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NYはモノとお金のクリスマス
さあ、クリスマス! 有名なロックフェラーセンターの巨大クリスマスツリーを筆頭に、街中は華やかなデコレーションで飾られます。しかしその一方、子供や親類へのプレゼント、アパートの管理人へのチップなどの出費もかさみ、筆者は頭が痛いようです。
Christmas in New York Celebrates Faith in Money
By BOB YAMPOLSKY
The guys from Quebec are back, selling their Christmas trees. Every year they arrive on the day after Thanksgiving, and a
stretch of sidewalk just outside our building becomes transformed into an outdoor Christmas tree market.
The trees are beautiful and fragrant, and the lights and decorations are festive. The young men selling the trees have
a rustic, north-country charm. They dress in sensible woodland clothes, speak with funny French Canadian accents and
are cheerful and efficient in their work.
Despite their outrageous prices, they do a brisk business. Because people are feeling rich these days, they don't mind
shelling out for a nice tree. Last year these guys sold $70,000 (¥7.35 million) worth.
That's Christmas in New York: It's beautiful and festive, and it's all about money.
Christmas is the time to hand out tips to the people who work in your building. Some large buildings actually hand out
lists of the people who work there to help make sure that you don't miss anyone. Our super and handyman, very
helpfully, slide a card under the door, just to make sure that we do not forget them.
Last year I gave $45 (¥4,725) to the super, $40 (¥4,200) to the handyman and $20 (¥2,100) each to the three men who take turns as guard in the lobby. A small staff, thank god.
But I still could have used a list, because I couldn't remember the name of the third guard. This is important because you
write the person's name on the envelope that holds the card with the money; it would be rude not to.
I did seem to remember that his name was something exotic and difficult to spell, so I came up with a clever way to
finesse the issue: When I handed him a blank envelope, I asked, "How do you spell your name?" He said, "S-A-M.
Sam." This year I'm giving the guards $25 (¥2,625).
In my family, we're still at the believing in Santa Claus stage. This means that on Christmas Eve, my kids put out milk
and cookies for Santa. As soon as they go to bed and the lights go off, they hear bells and reindeer hooves. When they
wake up in the morning, the milk and cookies have been consumed, and their presents await them under the tree.
Kids write letters to Santa, requesting specific toys. If they ask for too much, parents say, "If you're greedy and ask
for too much, Santa might not bring you anything." So it's easy to keep these costs reasonable. At my house, Santa's going
to spend about $40 a kid, tax included.
That's just the beginning. You have to figure in about $25 more each for smaller presents from Mama and Papa (They'll get
at least six more presents from assorted relatives.).
I also have to get presents for nine other kids on my side of the family. These will range from about $20 for my niece
and nephew, to about $10 (¥1,050) for my cousin's stepchildren. I'd like to keep it under $300 (¥31,500) for children's
presents this year (We're sensible in my family, meaning the adults do not exchange gifts).
On top of the expense, there is the monumental task of going to stores and battling the holiday crowds as you try to
find presents that are both appropriate and within budget. You're hot and sweaty in your bulky winter clothing, and
everywhere you turn there are people in your way. There are whiny kids and witless parents and dishearteningly long
lines, and each new credit card purchase seems to add that much more burden to your heart.
It gets dark before 5 these days. But the gloom of the season is dispelled by the festive displays across the city.
Apartment windows and storefronts are decorated with lights, and there are trees and decorations in almost every lobby.
Where the pockets are deepest the displays are gaudiest.
Office buildings in midtown seem to compete with each other for grandest display: giant wooden soldiers at one, a whole
forest of Christmas trees at another. Rockefeller Center is displaying its biggest Christmas tree ever this year, the last
of the millennium. It towers over the skating rink and, with its thousands of colored lights, is very pretty at night.
There is a certain delicacy about religion at this time of year. In New York, there are many Jews, who celebrate
Hanukkah. There are many Muslims, too. And there is a celebration called Kwanza, which is something of an
African-American alternative/supplement to Christmas.
So you make sure your cards say "Season's Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas," and you ask people how they are
spending the holidays, rather than how they are spending Christmas. For most of us, that is about the extent to which
traditional religion intrudes upon the Christmas season.
It is conventional wisdom here that Christmas has become a secular, materialistic celebration. I agree that it is
materialistic, but I do not think that it is secular. Future historians will look back on our era and understand that our
fevered spending was in fact an intensely religious act. For they will see what we have not yet admitted to ourselves:
that in New York, at the end of the 20th century, the prevailing religion centers around money.
The guys from Quebec are back, selling their Christmas trees. Every year they arrive on the day after Thanksgiving, and a
stretch of sidewalk just outside our building becomes transformed into an outdoor Christmas tree market.
The trees are beautiful and fragrant, and the lights and decorations are festive. The young men selling the trees have
a rustic, north-country charm. They dress in sensible woodland clothes, speak with funny French Canadian accents and
are cheerful and efficient in their work.
Despite their outrageous prices, they do a brisk business. Because people are feeling rich these days, they don't mind
shelling out for a nice tree. Last year these guys sold $70,000 (¥7.35 million) worth.
That's Christmas in New York: It's beautiful and festive, and it's all about money.
Christmas is the time to hand out tips to the people who work in your building. Some large buildings actually hand out
lists of the people who work there to help make sure that you don't miss anyone. Our super and handyman, very
helpfully, slide a card under the door, just to make sure that we do not forget them.
