The last of the cranberry sauce has been eaten, the first of the Advent calendar doors has been opened … I suppose we are well and truly in The Holiday Season.

Midcoast resident Heather D. Martin wants to know what’s on your mind; email her at heather@heatherdmartin.com.

I am speaking here (or writing here to be exact) specifically about Christmas. There are, of course, many other holidays, both religious and secular, throughout the year and many other faiths whose calendars light up in December as well, but … well, let’s acknowledge that Christmas is the holiday that takes most of the air time.

Maybe it’s the cookies. Maybe it’s the cozy sweaters. Maybe it is the multi-national representation that accompanies the global reach of the Christian doctrine. Maybe.

Most likely though, it is the economic powerhouse that is a day swaddled in the idea of lavish decorations and gift giving. After all, according to figures sourced and assembled by explodingtopics.com, Americans spent $502.7 billion on Christmas in 2009 — which seems staggering until you realize that number jumped to $936.3 billion in 2022.

Wow.

For a quick perspective check: According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the U.S. spent $927 billion, total, on public elementary and secondary schools in the United States for the 2020–21 school year.

Yes, that’s correct, we spent over $9 billion more on one holiday than we spent on our entire public education system.

At great risk of sounding like a humbug, that bums me out.

I mean, if we are going to be technical about it all, Christmas is supposed to be a religious holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ — a man who is widely recorded to have thrown the money changers out of the temple and overturned the tables of salesmen, railing against the mixing of commerce and faith. Matthew 21: 12-13.

Of course, historians also place the actual date of birth at a different time of year. Maybe April. The modern Dec. 25 date was selected by the Roman Emperor Constantine in a clever bid to usurp the wild, bacchanalian revelry of Saturnalias, doubling as a usurper of Solstice revels, too.

I know. Facts are sometimes such a downer.

All that being said, I am one of the first to acknowledge that the holiday has moved along since its beginning. It is what it is, and actually, I am quite glad of it.

Despite all that I just wrote, I am a huge fan of decking the halls, singing carols and generally making merry. I love “crackers” with paper hats and corny jokes, eggnog and chocolate oranges. This year, even more so.

Every day the news brings a fresh new worry and a fresh new insult to our grand experiment in democracy. I weep for the erosion of a government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is sobering.

So, frankly, the more twinkle lights the better, say I.

The spending still gives me pause though.

A few years ago, our family adopted the Icelandic tradition of a gift of a book and cocoa on Christmas Eve. Love it. As for gifts, well, there are some, sure. Mostly though, we give each other experiences, and spend the money on things we care about collectively.

As the kids got older, they were given more of a say in which charities and causes received our donations. This year, that is where I will be doubling down. As we look at the promises/threats being made to our community, it seems the time to be extra mindful about doing my part.

Over the next few weeks, we will be compiling lists of issues we care about. If history is any guide, animal welfare, human rights and public trust institutions (a free press and public radio) will top the list.

We will check the ratings of organizations through Charity Navigator (and give a bit there, too) and then make our decisions on giving. This year, I rather suspect our local libraries will get a bump, too.

In a world where we spend more on Christmas than on the education of our children, that seems fitting.

In the meantime, yes. Let’s celebrate. Joy has a purpose, revelry is needed. Light a candle and hoist a glass of eggnog with me, and let’s sing our way into the winter nights ahead.