Well, as they say, out of the mouths of babes 🙂 — and this one is real

Dear Santa, Why do all my toys say made in China? I guess even you can’t abstain from the allure of cheap labor. Oink oink you capitalist pig. Josh

Dear ES/PE community members, in the midst of the holiday season, I wish us all never to tire of distinguishing between the trails of truth and fairy tales. May the New Year be more positive, enlightening, fulfilling, peaceful, and transformative!!

To learn more about the “magic” of consumerist and capitalist Christmas, these books and papers are eye-opening:
— Hancock, Philip. 2016.  “A Christmas Carol: A Reflection on Organization, Society, and the Socioeconomics of the Festive Season.” Academy of Management Review 41 (4): 755–765. (open-access)
— Horsley, Richard and James Tracy, eds. 2001. Christmas Unwrapped: Consumerism, Christ, and Culture. Trinity Press International.
— Larsen, Timothy, ed. 2020. The Oxford Handbook of Christmas. Oxford University Press.
— Palo, Teea, Katy Mason and Philip Roscoe. 2020. “Performing a Myth to Make a Market: The Construction of the ‘Magical World’ of Santa“. Organization Studies 41(1), 53–75.
— Schmidt, Leigh. 1995. Consumer Rites: The Buying & Selling of American Holidays. Princeton University Press.
— Waits, William. 1994. The Modern Christmas in America: A Cultural History of Gift Giving. New York University Press.
— Whiteley, Sheil, ed. 2008.  Christmas, Ideology and Popular Culture. Edinburgh University  Press

***
Since you find value in the content and resources shared by the ES/PE community, please consider making a contribution to help sustain our work. Your support is vital to maintaining our independence and carrying forward our mission. Intellectual and civic solidarity matters now more than ever. Every contribution makes a meaningful difference and helps ensure the continuation of accessible scholarship and useful information. Donate securely now via this PayPal link. Thank you!