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.

Wow, religious themed stamps for Christmas.

Who would have thought it possible.

I find it hard to believe the RM are really all that religious. Do they check they aren't sending presents to people's mistresses for instance? No they don't really care Now that sort of intrusion on people's personal life would be worth protesting about.

You do have a choice DON'T buy them and keep your outrage to yourself .

Non-religious cards were available (some of which may or may not use the word "Christmas")

Tell me about it!! As said I had a specific reason to send secular-type cards, and wasted so much money buying beautiful ones in a pack, stupidly not noticing the tiny sticker explaining the words inside

As an aside, I don't think Cromwell objected to Christmas on religious grounds, but the opposite (he was a puritan and thought it had become too excessive). I get most of my historical facts from Horrible Histories though, so a historian may correct me.

Christmas is a religious festival? Who knew?

@FudgeDrudge

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.

But that's up to them, isn't it? If people don't want to celebrate the Christian festival Christmas they don't have to. But why do you call the time of year that you feel "is about family, food, presents, fun" Christmas then?

@MrsTerryPratchett To be honest, the responses like yours are even more annoying, with people screaming YESSSS BUT IT WAS A PAGAN FESTIVAL FIRSSSTTTTTT.

You cannot ignore the fact that the modern interpretation of the Christmas season is based around the (supposed) birth of Jesus Christ. It is what you were brought up learning about in schools, and the Christmas story is at the heart of the whole period. I am not religious by way, and spend the time with family, appreciating each other and exchanging gifts.

But I would never complain about religious stamps, as that is the root of the reason we as a country celebrate it as it is today. I can celebrate it in my own way without moaning when people or companies try to take it back to its origins.

I'm sending Marvel ones

Cromwell disliked the gluttony and drunkenness and the fact that the country basically shut down for the Twelve Days, instead of people going out and working and making money. He wanted people to observe the occasion with quiet prayer and then go about normal business

If people don't want to celebrate the Christian festival Christmas they don't have to. But why do you call the time of year that you feel "is about family, food, presents, fun" Christmas then?

Because that's what its CALLED. That doesn't mean it represents what a small minority think it means.
How do people not understand this? It's not hard.

That is a an offensive statement as it still would be if you swapped the words Christian, Christianity & Christmas for Jew, Judaism & Hanukkah or Muslim, Islam & Eid.Or any religion

I disagree, and anyway religions aren't all interchangable in terms of cultural capital.
Also, so what if you are offended?

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

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

There, fixed that for you.

signed
An atheist

In our house it’s the merry winter festival of the twinkly lights.

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

For the vast majority of people., You did not fix it.

I have a tradition with a family member that I only started 3 years ago, I bought a beautiful card and stuck on a first class Christmas stamp (on the inside) and next to it a brief sum up of the year, (not like look what I’ve achieved more like 2018 the year we went to Jane does wedding and laughed at the cake etc) and asked her to send it back the following year doing the same, which she did with the stamp and the summery and I have it written to send to her this year. I can tell you that in 2018 the 1st class stamp was a snowy postbox, in 2019 Mary and the baby Jesus in a womb like picture lol, and the stained glass windows this year! They always announce the Christmas stamp collection in November x

@ancientgran

I find it hard to believe the RM are really all that religious. Do they check they aren't sending presents to people's mistresses for instance? No they don't really care Now that sort of intrusion on people's personal life would be worth protesting about.

No they couldn't do that.

@BambooWhoosh

I'm sending Marvel ones

Those are amazing!!!!

Christmas is no longer celebrated by the majority as a religious event. In which case, it should really be called something else.

Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus have Christmas.

Pagans have winter solstice.

The majority of the UK have an overly long period during the winter months in which they spend money they don't have, smile indulgently as their child throws a strop because they didn't get the present they wanted, play shit music and berate other grown adults for being "Scrooges".

It feels wrong not to distinguish between that and someone's religious observance.

I think "Fuck it, it's cold and I want presents" Day has a nice ring to it.

OP, they are 'nice' stamps this year. I think it's nice to have a religious theme this year as I don't remember seeing them for a few years. Not everyone wants a twee robin or partridge in a pear tree on their stamps!

Och is been fun guys, but some people just aren't worth my time. Especially those that think throwing insults is a reasonable way of conducting a discussion.

Saying Christmas is not really a Christian festival because of pagans is a bit like asking for a new window and finding someone has just made a hole in your wall surrounded by a bit of wattle and daub. Or booking an Uber and some naked man painted blue turning up on a chariot. It has been Christian Christmas for ages and there are two billion Christians.

Anyway, loads of secular people like a bit of Christian art as well, so the Royal Mail sells the stamps because there is a market for them. Hopefully they will bring out a nice British wildlife set with a Robin at some point in the future.

@ancientgran

Stephen Fry comes to mind. Oh yes he wants us to all bow down to him. I think he annoys me just as much as Jesus seems to annoy non Christians.

Yes I normally love him but I wish he'd stop lecturing people on their beliefs.