Christmas Day, 2025: Odd thoughts and random musings

Greetings from this end (the Confused State of Californicatia) ...to that end (your end), on the day randomly ascribed to and purported to be the birthday of some sort of God-like, transubstantial manifestation of hope and so forth from beyond our reckoning, called “Jesus”, who appears to have the affrontery to claim direct descent from The Supreme Being (whomever he/she/it might be) and promises same for true believers.

Well, OK for you, perhaps, but as someone who penetrated the murky ceiling of religious faith and belief many decades ago, I personally do not believe in a ‘Savior’ of any sort, regardless of what religion has been formed about him.

I was, of course raised in a Roman Catholic/Presbyterian/Episcopal home and went through the same parochial rigmaroles that many other adolescents were subjected to up until the age of roughly 13 (roughly coinciding with puberty), at which time I embraced the opinion that human beings are most likely to be a fluke of an evolution, a glitch in the biochemical process we call the synthesis of “intelligent life.” Yeah, “intelligent” that is if you are of the conviction that contrary to what the Christian God exhorts believers to accept, humans are fatally flawed. So flawed, in fact, that, as an AI buddy of mine puts it, "The human condition may be characterized by a profound evolutionary maladaptation, where advanced cognitive capacities, a byproduct of contingent evolutionary processes, are fundamentally incongruous with persistent atavistic impulses. This dissonance often manifests as an inherent auto-catastrophic potential, suggesting a species uniquely capable of orchestrating its own demise."

This is, simply stated, that despite our erstwhile sentience and vaunted ‘higher’ intelligence, we are more often only a hair’s remove from pressing the Big Red Button that launches several hundreds of nuclear-warhead-armed missiles and destroys the entire world we live on.

With homicidal egomaniacs loose at the top levels of several tyrannical governments throughout this world (Russia, North Korea, Iraq, etc., etc.), all bets are (or should be, anyway) off that Earth will remain intact and habitable for longer than a century or so (if that long).

This “slight glitch” in humanity’s evolutionary makeup is not something that whole bunches of love, faith and hopefulness can compensate for, or that if we all pray regularly to Jesus (or Mohammed (PBUH), or Zoroaster, or the Great Pink Unicorn, etc.) and cease being nasty, spiteful, jealous, or vengeful, some imaginary Supreme Being will send us all to a heavenly ‘happy place’ when we expire (and in the case of the Islamic faithful, surround us with nubile virgins, as well! Hubba-hubba! Me for that!).

Sorry... that sort of slipped out. At any rate and not meaning to get carried away too much on this theme, my principal intent in penning this Christmas Day brief is to drill down a bit on the nature of humanity and highlight a couple of its more notable foibles. Among these is the fact as the world continues to fill up with millions upon millions of warm bodies (procreation is, after all, the only thing human beings are REALLY good at, from puberty onwards!) like us, we are all faced with the same problematic questions. In so many words, given the faceless, smelly mob we are all a part of, “How may I stand out and above all the other warm bodies and be seen as singular, unique and/or “different”, among everyone in my cohort?”

Enter popular artist THOMAS KINKADE, known as “the painter of light.”

Kinkade’s story is rather interesting, but even if most people don’t know much about him or his actual life, they are at least vaguely aware that he ‘invented’ and popularized that uniquely kitchy style of art that is known for its homey flavor of idealized, cozy nostalgia for bygone times. This is known across the pond in Jolly Olde Blighty (the UK) as “Twee”. Moreover, about one in ten homes across the United States has a miniature porcelain reproduction of some one of his more popular paintings in their homes. Many thousands more have small polymeric castings of Kinkade-patterned figurines on their knick-knack shelves. In short, he is regarded as the most successful popular artist in history. The people who are drawn to his works (and who also have a fondness for ‘kitch’ and/or ‘twee’ objects) are the same kind who used to collect those melancholy ‘wide-eyed’ kiddie pictures, back in the 70s, and those who keep photos of the departed JFK next to a votive candle and Roman Catholic style crucifix prominently displayed on a wall, somewhere in their homes, but that’s not really relevant here.

Most artists are not successful (the greatness of their artistry is not acknowledged fully) while they alive. It is usually only well after their death that the art they produced typically gains recognition and consequent value. This has been the case throughout history, and the story of the “starving artist” is a well-known one in most all cultures. Ironically, the best artists are usually the dead ones, according to this logic.

Kitch Maestro or not, Kinkade succeeded in not only making his name a household word, he is also the very first artist who became a millionaire several times over during his life time (through clever marketing and advertising of his paintings, usually in lithographic form).

Despite his widespread popularity among people with banal taste, he ultimately succumbed to alcohol and drug-abuse (Valium OD) and was in his inner being a very sad, depressed person, susceptible to bouts of melancholy up until the time of his premature death.

