Christmas is what.

[Pasithea]

Ok so all the posts about Christmas. Very few about religion or winter solstice.

So why do people celebrate at Christmas

Am I AIBU to think that it’s hypocritical if you don’t celebrate either solstice or the birth of Jesus. ????????

Because it's fun.

Or it's supposed to be at least.

All just made up bollocks though isn’t it, so what does it matter? Nice excuse to celebrate and have a jolly time at a horrid time of year.

What PuppyMonkey said

I celebrate my loved ones, the year that has passed and look forward to Hogmanay

It’s an opportunity to show those around me how much I care about them and spoil them a little.

Celebrating being with our families and giving gifts to show our appreciation, many people still give to charity at this time of year to the less fortunate even if your not a church goer. We are all worthy of having a good time and celebrating Christmas even if we don't live our lives strictly by the bible

I'm a lapsed Catholic. I celebrate Christmas just for the magic it brings to my children. Family time and just to relax for a week. I realise how lucky I am to be able to do that

I have 30 something Christmas cards, was starting to feel there wouldn't be a nativity scene this year but today one arrived. One card with a religious theme for a Christian festival.

Because it’s fun. It breaks up the long winter a little bit. It’s an excuse to treat your loved ones. It’s an opportunity to be generous. It’s nostalgic. Traditions and rituals are important to people even if they don’t have religious underpinnings.

There are so many reasons!

Because we’re basically groomed into celebrating it. Christianity, including the celebration of its holidays, are a significant part of children’s education. We also have statutory holidays to mark Christmas and Easter in particular.

And if you try to have a celebration in winter and don’t call it Christmas, the “They’re trying to ban Christmas” crowd start having one of their tantrums.

You can think that, it's a fine way to think. It's not how I think though. I'm an atheist, and for me Christmas is cultural and traditional and other stuff.

You can think whatever you like, my dear. That's the beauty of living in a relatively free, non-theocratic state - you can be a judgemental, narrow-minded twit to your hearts' content, and the only consequence you're likely to face is being ribbed a bit on message boards

Christmas is all about the fun, Santa, presents, nice dinner, nice snacks, time off work and school, playing family games and listening to happy music and watching happy movies.
I don't see what that has to do with religion or the solstice. Though I know Christmas mean different things to different people.

OP, meaning is not inherent in things. We give the meaning. #philosophyinnit

Because time off work/food/decorations/drinking/socialising/presents/chocolate/family and friends…I could go on. What is it you’re struggling to understand?

Family traditions and get togethers
A break from work
The end of another year.
A chance to give thanks to colleagues, , say hi to people, dress up

I mean is it hypocritical to enjoy these things? I don’t think it is, is it?

I celebrate family, food, fun, presents, Santa, time off work, friends, Call the Midwife Xmas Special.

I've never pretended to celebrate religion.

I don't see what I'm being hypocritical about.

It's a chance for a celebration and a little bit of fun and relaxation with family, nice food, nice drink and gifts at the darkest and most depressing time of the year.

That is what most of us celebrate. Not a fairy tale from the Bible.

And yes YABU

I think the OP is implying we should be sitting through Church every Sunday morning and then we'd get Christmas as some kind of trade-off.

Doesnt ‘hypocrite’ mean when you say don’t do that then do it yourself. So if I say you should only celebrate Christmas for religious reasons but then I celebrate and am not religious.

However, I celebrate for many of the reasons already mentioned and don’t care why others chose to, ergo, not hypocritical.

The turning of the year is what I celebrate. No interest in all the patriarchal Jesus stuff.

The birth of Christ is unlikely to have been on 25th December.

@BettyfromBristol

The turning of the year is what I celebrate. No interest in all the patriarchal Jesus stuff.

Same. It's an end of year winter festival for me.

We aren't a religious family, but we have advent calendars and an advent candle. We have holly and ivy decorations and marked the winter solstice yesterday by eating some chocolate Yule log. On Christmas day, among the toasts to 'absent friends' and 'the cook' we always do a 'Happy Birthday Jesus' toast.

Thousands of years of tradition is not to be sniffed at, imo.

Why? Because I like it 🤷‍♀️. Tim
Minchin sums it up pretty well: m.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q