Already at the beginning of December, texts like “How to survive the holidays?” appear in the media, and research shows that every fourth Pole would like to spend the holidays away from home – preferably on a long journey! As you can see, we don’t have the best associations with the holidays, and although we still value the traditions we learned at home, it’s definitely not our favorite time of the year. We are irritated by having to sit at the table for a long time, pretending to be friendly towards relatives we don’t particularly like, listening to the wisdom of a foolish uncle, answering questions like “Who are you bringing with your boyfriend?” or “So when will I have a grandchild?” and, of course, political quarrels.
Polish Christmas novels should be relaxation, they are an extension of trauma
Unfortunately, this mood also applies to Christmas books, of which there is no shortage on our market. This is the third year in which I decided to have a reading marathon of such novels and… definitely the last one. I read nine of them, I liked two of them, and the remaining seven exhausted me more than over 100 other titles I read this year.
And just to be clear… I really like Christmas stories. I usually like books written by foreign authors, and to confirm that I haven’t suddenly turned into the Grinch in recent years, this year I watched the Christmas movies I love: “Holiday” and “Love Actually” and still like them. I like them. So apparently it’s our native books that I have a problem with.
I realize that many of us associate the holidays with busyness, a lot of stress, various taunts from close or distant family, and probably one or more larger or smaller quarrels – because someone decorated the Christmas tree incorrectly, someone did not wash the windows thoroughly enough. , and the Christmas tree could be bigger, etc. But why does this mood seep into Christmas customs, which should simply provide us with relaxation and pleasant entertainment, and not be an extension of the traumas that have accumulated in us over the years?
What irritates me most about Polish Christmas novels?
Heroes, or rather mainly heroines, tend to constantly torment and suffer for the entire family. Often, however, they bring this martyrdom upon themselves, as in “Happiness as a Gift” by Anna Szczęsna, where the heroine sacrificed her entire adult life to take care of her nephew. Very noble, it’s just a pity that she did not in any way secure the possibility of the boy returning to his mother. Although she is tired of devoting all her attention to the child, she is very allergic to any attempts to help, because only she knows how to take care of the boy and if he is under the care of someone else, he is in danger. However, the heroine of “Dreams Smelling of Needles” by Wioletta Piasecka finds problems wherever she can, and even where she can’t…
The heroines of Christmas novels often behave inappropriately to their age. They are usually young girls, but they give the impression of tired 50-year-olds. This is also visible in the dialogues, which lack lightness and youthful phrases. You often have the impression that they were inspired by bad TV series from the 90s. I don’t know why the authors create characters of young girls, since they probably don’t remember how they behaved at their age.
What’s irritating in Christmas stories is the idealization of some aspects of life. What I mean here is mainly relationships and the period of raising babies or small children. Relationships have been falling apart for months or even years, but magically mend themselves when a Christmas miracle occurs, though it buryes the problems rather than solving them. Anyone who has been in a relationship knows that it cannot end happily. And life with small children is an eternal idyll (this is the case, for example, in “Love under the Wings of an Angel” by Dorota Milla): they are always well-behaved, and their mothers are happy and well-rested. Their homes are always clean and they work professionally. I don’t think any additional comment is needed here.
Family, oh family…
Christmas stories are full of conflicts that have lasted for years and are brought to light every year during the most joyful time of the year. You can always count on the “support” of your relatives – you will learn from them that you have the wrong job, apartment, partner, too few/too many children, etc. (e.g. in “Miłość na niby” by Jagoda Wochlik). There is also a version with a family that does not speak to each other for years, and suddenly decides to reconcile during the holidays. Unfortunately, there is also a lack of any working through of the problems and I find it hard to believe that the characters will ever come to an agreement (“Melting Heart” by Joann Tekiela).
Friends, if they appear in the story (and they appear surprisingly rarely), tend to depress our heroines rather than help them. They will remind you that that handsome guy you like won’t pay attention to you or won’t take you seriously because you’re average at best. They are afraid to say that they have found love, because you don’t wish them well at all, and you will only depress yourself with this fact, and if you are not happy in life, go back to your parents… So what if you don’t get along with them, after all this is your family! Do you have a boyfriend with whom you don’t get along, do you expect something different from a relationship? They will even buy an engagement ring for it, just so that you don’t break up, because (God forbid!) you will find a new love (“The Most Precious Gift” by Aleksandra Rochowiak).
Unfortunately, Christmas novels have no ending. They just end suddenly and unexpectedly at some point. Well, we meet a certain person who tells us the story of his life and then goes home and leaves us with nothing.
I would love to see more joy, love and even situations that are not entirely real in these stories (after all, it is a time of magical miracles!). Let them be kitschy, funny, let them bring a smile to our faces. We have enough worries and worries in our own lives to read new, made-up ones during the holiday season.
And I have a big request for you for the future (you won’t be able to fulfill it this year). Try to make the holidays a joyful event for you. Don’t force yourself to do anything, just don’t think about others. If you want to spend the holidays alone, do it. If it’s only with your closest family, barricade yourself at home for a few days, or buy tickets for a bus, train or plane and relax. And if you want to see your whole family, invite them and rejoice! After all, it is a time of great joy!
And if you want to read a pleasant Christmas novel, look for foreign authors who are not burdened with Polish traumas. And there are always Christmas comedies.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