Last year I gave $45 (¥4,725) to the super, $40 (¥4,200) to the handyman and $20 (¥2,100) each to the three men who take turns as guard in the lobby. A small staff, thank god.
But I still could have used a list, because I couldn't remember the name of the third guard. This is important because you
write the person's name on the envelope that holds the card with the money; it would be rude not to.
I did seem to remember that his name was something exotic and difficult to spell, so I came up with a clever way to
finesse the issue: When I handed him a blank envelope, I asked, "How do you spell your name?" He said, "S-A-M.
Sam." This year I'm giving the guards $25 (¥2,625).
In my family, we're still at the believing in Santa Claus stage. This means that on Christmas Eve, my kids put out milk
and cookies for Santa. As soon as they go to bed and the lights go off, they hear bells and reindeer hooves. When they
wake up in the morning, the milk and cookies have been consumed, and their presents await them under the tree.
Kids write letters to Santa, requesting specific toys. If they ask for too much, parents say, "If you're greedy and ask
for too much, Santa might not bring you anything." So it's easy to keep these costs reasonable. At my house, Santa's going
to spend about $40 a kid, tax included.
That's just the beginning. You have to figure in about $25 more each for smaller presents from Mama and Papa (They'll get
at least six more presents from assorted relatives.).
I also have to get presents for nine other kids on my side of the family. These will range from about $20 for my niece
and nephew, to about $10 (¥1,050) for my cousin's stepchildren. I'd like to keep it under $300 (¥31,500) for children's
presents this year (We're sensible in my family, meaning the adults do not exchange gifts).
On top of the expense, there is the monumental task of going to stores and battling the holiday crowds as you try to
find presents that are both appropriate and within budget. You're hot and sweaty in your bulky winter clothing, and
everywhere you turn there are people in your way. There are whiny kids and witless parents and dishearteningly long
lines, and each new credit card purchase seems to add that much more burden to your heart.
It gets dark before 5 these days. But the gloom of the season is dispelled by the festive displays across the city.
Apartment windows and storefronts are decorated with lights, and there are trees and decorations in almost every lobby.
Where the pockets are deepest the displays are gaudiest.
Office buildings in midtown seem to compete with each other for grandest display: giant wooden soldiers at one, a whole
forest of Christmas trees at another. Rockefeller Center is displaying its biggest Christmas tree ever this year, the last
of the millennium. It towers over the skating rink and, with its thousands of colored lights, is very pretty at night.
There is a certain delicacy about religion at this time of year. In New York, there are many Jews, who celebrate
Hanukkah. There are many Muslims, too. And there is a celebration called Kwanza, which is something of an
African-American alternative/supplement to Christmas.
So you make sure your cards say "Season's Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas," and you ask people how they are
spending the holidays, rather than how they are spending Christmas. For most of us, that is about the extent to which
traditional religion intrudes upon the Christmas season.
It is conventional wisdom here that Christmas has become a secular, materialistic celebration. I agree that it is
materialistic, but I do not think that it is secular. Future historians will look back on our era and understand that our
fevered spending was in fact an intensely religious act. For they will see what we have not yet admitted to ourselves:
that in New York, at the end of the 20th century, the prevailing religion centers around money.
Shukan ST: Dec. 24, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- a stretch of sidewalk
- 歩道の一画
- fragrant
- 香りのよい
- festive
- お祭り気分の
- rustic
- 素朴な
- charm
- 愛敬
- sensible
- 実用本位の
- woodland clothes
- 森林地で着る服
- efficient
- 有能な
- outrageous
- 法外な
- do a brisk business
- 商売が繁盛している
- shelling out for 〜
- 〜 に金を支払う
- super
- 管理人
- handyman
- 便利屋
- take turns as guard
- 交代で警備員を務める
- A small staff
- 少人数だ
- rude
- 失礼な
- exotic
- 異国風の
- finesse the issue
- 巧みに問題を解決する
- blank
- 名前が書かれていない
- at the believing in Santa Claus stage
- サンタの存在を信じている段階
- put out
- 準備する
- reindeer hooves
- トナカイのひづめの音
- have been consumed
- なくなっている
- greedy
- 欲張りな
- figure in
- 勘定に入れる
- assorted relatives
- 親類一同
- niece
- めい
- nephew
- おい
- stepchildren
- 連れ子
- On top of the expense
- 支出に加えて
- monumental task
- 大変な仕事
- appropriate
- ぴったりの
- budget
- 予算
- sweaty
- 汗ばんだ
- bulky
- かさばる
- whiny
- べそをかいた
- witless
- 愚かな
- dishearteningly
- 気落ちさせるほど
- burden
- 重荷
- gloom
- 暗がり
- is dispelled by 〜
- 〜 に追い払われる
- storefronts
- 店頭
- Where the pockets are the deepest, the displays are the gaudiest.
- 最も裕福な場所は最も派手である
- compete with each other
- 競い合う
- grandest
- 最も豪勢な
- millennium
- 千年紀
- delicacy
- 注意を要すること
- Hanukkah
- ユダヤ教の宮清めの祭
- Kwanza
- 元旦までの7日間に行なうアフロアメリカンの祭日
- alternative
- とって代わるもの
- supplement
- 補足するもの
- intrudes
- 浸透する
- It is conventional wisdom here that 〜
- 以前からみんな、ここでは 〜 だと悟っている
- sucular
- 非宗教的な
- materialistic
- 物質主義の
- historians
- 歴史学者
- fevered
- 熱狂的な
- intensely
- 強烈な
- prevailing
- 浸透している