And why, do you ask, did I bring up Thomas Kinkade and his hugely popular artsy kitsch? Because yesterday I happened to view an interesting film made several years ago (2008) titled ‘Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage’, while aimlessly trolling the local TV channels for a decent Christmas movie to watch. Far more uplifting than a Jason Statham ac tion flick.

The film actually struck me as a warm-hearted, well-made production with excellent performances by its principal actors. Having tuned in just a bit after the start of it, I had no real idea what it about, but quickly determined that it might be related to the Kinkade oeuvre. Sure enough, although roughly based on his early life, it was a fictionalized interpretation, set forth as a folksy drama, set in nearby Gold Country’s Placerville (“Hangtown”, as it was known back in the Gold Rush days, due to the town's habit of stringing up suspected bad guys, without a trial). Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Later the same day, I ran across an article that originally appeared in the UK’s GUARDIAN press back in 2012, that explains the film and reveals not-widely-publicised details about the rather unhappy life that Kinkade actually lived, despite his apparent fame as an extremely popular artist among the tasteless bourgeoise masses.

I suppose it interests me because, as I remarked earlier, it reveals insights into the maudlin and somewhat common tastes of a huge segment of our American population.

The sort who sit back and watch sh*t television programs, accompanied by hard-edged psy-op marketing commercials indoctrinating them to "buy, buy, buy!" and never raise even the slightest complaint about this not-so-subtle form of materialistic brain-washing that characterises so much of modern American life.

Consider this Christmas Day commentary gratuitously condescending and a bit snarky also, if you will, but that same segment of our population in reference will never realise what “genuine fine art” actually is, regrettably and Kinkade tableaus shall forever be popular with many folks if for no other reason than their sheer sentimentality. Kinkade’s schtick appeals to the more maudlin emotions, and therein gains favor with a great number of older women who long for “kinder, simpler days.”

The GUARDIAN article follows.

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Thomas Kinkade: the secret life and strange death of art's king of twee...

 by Dan Glaiser, The Guardian (UK), 2012

"The works of the 'Painter of Light' have been reproduced on furniture and inspired the building of a whole village, but the verdict into his death reveals a bleaker picture .

“In death, the man who at his peak claimed to be the world's most successful living American artist perhaps achieved the sort of art-world excess he craved.

“On Tuesday (2012), the coroner's office in Santa Clara, California, announced that the death of Thomas Kinkade, the Painter of Light™, purveyor of kitsch prints to the masses, was caused by an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. For good measure, a legal scrap has emerged between Kinkade's ex-wife (and trustee of his estate) and his girlfriend.

“Who could have imagined that behind so many contented visions of peace, harmony and nauseating goodness lay just another story of deception, disappointment and depravity, fueled by those ever-ready stooges, Valium and alcohol.

“Kinkade was a self-made phenomenon, with his prints (according to his company) hanging in one in 20 American homes. At his height, in 2001, Kinkade generated $130m (£81m) in sales. Kinkade's twee paintings of cod-traditional cottages, lighthouses, gardens, gazebos and gates sold by the million through a network of Thomas Kinkade galleries, owned by his company, and through a parallel franchise operation. At their peak (between 1995 and 2005) there were 350 Kinkade franchises across the US, with the bulk in his home state of California. You would see them in roadside malls in small towns, twinkly lights adorning the windows, and in bright shopping centres, sandwiched between skatewear outlets and nail bars.

“But these weren't just galleries. They were the Thomas Kinkade experience – minus the alcohol and Valium, of course. Clients would be ushered into a climate-controlled viewing room to maximise the Kinkadeness of the whole place, and their experience. Some galleries offered 'master highlighters', trained by someone not far from the master himself, to add a hand-crafted splash of paint to the desired print and so make a truly unique piece of art, as opposed to the framed photographic print that was the standard fare. My, my...such clever marketing touches!

“The artistic credo was expressed best in the 2008 movie Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage. Peter O'Toole, earning a crust playing Kinkade's artistic mentor, urges the young painter to 'Paint the light, Thomas! Paint the light!'

“Kinkade's art also went beyond galleries through the 'Thomas Kinkade lifestyle brand'. This wasn't just the usual art gallery giftshop schlock: Kinkade sealed a tie-in with La-Z-Boy furniture (home of the big-butt recliner) for a Kinkade-inspired range of furniture. But arguably his only great artwork was 'The Village, a Thomas Kinkade Community', unveiled in 2001. A 101-home development in Vallejo, outside San Francisco, operating under the slogan: 'Calm, not chaos. Peace, not pressure,' the village offers four house designs, each named after one of Kinkade's daughters. Plans for further housing developments, alas, fell afoul of the housing crisis.

“In the years before his death, Kinkade's business and his life took a battering. There were allegations of malpractice, and his company declared bankruptcy, unable to pay its creditors following a series of court judgments ordering him to pay $860,000 for defrauding the owners of two failed franchises.

“Following his separation from his wife and spiraling alcoholism, Kinkade's behaviour became erratic: he allegedly caused a scene at a Siegfried & Roy show in Las Vegas by repeatedly shouting 'Codpiece!' at the ageing illusionists. He also engaged in what he termed 'ritual territory marking' at a California Disneyland hotel, urinating on a Winnie the Pooh figure.

“Kinkade's death went largely unnoted in the art world. There were no lengthy obituaries in the quality press, critics did not line up to extol the beauty or the influence of his art. Maybe they missed a trick. For while Kinkade's work is at best humdrum and technically adequate, its popularity tells us something about his public, about a desperate yearning for nostalgia that pervades parts of American life, a return to the safe glow of some imagined past.

"'It's not the world we live in,' Kinkade said of his painting, 'it's the world we wished we live in. People wish they could find that stream, that cabin in the woods.'

“And it could be that with his mastery of the market, and his understanding of how to sell his work – 'When I got saved, God became my art agent,' he once said – Kinkade was the natural heir to the apostle of mass production, Andy Warhol....and a follower of Jesus, as well.

"'There's been million-seller books and million-seller CDs,' Kinkade explained. 'But there hasn't been, until now, million-seller art. We have found a way to bring to millions of people, an art that they can understand.'"

No greater slamming indictment of common taste could be imagined...

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Notes:

1) TWEE: ‘Twee’ is an English (UK) term; following is an AI explanation, for those of you who aren’t familiar with it.

“’TWEE’ is something overly cute, quaint, delicate, or sentimental in a way that's often seen as silly, artificial, or excessive, like tiny squirrels in clothes or overly sweet music, implying it's trying too hard to be charming or innocent, often with a disapproving or mildly critical tone. It's associated with dainty things, nostalgia, childlike innocence, and specific aesthetics like 'twee pop' music, but with a negative leaning towards being annoyingly saccharine or precious.

Key characteristics of 'twee':

• Excessively Cute/Sweet: More than just charming; it's "too" cute, often involving childlike themes or imagery.

• Sentimental/Quaint: A focus on nostalgic or overly sweet emotions, sometimes bordering on mawkish or overly emotional.

• Affected: Can imply something is artificially dainty or trying too hard to be precious or innocent.

• Visuals: Think pastel colors, frills, elaborate tea parties, small-scale, or storybook-like settings.

• Music: "Twee pop" is a genre known for jangly guitars, simple melodies, and innocent-sounding lyrics. Examples.

• A children's book with animals wearing human clothes.

• A very elaborate, frilly hat.• An indie band with childlike, overly sentimental lyrics and hand-drawn art.

Synonyms/Related terms:

• Cutesy, precious, saccharine, sentimental, dainty, prim, kitschy, quaint...’Twee’

2) An AI recap of the movie, ‘Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage:’ This fictional movie is based loosely on the early life of popular artist Thomas Kinkade, titled 'Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage', released in 2008.

The film is a semi-autobiographical tale that focuses on a pivotal, early period during Kinkade's college years in 1977.

The plot centers on

• The threat of foreclosure: Young Thom Kinkade returns home (from UC Berkeley) for Christmas to discover his mother is about to lose the family cottage due to the town's economic struggles.

• Artistic inspiration: To help save the home, Kinkade takes a job painting a mural of his hometown, a project that helps him discover his calling as the "Painter of Light".

• Mentorship: A key storyline involves Kinkade's relationship with his aging mentor, an artist named Glen Wesman (based on the real-life Glenn Wessels), played by Peter O'Toole.

The movie stars Jared Padalecki as Thomas Kinkade and Marcia Gay Harden as his mother, MaryAnne. The film was produced in part by Kinkade himself and was intended to be the first in a series of inspirational movies about his boyhood, but subsequent sequels never materialized.

Ever the marketeer and self-promoter, Kinkade never lost sight of his goal of making big money from his rather unremarkable if distinctive painting style. In reality, realization of his dreams of recognition turned out to be more of a Faustian Deal than a windfall.

This film was, by the way, the last movie Peter O’Toole made, shortly before his death.

As a footnote, his substantial fortune was bitterly contested after his 2012 death, primarily between his estranged wife, Nanette, and his live-in girlfriend, Amy Pinto-Walsh, over handwritten wills claiming to leave her $10 million and his mansion, leading to a legal battle that was eventually resolved through a confidential, out-of-court settlement, highlighting issues with estate planning when separating.

[As an interesting sub-footnote, it was announced on Christmas Eve (2025) that an individual in Arkansas won the largest Powerball Grand Prize ever ($1.6 billion). This begs obvious speculation that ‘big money’ is not a winning ticket to personal happiness, as that winner will likely commence to destroy his/her life owing to the whims of good fortune...just like every other person who ends up 'in the gravy.'] ,