They talk of CHRISTMAS so long that it comes

Insights

Inevitability of Time

The proverb illustrates the principle that time's passage is relentless and certain events are inevitable, regardless of human impatience or anticipation. The 'talking' represents our subjective experience of waiting, while the 'coming' signifies objective reality.

Power of Sustained Focus

It can be interpreted as a commentary on how persistent focus or discussion eventually yields results. Constant conversation about a goal or event makes its eventual arrival feel like a direct consequence of that sustained attention.

Anticipation vs. Fulfillment

The proverb highlights the dynamic between anticipation and fulfillment. The long period of 'talking' underscores that the expectation of an event often occupies more time and emotional energy than the event itself, which arrives and passes quickly.

Cultural Symbolism of Inevitability

The proverb uses Christmas, a fixed and culturally significant date, as a symbol for any long-awaited, inevitable event. Its power lies in contrasting the subjective, impatient human experience of waiting ('talking') with the objective, relentless passage of time that ensures the event's arrival.

Psychology of Anticipation

This proverb captures the psychological function of collective anticipation. The act of 'talking' about a future event serves as a social mechanism to manage the anxiety and excitement of waiting, making the abstract future feel more concrete and imminent.

Social Manifestation

The proverb implicitly comments on the nature of self-fulfilling prophecies. While Christmas arrives regardless of the chatter, in many other aspects of life, sustained collective talk and focus can indeed help bring about a desired (or feared) outcome.

Critique of Impatience

Underlying the proverb is a gentle critique of human impatience. The endless talk highlights our struggle to simply let time pass, revealing a desire to control or hasten the future through sheer force of will or discussion. The 1623 quotation notes that time brings things forth 'whether wee will, or no'.

Rhetorical Devices

Irony

The proverb uses a subtle form of irony by suggesting a causal link between talking about an event and its arrival, when in fact the event's coming is independent of the talk.

Hyperbole

The phrase 'so long that it comes' exaggerates the efficacy of the 'talking', framing it as the cause for an inevitable event to emphasize the intensity and duration of the anticipation.

Causal Fallacy

The proverb's structure creates a pseudo-logical statement where human activity (talking) appears to cause a natural or calendrical event (Christmas arriving), effectively capturing the feeling that our focus can will things into being.