To think that christmas is farce ?

[portocristo]

Christmas seems to be a alcohol and food fest plus lots and lots of gifts and elf on the shelf etc. Just wondering if kids nowadays know or care that it's a religious occasion . I'm pretty sure that if you asked most kids about Christmas they would say its all about presents and chocolate. Am I being unreasonable in thinking this ?

Then what is the point of this thread?

Not sure why you describe it as farce then really?

So you wouldn't wish a Muslim a Happy Eid because you don't celebrate it?

'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Holiday', what does it matter?

It's the genuine wish that counts, not what you personally believe in.

Also, you don't have to believe in the literal truth of the Christian story to see the power the nativity has for the human psyche. A divine baby, born to save us from death, pain and suffering - leading us to eternal life.

I will never stop acknowledging the power of that story and how much it speaks to our deepest desires.

Jesus wasn’t even born on the 25th of December. The date was chosen to fit in with other celebrations. It doesn’t seem reasonable to relabel a holiday and say you can only celebrate if you believe in a certain regime. Not really a fan of religion but Christmas brightens up a bleak time of the year which was the original purpose of a midwinter celebration.

Yes I like the idea of it being a winter festival.

It is!

December 25th is my birthday....it's all about the presents, food and drink as far as I'm concerned.😄

A lot of old pagan festivals were about food and drink so it shouldn't have changed as it is originally a pagan festival.

Celebrate how you want, but most Christmassy things aren't anything to do with Christianity, a Norwegian tree, a South American turkey the list goes on.

The eid comment was interesting yes I would say happy eid to someone but wouldn't expect to celebrate eid.

Food, drink and presents are pretty standard for celebrations.

I didn't know it was originally a pagan festival, that's interesting, maybe I'm a pagan lol.

I don't think you need to be pagan to get something out of it. Just human.

Whether you expect to celebrate it or not, wasn't in question.

Wishing someone else a happy anything (if you think they celebrate it) is what counts.

So wishing someone a Happy Holiday at Christmas (whilst it's your choice) just because you prefer the wording is a bit hypocritical, if you're will to wish people a Happy Eid.

I really think you're overthinking this.

Meh.

It is possible to celebrate the cultural festival without celebrating the religious festival

One doesn't depend n the other and most of the celebrations (trees, presents, food, lights, decorations, santa) have nothing to do with the Christian festival anyway

If you didn't realise that was, what do you think Easter is about, it goes back a long time before christ and back to Babylon and was a fertility festival that's where the eggs and bunny's come in. Its name is a old pagan goddess Eostre.

I believe in Santa so it's definitely a religious occasion for me

So what do you suggest people do? Everything is miserable as it is - let people take pleasure where they can. If nothing Christmas provides an occassion to be joyful with people who we love and love us. Why make something else in this godforsaken country even more miserable.

Of course its a farce you only just realised.

I like a lot of the answers on this thread. I am not Christian but I enjoy the midwinter festival aspect of Christmas - bringing light, life, love, feasting and celebration into the darkest time of the year - and also the more mystical aspect @TheKeatingFive talks about. It's about magic and the stories we tell ourselves, whether that is Santa or the Nativity.

This ^^

I like to think of it as Christmas - the Christian festival and Xmas - the almost identical festival that happens to be on the same day 🤣
Every church though will have carol concerts, nativity stuff, Christingle service etc so anyone can go and join in if they want. Literally anyone - you don't have to be a Christian to go to a carol concert. All are welcome.
The vast majority of schools do Christmas plays, fairs, craft afternoons etc. I think pretty much every child in the UK will know that Christmas involves the "Baby Jesus" regardless of what faith (or none) they follow at home but for those who really don't celebrate the birth of Jesus - then they are celebrating Xmas 🙂

Electric lighting has ruined Christmas. It was originally a celebration of the winter solstice. Thomas Edison has a lot to answer for.
And don’t get me started on the central heating.

Maybe this energy crisis will bring us all back to the true meaning of it all … abject misery and pensioners dying of the cold.

Completely agree. It's a me, me,me consumer fest. Even my kids are finally asking for cheap and more modest presents. (To be fair they're all adults now though)

Do you know that it's a mid-winter celebration that long, long, long predates Christianity and that Christians slapped the name Christmas on an ancient holiday as a way to further the spread of their religion, by pretending it's the birthday of Jesus, when if he existed at all he was born at some point between April and October as is quite explicit in the biblical description of the time of his birth? It's actual purpose as a holiday is the amazing resourcefulness of humans in the norther hemisphere, who managed to turn the bleakest, most dangerous time of year, for most of human existence, into something bright and celebratory. Which is exactly what it still is despite different religions across the millennia attaching their own significance to it.