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 ?

Having orgies, bonfires and animal sacrifice would probably be bit frowned upon nowadays so we party on Christmas

Winter solstice on or around 21 st December marks the lengthening of daylight hours, no wonder our ancestors in their cold dark homes welcomed the change with a celebration of light and feasting. Religions were quick to jump on this and tag on their own reasons for celebration. Ditto Easter.

I'm not up for the animal sacrifice but the rest of it sounds great to me. In fact, you've given me a great idea for how to liven up Bonfire Night a bit.

A farce? A farce to feast with your family in the midwinter? It's a tradition that's older than Christmas itself.

They get all about the baby Jesus and three wise men at school so they will know but Christmas for non religious children and adults is about presents food drink and family. I don't think there Is anything wrong with that.

Yule is one of the eight great festivals of the year.
No need to involve Jesus if you don’t want to, there are other gods and goddesses. Or just a festival of light at Midwinter.

Christmas is whatever you want it to be. If you're religious then celebrate the birth of christ. If you're pagan then go nuts for yule.
If you're not religious at all then celebrate presents, family and friends, booze, food, having a few days off work - whatever you like!
All of these things can happen simultaneously without detracted from one another's celebrations.

@Marmunia1066

You're baffled by the difference between celebrating a cultural festival abd celebrating a religious one?

Its not that hard to understand surely?

Apparently in Julian calendar it was on 25th. That's probably why Gregorian put it on 25th even though in reality it is different day

It's quite nice to have a celebration to mark out the year, get the family together etc etc.

@ReneBumsWombats 😁

i’m not up for animal sacrifice so the death of all those turkeys means nothing to you?😪🦃

I'm dreading Christmas. My partner is abroad and I can't travel to see anyone as I have animals to take care of. I live alone and have no car so can't even drive to family for the day, not that I would want to as I'm always a spare part to them. I've been looking into volunteering but the Crisis centres are too far away to get to as there is no public transport on Christmas day. I've scoured the internet for homeless shelters etc that might need someone but can't find anything.

I don't celebrate Christmas, I celebrate the Midwinter Solstice (AKA Saturnalia, AKA Yule etc), where greenery is brought inside, gifts are exchanged, lights are lit and feasting takes place.

I think, providing you are allowed to keep Christmas in your own way, it’s not bad thing.

I agree that the number of ‘traditions’ is getting out of hand (Christmas Eve boxes, Elf on the shelf etc.)

if people can celebrate and enjoy Christmas in a way that suits them, without the pressure of putting on a performance for Social Media, then all good.

25th was also the day when Romans would celebrate the cult of Mithras (borrowed from the Persians). There were an awful lot of similarities in the way Mithraism and Christianity were symbolised, until the Christians wipe out the worshipers of Mithras

Christmas Eve boxes aren't new. Posters on here aged 40, 50 and 60 and over remember having them as children. Some of them are still using the same boxes now that they had, for their children and grandchildren.

Elf on the shelf is newer but it's just a reusable cuddly toy. Hardly great excess if you choose to do it, which nobody has to.

Which was exactly my point, do what you like but don’t feel pressured to partake in things because other people are.

This
Christmas is a magical time in the middle of a somewhat gloomy season. However you celebrate it,it's a lovely excuse for some peace and reflection. Don't let it be spoiled by what's going on outside, try and relax and enjoy it for what it is.
For what it's worth I am not in the tiniest bit religious.

Christmas is a Pagan festival that was hijacked by Christianity.

Many of the things we associate with Xmas are the midwinter festival - bringing an evergreen inside, lights, feasting. Religion doesn't play a big part for most people because it never was.

Yes op such a hype. Endless buying tons nieces nephews. The xmas lights in town are lovely. For my mam the religious aspect a big thing for her. I think when my kids small was fab not so much now lol

We all love Christmas and are not religious. Rude of you to call what we do a farce!
Do you really think that Jesus was a white man who had friends called Matthew and John?! Think about it.
And Dec 25th was not Jesus' Birthday. It was, however, a RepurposedPagan festival.
If you're a Christian, good for you. I will not be rude about it. You just leave everyone else alone.

In our family Christmas (really the winter solstice) is neither religious nor a farce. It's a time to celebrate family, life and friendship. Good food, warmth and alcohol are involved.

Christmas has nothing to do with religion for me as an atheist. A midwinter celebration full of pretty lights, abundance, family, generosity and magic is so wonderful. I love it. Its only about Christianity in name - who cares?

The Midwinter festival was a Thing long before it morphed into a Christian one. People in Northern Europe have always wanted something to cheer up the darkest days of a cold winter. In Sweden they still call it Jul (Yule) as in the Yule log, which was a pagan thing centuries before you could buy a chocolate cake version in Tesco.
There’s a reason why Christmas isn’t such a big thing in warmer, e.g. Med countries.

But I do think a lot of children will learn the basics at school, even if their parents don’t want to tell them, or CBA. My Gdcs certainly do, but then it’s a C of E school - not because dd and SiL are religious, but because it’s very good and close by.
Whether you think the Nativity story is a load of bollocks or not, it’s an appealing one for children, and IMO being aware of it is just another part of general knowledge.