesi to be aesthetically pleasing.

Also, Baby Jesus is harmless and helpless, he must be cared for (by his surrogate family, the Christian community). Adult Jesus can take care of himself, thank you very much. Hungry? Here, let Adult Jesus rustle you up some loaves and fishes. Ow, adult Jesus fell off a roof during a filming of backyard wrestling with Simon-Peter? Don't worry, he's already healed his shattered fibula. Needing beverages for an expensive dinner party? Put Adult Jesus on the guest list and everybody gets wine! Just don't invite any money-lenders, pharisees, or tax collectors (Zaccheaus excepted).

Plus, Baby Jesus is quiet (Silent Night: "Little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes."). Adult Jesus has the temerity to tell people how they should live their lives. How annoying! There's nothing worse than a bossy, know-it-all savior.

Also, it's worth noting that Christmas comes at the beginning of winter, when snow and cold are relative novelties. It's easier to be excited about a time of year when you aren't cursing your decision to live north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Easter comes at the tail end of winter, when everyone's sick of the cold and wind. It's no fun anticipating yet another weekend that it's too cold to grill.

That's all I've got. Got more ideas, post them below.

By the way, according to the Religious Talk Radio The Common Man listened to on the way back from Lancaster, he is not crazy. Celebrating Easter has always been secondary to celebrating Christmas in this country, and celebrating the holiday did not become widespread until the late 19th century. Happy [belated] Easter.

programming note: because this didn't get posted until Monday (and because he doesn't have class tomorrow), The Common Man will be back tomorrow.