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.

You cannot ignore the fact that the modern interpretation of the Christmas season is based around the (supposed) birth of Jesus Christ.

It is part of the christmas idea, but a small part for most.
Think how most of us celebrate christmas- the stockings, father christmas, the tree, reindeers, holly, mistletoe.
Jesus features in very few homes.
I canve been buying christmas cards this weekend- of the hundreds I looked at only one or two had any christian images.

Christmas is a secular festival, returning to its pagan roots.
Christmas was banned in Scotland by the church for almost 300 years.

😂At the risk of annoying people on here Op, I thought exactly the same thing. I bought 48 stamps (4 books of twelve) for cards from post office and was surprised they were all the same, all Madonna and Child.

I asked If I could swap one book to ordinary stamps and the post office refused as they had rung them through the till ! I was yet to pay it would not have been that hard I would not have thought 😄 So I will be using them for birthdays for the whole of next year too !

I didn’t know about the alternate year thing, why do they not mix them up every year (6 of each in a pack) then everyone’s happy ? It would be like when we send the religious cards in the card pack to our friends who will like them and the cute ones with Father Christmas to the families with kids.

I think "Fuck it, it's cold and I want presents" Day has a nice ring to it. That seems about right. My mother wasn't religious and she much preferred New Year, if she was alive she'd be annoyed if there is a 5 day break for Christmas and then lockdown for New Year.

I always find New Year depressing, I suspect I was swapped at birth, bit awkward as I was born at home but I can't thing of another explanation.

3% of under 25's attend church on Xmas day in UK. 1 in 9 people say they will attend church, but less than half of those actually do.
Less than one in a hundred people regularly attend church.

The vast majority never attend church, at all, ever.

Christmas is a religious as I am.

If you can wait another couple of weeks they’re bringing out some lovely Chinese Year
of the Ox stamps.
shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/christmas-2020/lunar-year-of-the-ox-generic-sheet

It’s laughable how many people are suggesting Christmas primarily a religious festival, that’s clearly the case only for a small minority.

I asked If I could swap one book to ordinary stamps and the post office refused as they had rung them through the till ! I was yet to pay it would not have been that hard I would not have thought

How Christian of them!! I read they have trouble selling as many stamps in religious years so they probably wanted to hold you to that sale 😝

You cannot ignore the fact that the modern interpretation of the Christmas season is based around the (supposed) birth of Jesus Christ

I can. because it isn't. The actual modern interpretation of Xmas is about presents and eating and drinking. Check out the Xmas topic on here, I guarantee you will have to hunt to find any mention of Jesus, if he's there at all.

I didn’t know about the alternate year thing, why do they not mix them up every year You'd just annoy everyone every year.

@girasol

If you can wait another couple of weeks they’re bringing out some lovely Chinese Year of the Ox stamps. shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/christmas-2020/lunar-year-of-the-ox-generic-sheet

It’s laughable how many people are suggesting Christmas primarily a religious festival, that’s clearly the case only for a small minority.

They are very pretty. Could use those for all but my abroad ones.

@ancientgran

I think "Fuck it, it's cold and I want presents" Day has a nice ring to it. That seems about right. My mother wasn't religious and she much preferred New Year, if she was alive she'd be annoyed if there is a 5 day break for Christmas and then lockdown for New Year.

I always find New Year depressing, I suspect I was swapped at birth, bit awkward as I was born at home but I can't thing of another explanation.

I love New Year but then I am Scottish.

I didn’t know about the alternate year thing, why do they not mix them up every year (6 of each in a pack) then everyone’s happy ?

That would be a thoughtful and elegant solution.

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.

All of which is irrelevant given these are branded as Christmas stamps. For celebrating Christmas, which isn't "also called" Yule or Hanukkah.

@Puddingypops

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

That is a lovely idea 😃

All of which is irrelevant given these are branded as Christmas stamps. For celebrating Christmas, which isn't "also called" Yule or Hanukkah.
It's pretty relevant if there are no stamps for Hannukah or Yule, actually. Which I am guessing there are not?

Why do you still call it Christmas then? Call it a New PS5 day if you don't give a flying

New PS5 day won't be the 25th December sadly for my son.

There is no reason for there to be stamps for every possible celebration. Although I do think there was a cheese rolling stamp at one point.

Well, Christmas is a religious festival. If people choose to celebrate as a non-religious festival that's their choice. But that doesn't make Christmas a secular festival.

It was abolished in Scotland, also for puritanical reasons, it seems.

Sounds a blast.

OP I love the Christmas stamps I always try to send them abroad.

rsababe
Wow! I used to know someone that made stained glass. Bristol Cathedral at Clifton has some stained glass within it that isn’t religious. The sun shine on it makes beautiful patterns.

There also some in the church at Gloucester just a small section within one area which was modern. It is the church/cathedral where some of Harry Potter was filmed in the cloisters.

OP I don't think you should be bothered about the stamps.

I am agnostic but I don't mind the Jesus elements. I think the story of Jesus birth is cute and have a nativity set collection!

Ironically the most heavily Christian people where I live do not do any cards/decs/presents/etc. They consider those pagan!! It's the non-Christians/soft Christians doing all that stuff!!

Yes, and New Year became a huge thing in Scotland because christmas was banned.

I'm an atheist but raised Christian - I have no issue with people celebrating the day with no religious element because it is also tradition - but I do think it's silly to object to things like religious stamps for a religious celebration.

and NO it's not pagan - pagans celebrate Solstice - others celebrate Yule - but Christmas is religious - Christian - in it's origins - so you can't really complain if that's reflected in stamps, cards, TV output etc.

I still go to church Christmas Eve because all those years of singing in the choir - it's not Christmas to me without carols.

For the people that are so offended by all things Christmas and all things Christian, are you offended by other religions and their holy days, or is the vitriol just reserved for Christianity?

@ancientgran

I genuinely can't understand how Christians can feel comfortable celebrating a holiday they stole from the pagans in the first place When was the pagan winter festival the 25th December?

It takes approximately 4 days for the lengthening of the days after the Winter Solstice to be noticeable, which takes us to 25th December. As all the "facts" about the birth of Christ puts it in spring/early summer (e.g. shepherds watching flocks on the hills), why is Christmas celebrated in the middle of winter anyway? Possibly a mix up between birth of the Sun, and birth of the Son? .

Have a think just how many "Christmas" traditions don't have their roots in pagan religions.
Virgin birth? Been done before with Roman, Greek and Egyptian gods mostly.
Late December/December 25th? Mithras, Horus, Osiris, Dionysus to name just a selection.
Holly, Ivy & Mistletoe? All traditionally brought in during mid-winter long before Christ was born. Mistletoe in particular is a Pagan symbolic plant (semen of the Gods, used to be banned in churches)
Fir trees? Again, pre-Christian tradition in mid-winter.
Feasting? Done by Celts and Romans, among others, long before the birth of Christ.

HA! you just proved it's a Christian festival calling it Christmas. You lose.

No one ever says this.