This meetup is a sort of a "grab bag" of different topics that relate to the holiday season...
In the 1st section of this discussion, we'll talk about how the "War on Christmas" is essentially a debate over "separation of church & state" as well as a debate over how prominent Christian holiday of Christmas should be in our multicultural society. Part of the "War on Christmas" debate also centers around whether certain traditional Christmas songs are racist or sexist and should be banned.
In the 2nd part of this meetup, we'll look at the economic stimulus effect of Christmas spending, as well as the potential for "deadweight loss" if we buy gifts for people they don't want. We'll consider the debate back in the Great Depression over moving Thanksgiving a week earlier to allow for a longer period for Xmas shopping. We'll also consider how the COVID pandemic and government-mandated lockdowns and social distancing protocols has affected holiday spending.
In the 3rd part of this meetup, we'll look at the psychological effects of Christmas music and how it can create either a pleasant sense of nostalgia or annoyance & burnout. We'll also consider the psychological effects of holiday shopping, which can be both fun & stressful, and we'll look at how interacting with friends & family over the holidays affect our mental health.
In the 4th part of this meetup, we'll consider whether or not it's worth discussing politics with your friends & family over the holidays, and if so how can you keep the conversation civil & productive so it doesn't degenerate into angry recriminations and damage to your relationships.
RELEVANT MATERIAL FROM PAST MEETUPS:
The material we'll cover in the 1st section of this discussion is similar to the debates over whether or not the U.S. is a "Christian nation" which we covered in a meetup back in March entitled "Should We Base Politics on Religion or Science?" - see Part 1: https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/mjlzgrybcfbcb/
The debate over whether certain traditional Christmas songs are racist or sexist is similar to the debate over racism in old films like "Birth of a Nation" and "Gone With The Wind" and books like "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Huckleberry Finn" that the Skeptics covered back in July in a meetup back in July - see Part 4: https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/djzwsrybckbjc/
The economic & psychological topics we'll cover in the 2nd & 3rd sections of this meetup are related to some topics the Skeptics covered in a meetup back in January of 2018 entitled "The Science of Happiness". They talked about hedonic set points & the hedonic treadmill (Part 1), the diminishing marginal utility of wealth (Part 2), the paradox of choice (Part 3), and the way friends & family affect our happiness (Parts 4-5). https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/246018303/
In a meetup back in September, the Skeptics covered some tips from positive psychology that could work well at managing holiday stress, savoring little joys, and practicing gratitude: https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/djzwsrybcmbbc/
