To be surprised that the Royal Mail Christmas stamps are all religious?

[stampsurprise]

I thought for a change I'd get proper Christmas stamps this year. Didn't expect them to be all religious and no choice!

Is this usually what's on offer? I don't object personally, but I think most of those I send to won't care for a religious stamp.

@henrystender

It's literally called Christmas.

Yes I know but most things on sale for the festive season have very little to do with the birth of Christ. I just thought the RM might do something more inclusive for people to put on their holiday cards.

Does anyone really look that closely at a stamp? It’s a means by which a greetings card gets from you to the recipient... Though as a practicing Christian it’s good to see that the religious aspect of Christmas is bring acknowledged (and yes I know we borrowed the date from the pagans - just like Easter)

If it's 'by tradition' then it's clearly secular. We spend more time shopping, decorating, eating, wrapping, hanging lights, drinking and giving presents than we do singing carols or going to church.

Quite!

I work in a shop/post office and the number of people who get upset when given plain stamps instead of christmas ones boggles my mind. Who even looks at the stamp when they get post? Well I do in case it's not been franked and I can reuse it.

My cards aren't religious so I thought I could get a matching stamp 😂

You do know Christmas is a religious festival - don't you?

That's bullshit, it is not. It might have been at one time, but things change, and now Christmas is for the vast majority, not at all religious. Most people do not attend church, or pray, or do any religious obervance of any kind.
Christmas is about family, food, presents, fun. If anything its closed now to its pagan roots than anything else.

It's also called hannukah, Yule etc.

I like eating pancakes on pancake day, doesn't mean I've fasted for lent. I eat chocolate eggs, not celebrating the resurrection.

closer

It's also called hannukah, Yule etc

Seriously?

It's also called hannukah

No it isn't. Hanukkah is called Hanukkah.

@FudgeDrudge

It's also called hannukah, Yule etc

Seriously?

Why the face?

They do alternate years so religious this year secular next year

Every day's a schoolday on here

But then I've never bought Christmas stamps; back when I worked and most clients were from another culture, I got into the habit of buying "plain" stamps in sheets

Christmas = Christ Mass, as far I understand it you celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's a religious feast.

@SoupDragon

It's also called hannukah

No it isn't. Hanukkah is called Hanukkah.

I have a terrible word blindness with Hanukkah and I apologise.

Back on RM site I see they have Lunar Year of the Ox stamps which they release on 8 December - two months early - but I can't get a robin 😂

Woah christmas has been hijacked by Christians?!! Stop the press!

Tell the bloody faith people to get off our festival of consumerism, it’s our special day to over spend and focus on one upmanship.

I have a terrible word blindness with Hanukkah and I apologise.

Does word blindness mean you mix it up with another celebration entirely?

That's bullshit, it is not. It might have been at one time, but things change, and now Christmas is for the vast majority, not at all religious

So I guess that makes Pride not an LGBT+ thing because so many people go that aren't LGBT+

Or St Patrick's day not an Irish thing as its celebrated so widely in the USA

@Twickerhun

Woah christmas has been hijacked by Christians?!! Stop the press!

Tell the bloody faith people to get off our festival of consumerism, it’s our special day to over spend and focus on one upmanship.

Nah...it's okay...I'll just use plain stamps. It was just a thought really. I was sure I'd seen nice secular ones before - I didn't know about the alternating years! Carry on...as you were and have a lovely Christmas!

There are standard stamps available if you don't wish to have Christmas stamps.

Hannukah is a totally different religious festival. It is nothing at all to do with Christmas, nor is it celebrated by the Jewish community for reasons that are anything lie the events celebrated by Christians at Christmas. It is celebrated in the winter, though not always in December. If your birthday happened to fall in December you would not say that was the same as Christmas would you?

@SoupDragon

I have a terrible word blindness with Hanukkah and I apologise.

Does word blindness mean you mix it up with another celebration entirely?

They are selling the stamps over the whole period. What makes this period of festive November Christmas rather than any other winter tradition? Hanukkah comes first, as does Yule. If they were doing all this on the 24th December I'd assume Christmas.

So I guess that makes Pride not an LGBT+ thing because so many people go that aren't LGBT

No. What an inane analogy.

Or St Patrick's day not an Irish thing as its celebrated so widely in the USA

By Irish communities. Your analogies need work.

Christmas is no longer a religious event. Any fool can see that.

It's only me and DH and we don't need any presents. I will make a donation to charity. We're not going too mad with the consumerism. 😍Just wanted to send a nice stamp with my cards to lovely relatives.

But the UK is a Christian country, by the fact that our head of state is the head of the Church of England. Which is why Christian festivals tend to get more attention than Jewish ones.

Would you advocate Christmas stamps being sold in Israel?