Christmas, comercial or not?

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by HOBBIT
you can spell jewish things anyway you like.

You can't spell them ANYWAY you like. There is phonetic spelling that you use though.

[Arien the Maia]

I agree that Christmas is WAY WAY WAY too comercial!!! It's ridiculous! I mean...it's the celebration of Jesus' birthday and should begin on the December 25th not 2 months before. The Christmas season actually lasts 12 dyas in The Cahtolic Church...December 25th- Jan 6th...hence the 12 days of Christmas. I love giving people gifts and I like recieving them too...but we should remember WHY wwe're giving and receiving them...as Jesus was given to us and as the wise men gave to him, we do the same to each other. I love getting together with family and eating a big Christmas dinner and I love going to Midnight Mass...it's very sacred and all.

[Lady Arwen56]

I think that Christmas is not a really...Christian thing anymore. I mean, little kids only love it because they wake up and see that they have loads of presents *not that I'm complaining*, and they don't ever think about how Christmas is Jesus' birthday at all.
So yeah, I think Christmas is also a very comercial thing

[jerseydevil]

A Charlie Browns Christmas is on right now - it's against the commericalization of Christmas. The last part is the greatest and Linus's speach is cool too.

[GrayMouser]

Here in Taiwan, 95% of the population is Budhist/Taoist/Confucian - whatever you call this Chinese mishmash- and every school I teach at has Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen (in the tropics)- no Jesus, Mary, Wise Men etc.

So not only do the locals get a totally misguided idea of Christmas, their own major Holiday - Chinese New Year- is comparatively neglected.

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by GrayMouser
Here in Taiwan, 95% of the population is Budhist/Taoist/Confucian - whatever you call this Chinese mishmash- and every school I teach at has Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen (in the tropics)- no Jesus, Mary, Wise Men etc.

So not only do the locals get a totally misguided idea of Christmas, their own major Holiday - Chinese New Year- is comparatively neglected.

I think that's sad....people whould really celebrate holidays of cultural importance...it helps to unify them as a people I think

[Elvengirl]

I'm not Christian, so Christmas does not have any religious meaning for me, but it does have a lot of culture and tradition to it. Winter holidays were celebrated before Jesus was born; Christians added that religious aspect to the holiday. For me, Christmas is a great time to spend with family and friends and I do think it helps to unify people in the community.

Originally posted by jerseydevil
A Charlie Browns Christmas is on right now - it's against the commericalization of Christmas. The last part is the greatest and Linus's speach is cool too.

Great movie! It is one on the list to be watched this year.

[Starr Polish]

My family isn't very religious...I'm the most "religious" of them all, although my father and mother claim to be very spiritual in their own right.

Christmas is VASTLY over-commercialized, but it is a secular holiday in the United States, and has been since the 1850s...I could be way off on the date.

I enjoy Christmas lights, hymnal carols (can't stand the stupid santa carols or "Last Christmas." I HATE THAT SONG!), trees, and traditional family decorations that have sentiment attached. I also enjoy receiving AND giving gifts to people I love. However, I try to concentrate on the real reason we have Christmas, though, I can admit, I often get caught up in all of the other stuff.

It's sad that even true Christians put so much emphasis on Christmas when the holiest of Christian holidays is actually Easter. (and yes, I know that today's Easter traditions are based on the pagan Goddess's festival of fertility).

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by Starr Polish
It's sad that even true Christians put so much emphasis on Christmas when the holiest of Christian holidays is actually Easter. (and yes, I know that today's Easter traditions are based on the pagan Goddess's festival of fertility).

I know I think that Christian kids today love Christmas more only b/c they get presents....if I ever have kids I want to let them know that as christians, we should remember that Easter is the most joyous and glorious of holidays.

The name Christmas is actually from a time when they used to refer to the Day as Christ's Mass. EAster is the name of a pagan goddess if I remember corecctly ...in Latin Easter is called soething along the lines of Pascha...as in the Paschal Lamb...Jesus Christ

[Insidious Rex]

Every holiday is commercial. whats new about that? Personally I enjoy the underlying idea of Christmas. not the religious stuff but the Spirit of Christmas thing. I love the idea that during a time of cold and dark and no growth that some indefinable spark of comradery and empathy and altruism can form like a cloud of measurable positive energy that effects us all irregardless of religion. The grinch story and A Christmas Carol (among many others) are important archetypal messages about Christmas and about humanity in general

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by Insidious Rex
Every holiday is commercial. whats new about that? Personally I enjoy the underlying idea of Christmas. not the religious stuff but the Spirit of Christmas thing. I love the idea that during a time of cold and dark and no growth that some indefinable spark of comradery and empathy and altruism can form like a cloud of measurable positive energy that effects us all irregardless of religion. The grinch story and A Christmas Carol (among many others) are important archetypal messages about Christmas and about humanity in general

but isn't the Spirit of Christmas derived from Jesus being born? Christmas wouldn't even exist without Jesus. The main winter holiday would still be the pagan holiday of the Saturnalia...which occured on the Winter Solstice I think.

[Starr Polish]

The actual festival that is celebrated at the specific time comes from a pagan fesitval that was basically "It's cold and dismal, let's party.."...I think. Historians believe Jesus was born in the spring.

Stoopid ninety second rule.

edit: Doh...didn't see your post on Saturnalia. This is what I get for posting when near delirium.

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by Starr Polish
The actual festival that is celebrated at the specific time comes from a pagan fesitval that was basically "It's cold and dismal, let's party.."...I think. Historians believe Jesus was born in the spring.

Stoopid ninety second rule.

edit: Doh...didn't see your post on Saturnalia. This is what I get for posting when near delirium.

yeah I think I remember reading something like Jesus being born in the Spring....I think a specific rite in the Eastern Catholic church still celebrates it in May or so...I'll have to check into that though

[Nurvingiel]

Originally posted by Ruinel
I hate christmas. It sucks. I wish I could get it banned. Its nothing but commercialism gone wild. I don't even decorate. I wish it was replaced by a second Halloween.

But Halowe'en is ever farther removed from its origins as Christmas, and almost as commercial. ?

I love Christmas, and exchance gifts with my family and close friends. I agree that it's excessively commercial, and I'm annoyed by the sudden need to buy all the time. Boxing week? *gag*

[Snowdog]

One of the best things about Christmas is the crazy movies that come out around that time of year.

[Shelob's Hubby]

IMO, the modern version of Christmas was created by large department stores and Hollywood. I would love for Christmas to only be one day a year instead of one month a year.

[jerseydevil]

This will probably be different than what I said before - but Christmas is whatever you make it.

[HOBBIT]

bah, humbug


Like I say a year ago, way too over-comercialized.


Says something when all the kids i've encountered care most about christmas is that they get lots of presents and money. It is their favorite holiday for that reason.

Not being a christian, I even thought for many many years that Santa Claus and Christmas where the main things of christianity. Jesus almost never being mentioned in conjuction with christmas - only santa, presents, money.

This over-commercialization probably has taken away from some of its meaning, I would think.

Now a ton of non-christian immigrants and such celebrate Christmas, do the whole tree thing, santa thing, and giving out lots of gifts thing, thinking that that it is an American holiday - without any mention of Jesus or why it is a holy day.

Also, if it were just one day - that would be fine. But everything is christmas from after thanksgiving to after new years. Nothing on radio and at malls except for christmas music, christmas ads, etc.

[jerseydevil]

Hobbit - you're such a scrouge.

[BeardofPants]

Oh dear, if he's a scrooge, then what does that make me?

/me kicks another child out of the way