Did Mammon defeat God online this Xmas?

I wanted a quiet, spiritual Christmas.

But then I was struck by the hideous news that U.K. retailers were trying to launch their sales online on Christmas Day.

With a loud voice that I last remembered from my First Communion screaming in my head "Is nothing sacred?", I decided to put humanity to the test. Are we still God-fearing people who understand the true meaning of life? Or is our belief in things truly beyond belief?

How better could one delve into this important issue than with the help of the Almighty? Yes, Google. Surely, I mused, Google is the repository of all true, intimate information. So I will slip myself in front of Google Trends at periods throughout the day and will examine humanity in its immediate living and breathing form.

I am not sure I will ever recover.

The morning began with the dominance of the iPod over the iGod. Clearly, there were still some people in the world who had never had one and were eager to explore all of the rites involved in virgin possession of Man's portable jukebox.

Perhaps they decided to concentrate their business online.

(Credit: CC Eoin O'Mahony)

As the NBA games lurched through the televisual day, Googlers' enthusiasm for finding out more about Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and, um, the San Antonio Spurs' Roger Mason was palpable.

Many were simultaneously keen to discover what was showing at the local movie theaters, when Wal-Mart's sale began, which restaurants were open on Christmas Day (many showed a great fascination for the International House of Pancakes), and so many seemed entranced to know more about the multitalented actress Josie Davis.

Even more seemed insatiable on the subject of the movie Marley and Me, which, I understand, is another opus featuring Jennifer Aniston and an unsuitable dog.

The Top 100 searches, at least whenever I set eyes on Google Trends, avoided all matters of higher import. No one seemed keen to Google: "The world is going to hell in a handbasket and all I get is this infernal Xbox?"

I found no trace of: "Lord, what does it all mean?" Or even: "Is there a rap about the Rapture?" This is a pity, as there are some very fine church-related Web sites like Generationchurch.org, which offers excellent Twittering and Flickring options.

As I write, the day after this deeply worrying experience, I stare at the latest Google Trends, still concerned about the world's direction. Marley and Me continues to ride high in Googlers' cranial Top 20. The engagement of Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady is, naturally, creating worldwide giddiness. There seems to be massive outpouring of interest in the Sarah Palin calendar.

In a flicker of spiritual hope, only one retailer, Banana Republic, squeezes in at No. 16.

But there are only two entries in the whole of the Top 100 that reflect even a moment of self-reflection.

The first is at No. 59. Yes, it's "mortgage help." The other is languishing at No. 78. No, it's not "Lord, help us."

It's "waste management."

[Penguinisto]

Heh - you weren't looking hard enough ;)

Then again, I wouldn't know... Midnight Mass (albeit the evening before) was packed to the rafters even at the small parish I attend, and I suspect that churches everywhere were packed on Christmas Day were as well.

Given this, I figure that a lot of folks simply weren't online at all on Christmas morning.

Also consider that lots of folks got a pretty harsh introduction to the downside of religion vs. retail by way of a reduced family budget, courtesy of layoffs and/or reductions.

/P

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

Ah, you may be right, Penguinisto. Although I did look hard at those Google Trends, hoping for a spiritual uptick that never came.

It will be interesting to see whether this recession thing causes folks to reassess a few priorities.

I hope your Christmas was edifying in all the right ways.

Chris

[Goodbye Helicopter]

what ?
You think everyone is an old white christian male?
***?

[Dylan_Wisor]

Christians think computers steal souls. Everybody knows that.

Damn devil boxes.

[gsekse]

If the Christian churches really wanted their holiday back, maybe they should damn the activity of giving Christmas presents. Just because three wise dude gave BIRTHDAY presents to a notable person/diety/whatever, does not mean mean in anyway that everyone has to give everyone gifts on that day forever. Unless your one of the souless devils that work the marketing division of large corporations everywhere.

That's IT, lets make July 25th "National Support The Economy Day" and Christmas can go back to being just what it should be: a day for "some" people to observe a religious holiday. Everyone will just go blow two months salary in July instead!

Brilliant!, Brilliant! Give me another beer!

[shootthecops]

Christmas is a hijacked pagan holiday which has celebrated gift giving for centuries. If you really want someone to recognize it as a religious holiday, probably best not to base it off a holiday involving materialism, tradition tends to last you know.

[Magicland]

Chris, I think your problem is your angle of attack. At Christmas, most people aren't searching for spirituality, they already know where to find it. While many might not know the showtimes for "Marley and Me", most already know the times of services at their local church. Likewise those pondering the big spiritual questions know that they're more likely to find answers (or at least relevant discussions) with their pastors or local bible study groups, or even with some online resource that they're already familiar with than some random blog thrown up by Google.

[shane--2008]

"Are we still God-fearing people.."

If you are simpleton enough to fear a figment of the collective religious imagination, you need to stop pretending you have something intelligent to say.
[Edited to remove personal attack.]

[gandialf]

Keep your God out of my Christmas. At our house we spent the day opening our presents and playing with our new toys. Hanging out and playing Star Wars Legos on the Wii with my 5 year old all day is something we'll neither of us ever forget. Better I should have taken her to some church where some old guy can bore her out of her mind with prattle about some imaginary sky-fairy?

Christmas may be about some hazy "spirituality" to you, but to our family it''s not. Why should that bother you?