Page 98 - Purchasing Power Black Kids and American Consumer Culture

"What Are You Looking At, You White People?" . 83

Newhallville's over-the-top home and yard decorations belie the often
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modest celebrations taking place inside these homes. The children I
knew in Newhallville received few Christmas gifts; these came from im-
mediate family, sometimes aunts, uncles, and godparents as well. The
children gave few, if any, gifts, either to friends or family. As Tionna's
classmate Carlos commented: "The only thing I don't like about Christ-
mas is they be lying at Christmas. They say 'this is from the kids,' and we
didn't buy it for them. They know we broke! They be buying it and say
that the kids bought it. They bought it and gave it to them." The children
are not the only ones who are broke: Tionna's grandmother began talk-
ing in July about beginning to save for her granddaughter's Christmas
presents. The presents Tionna received that year could not have cost
more than $75 altogether. 5
By the time I arrived at Tionna's home on Christmas afternoon, the
family had separated, each watching television in a different room.
Tionna was the only one in her household to have received any gifts.
While Tionna looks forward to receiving Christmas presents, she is ut-
terly prepared not to receive anything at all. Christmas day had gotten
off to an odd start for her. Tionna told me that she had been bad right
before Christmas. When she woke up Christmas morning and ran into
the living room to look under the tree, she did not see any presents
there. She figured Santa just hadn't left her anything since she'd been
misbehaving and decided she might as well go back to bed. When
Tionna went back to the bedroom, where she sleeps with her grand-
mother, Celia asked her why she was coming back in. "Because Santa
didn't leave me anything," Tionna answered her. Her grandmother said
Santa had brought presents, and so Tionna went back out and found
the gifts.
In talking with me about her Christmas in 1991 she told me what she
did receive: a Shani doll from her uncle ("I didn't even want it, but then
I liked it"), a Barbie knitting machine (which nobody could figure out
how to work), a Barbie mobile home, and a Barbie washing machine.
The present she had really wanted that year was the Barbie dream house
and with a glowing face she described its wondrous features. When I
asked why she did not get one Tionna said because her grandmother did
not have the money.
Carlos gives his mother his Christmas list in October and she buys
his presents a bit at a time. When I asked him what he was getting for
Christmas, he wrote a very exact list: