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Three Magi: Hölderlin

Three Magi: Hölderlin

A Christmas Essay

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Zane Perdue
Dec 26, 2024
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Three Magi: Hölderlin
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[. . .] the Kings of life, the three mages, heart, soul, and mind.
Oskar Schlemmer, Three heads superimposed (1920)

What I like most about Christmas is its artificiality. For people who dislike the holidays, this artificiality is almost certainly a contributing factor to their dislike. But for me, this fever pitch of fakery is likable: fake trees, lights everywhere, tinsel, plastic reindeer, dioramas of elves and wise men, Christmas village markets, boozy seasonal drinks, the exaggerated worry of buying someone the right gift—so childish and endearing—even bad Christmas movies. I don’t always like watching them myself but the idea that someone else might enjoy them wholeheartedly is very sweet (it’s like seeing someone in a beautiful church who you believe believes, which is often enough). All of this reigned over by the sober harshness of short, dark days and biting cold.

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