Three Cheers for Christmas Commercialism - Ann Rice and I Agree

I guess I am totally where Anne Rice is on this subject as she says in her book Called Out of Darkness.

.. Even Christmas shopping was part of this festive and holy time of year. For me, it was a matter of roaming five -and-dime stores on Canal Street for the simple little presents I could afford. But I well remember the Christmas carols paying in every store I entered, and the gorgeous Christmas windows of the fine stores, Maison Blanche and D.H. Holmes.

It seems to me in retrospect that the department stores and the dime stores did and excellent job of extending the "sacred space" of Christmas those days. And I sometimes wonder whether people of no religion, this might have been the only sacred space they knew. When people rail now against the "commercial nature of Christmas, I'm always conflicted and unable to respond. Because I think those who would banish commercialism from the holiday fail to understand how precious and comforting the shop displays and music can be. (Pages 96-97)

I totally agree with this. As a Catholic when I have tough times in my life that extension of "sacred space" was a comfort to me in the sometimes "Blue" Christmas seasons of my life.