[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.
