As Christmas passes, it is required that a columnist find a way to spread some holiday warmth. That is my purpose today as I invite you to join me in spending a few moments contemplating the true meaning of this holiday.
My Christmas message begins in the United Arab Emirates, where guests spending the holidays at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi will encounter a Christmas a bit more steeped in tradition than was the case last year.
It is going to be positively Norman Rockwell in the lobby of the Palace this year as the huge evergreen tree will, in the words of management, "fall in line with professional standards." The need for such a promise was promulgated by a wee bit of excess with the Palace's tree last Christmas.
And therein lies our story.
During the months when much of the world was undergoing a rather steep economic downturn, the Emirates Palace, a seriously excellent hotel and conference center, welcomed guests with a gaily decorated tree in the stunning hotel lobby.
Visitors said it was the largest evergreen they had ever seen. Imagine how comforting the large Christmas tree must have been to arriving guests from the West.
It had been decorated, one might say, in the tradition of the three wise men. But it appears that the "wise men" they had in mind were the owners of Tiffany, Cartier and De Beers Diamonds.
Someone in marketing decided that the world's most expensively decorated Christmas tree would garner a bit of seasonal publicity, the kind that might precede the "world's largest fruitcake" story on your local evening news.
This Christmas symbol required its very own security detachment charged with guarding a tree that was festooned with 181 diamonds and $11 million worth of precious gems, enough diamonds, emeralds, pearls and sapphires to leave no doubt that this was, as advertised, "the most expensive Christmas tree in history."
And, indeed, it did generate publicity. Some media observers commented on what was widely viewed as a grossly inappropriate display of wealth at a time when so many were struggling for survival. Eventually, the management of the Emirates Palace admitted as much, saying it had "overloaded" its Christmas tree.
But displays of ostentatious wealth are not limited in this part of the world to tree decorations. After all, the Palace already has a vending machine from which hotel guests can purchase genuine gold bars to go.
Fortunately, the travel agent community has not been forgotten as the holidays approach. Agents can sell a seven-night package that includes use of a nice car, a butler and top accommodations, along with a private jet that can be used to visit neighboring countries. The price of this tidy little package is $1 million.
But this emphasis on over-the-top travel packaging could easily backfire. This is not the time in our history for ostentatious displays of wealth. This is not the time to brag about how much money you can get your guests to spend on baubles and trinkets or on services that defy the test of reasonableness and logic.
In America, we have also made serious errors as we rush to shroud the true meaning of Christmas into a credit-card-fueled shopping orgy. In fact, we are so obsessed that we have already seen citizens who have given their lives in the quest to save a few bucks this season. Despite the onslaught of bling and glitz and batteries required, I am sensing that many of the wealthiest people in the U.S. are beginning to understand the true meaning of Christmas.
Two of our best-known billionaires, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, have formed a foundation and are actually giving away the vast majority of their wealth. They've gone further than a Black Friday sale, asking other truly wealthy Americans to sign pledges that they, too, will use the bulk of their fortunes to help others in these challenging times. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook has signed the pledge, as have filmmaker George Lucas and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
I don't know if we can call it Christmas spirit, but there is something different in the air as concerns the subject of conspicuous consumption. And don't think for a moment that the travel industry is going to be immune from this trend if it continues to grow.
In Austria, a millionaire from Telfs, Karl Rabeder, is giving away every penny of his riches because, he asserts, "Money is counterproductive. It prevents happiness to come." So the stone farmhouse in Provence, six gliders, the cars and his lakeside villa are all gone.
I mention Herr Rabeder because the realization came to him during a three-week vacation in Hawaii. He said that the biggest shock in his life was "seeing how horrible, soulless and without feeling the five-star lifestyle is." He said he started having similar feelings on previous extravagant vacations.
Travelers to France this Christmas season might be surprised to learn that a group of the nation's richest residents, including the chairman of Air France, have signed a petition asking that their personal taxes be raised in support of the challenges facing France and Europe.
Will our industry continue to tout outrageously expensive, over-the-top packages for the privileged few? Probably. But there is something stirring out there, and it might just have to do with the notion of giving and, more to the point, giving back. It might just have to do with the real meaning of these holidays.
Give the consumer review sites credit for emphasizing value over self-indulgent travel "experiences" that benefit no one but the participant. Bragging about "exclusive" and expensive travel experiences can backfire during cocktail party chitchat, a nuanced change in the travel landscape.
And so a prediction: In years to come, we are going to see unparalleled growth in vacation options that include opportunities for our clients to give back a bit as they explore new worlds. I hope we'll be ready to accommodate them.
Wishing you and yours a truly meaningful holiday.
Contributing editor Richard Turen owns Churchill and Turen, a vacation-planning firm that has been named to Conde Nast Traveler's list of the World's Top Travel Specialists since the list began. Contact him at rturen@travelweekly.com.