Week 8 : Obsession - The Holidays

I recently watched the movie, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", and saw an excellent depiction of obsession over the holidays. The scene that comes to mind is when Martha May Whovier uses a light canon to shoot lights onto her house. While visiting Disneyland this week, I witnessed a similar depiction of obsession. An aspect of obsession is a sense of infatuation and persistent attention on a particular idea or object. While walking down Main Street in Disneyland, the lights prevent you from forgetting about the holiday spirit. The sheer number of lights gives you an overwhelming all-encompassing feeling. This could be in a positive or negative way. While walking down the street, there is not a single direction you can look without getting the feeling that it is Christmas time. For me, this has positive and comforting associations. The decorations in Disneyland are so obsessive that you can be among thousands of strangers in a different state and still get a sense of the comfort of the Christmas tree at home. Although, none of these lights were large themselves, the huge number of small lights created a magnificent presence. Related to the concept of obsession, I find it interesting how a multitude of small lights can have such a strong effect.