[quote=sjk]I just like to take a moment to wish everyone here a very Merry Christmas!! My best to everyone…. Take care of those closest to you ..

Regards,[/quote]

being PC for those godless heathens, thank Jesus Christ I’m not one of them 😉

happy “Festivus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8rzt-vj2gU

or whatever floats your boat….

season’s greetings!

[quote=doofrat][quote=scaredyclassic]It was a crime in colonial puritan america,to celebrate xmas.

They are rolling over in their Graves at our utter commercialization of the Lord.[/quote]

Third generation atheist here and even I celebrate Christmas: tree, lights, food, decorations, presents, cards.
Yeah, it’s totally lost it’s original meaning, but it’s still a fun holiday and you get time off work :)[/quote]
Only pagans are into Christmas.  When this nation was founded, Christmas was not a national holiday.  Indeed, The Senate sometimes was actually in session on Christmas day during the earlier years of our nation.  The Puritan spirit prevailed, which basically was, Christmas day is bogus, and you don’t celebrate Jesus’ birth, whatever day it was, by partying gift giving and merriment.  .  We were not just about consumption of goods and foods.  We were a serious people.  The puritan spirit reigned supreme for many years.  It was commonly known anf understood a t hat time that 12/25 was not the birthday of the Savior, but was merely selected because it was a pagan holiday coopted by the Church to gain applause from the masses. Since them, Americans forgot. Or something.
 
England was where Christmas involved debauchery, drunkenness, games, gifts and such.  We in the USA were fleeing from this foolishness.  Sometime in the late 1800s, the mood switched.  Perhaps we had come far enough away from the revolution to feel safe in celebrating what had for a hundred years or so  been a non-event in the USA – the paganly selected date of 12/25. 
 
Why do I dislike xmas so much?  Hard to say.  I suppose at base I believe in principles.  I respect the Puritan viewpoint for its consistency.  This dressing up in santa suits and yipping about jesus and buying lots of stuff and partying—offends my sensibilities.  Just because I don’t believe something is true, doesn’t mean that other people’s beliefs don’t matter to me, and , well, I guess I fall ideologically on the Puritan side.  I am annoyed by inappropriate merriment, hypocrisy and xmas.

[quote=The-Shoveler]Bah Humbug LOL,

Go out and buy new bikes or something for you and the family.[/quote]

Uh, no way. No gifts.

We only buy upon need or a deal.

Christmas is not merry. It should be spent in serious introspective reflection, preferably in a cold new England church.

[quote=scaredyclassic]

Why do I dislike xmas so much?  Hard to say.  I suppose at base I believe in principles.  I respect the Puritan viewpoint for its consistency.  This dressing up in santa suits and yipping about jesus and buying lots of stuff and partying—offends my sensibilities.  Just because I don’t believe something is true, doesn’t mean that other people’s beliefs don’t matter to me, and , well, I guess I fall ideologically on the Puritan side.  I am annoyed by inappropriate merriment, hypocrisy and xmas.[/quote]

I feel pretty much like that most years. I do. I grin and bear it because I don’t want to be a downer and don’t feel it is a big enough issue for me to attempt to persuade others. So I go through the motions. I put up with the repetitive songs, the gaudy decorations, the commercialized trading of bad guesses at gifts.

But this year, this year is different. I’m excited this year. We have a couple of little ones running around the house this year (younger than 7) and they are super excited. It is rubbing off on me. To drive around looking at Christmas decoration and watch the awe come across their faces, to hear the excitement in their voices, to see them jump around like pogo sticks around the tree. That’s what Christmas is about – the little ones.

I think it started this season when about a month ago – not seasonly timed but by pure accident – we watched the Christmas Special episode of the British show Stella that was made a few years back. It was beautifully done. Christmas can be tasteful, though usually it isn’t done that way.

In any case, I’m sure I will revert back to my old viewpoint in whatever December these littles one are either no longer little or no longer in our household. But for now, I’m gonna enjoy the feeling.

And we’ve highjacked this thread a bit. For that I apologize, sjk.

Though I’m neither a believer nor a Christian, Merry Christmas to ya sjk my friend.

I am the same way. I have not bought any presents or sent cards for xmas in over 20 years. I stopped after folks decided not to celebrate by reciprocating.

Now I feel much better its just another consumer holiday where everything shuts down for the week, traffic is 10x as bad because nobody works during xmas week and I need to just watch movies or study until the day passes.

[quote=scaredyclassic]Still disagree.

Children have wonder for everything.

By overstimulating with lights, presents, music etc, we actually reduce their capacity for wonder. They need increasingly bigger doses. A simple dried dandelion stalk no longer suffices.

I suppose it is OK to say merry christmas. Just leave it there.[/quote]

I respect your right to disagree – just think maybe you’re holding your butt cheeks a lil tight.

The way Christians raise children works, the way my family raises children works, and the way you raise your children works. I’m fond of saying that you have to be a severely bad parent to screw up a kid. Kids are very resilient and are exposed to so much outside of their immediate family and neighborhood now that they can quickly adapt to overcome whatever deficiencies we have as parents. Unless the kid isn’t hitting on all cylinders then they were screwed to begin with.

Kids – all kids – have plenty of rough days growing up and will have even more as an adult. Who am I to be scrooge and dissuade them from enjoying Christmas. They’ll turn out juuuust fine.

It just seemed like everyone was trying to be the turd in sjk’s punch bowl in this thread. I’m saying its all good. Enjoy!