to wonder if perhaps only christians should celebrate christmas?

[gingertabbywithsnowypaws]

what do you think.

i am COE btw

I think that is the joy of Christmas actually - that there is something for everybody to celebrate whether you have a religion or none. You can justify celebrating in many ways, not just Christian.

Sorry, but I think YABU even if it is the season of Goodwill to all men and all that.

I am Christian, Cof E, but Christmas was there long before Christians adopted it. Oliver Cromwell tried, and failed, to get rid of it-people need a festival of lights in the middle of the winter.
Apart from than that, Christians should welcome all-not be petty minded!

well to be honest Jesus wasnt born at christmas was he, and its done in decemeber to accomendate the pagens, hardly true christian is it?

YANBU.. i dont celebrate christmas cos i dont believe in it all..

I see your point OP.

Given that Christmas is no longer really about Christ for the majority of people, I think it should be renamed to include everyone having a jolly nice time in the middle of winter. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, Germans. All of them.

Attempts to rename it are horrible!

Why horrible? It's hardly about Christ is it?

I think you would have to be a miserable Grinch of the highest order to want to stop anybody celebrating Christmas/Yule/Winter Solstice/whatever you want to call your mid-winter celebrations.

It is different things for everybody. That's part of the magic of it.

So what shall I do OP? Tell DP, the DSSs and DP's parents that DD and I don't want them around on Christmas Day? And I suppose then they should leave me out of Rosh Hashana, Kippour, Passover and I will no longer be invited to all the Bar Mitzvahs?

If you want the commercial, made up name of Winterval you can use it but it sounds horrible to me! It doesn't have the magic and wonder of Christmas.
Christ is in Christmas, whether you believe or not because, hopefully,people's intentions are good and it the time of year when they at least try to be nice to loved ones and the less fortunate. The central message of Christianity is to treat others as you would like to be treated and I think people aim for this, even if they don't always manage it.

Op is asking about "celebrating "Christmas, not about being present with Christians on Christmas day, it is not quite the same . I am a muslim (converted) My parents are Roman Catholic I still can visit them at Christmas time, but I do not "celebrate" Christmas.

I got the impression that OP was saying that people who are not Christians shouldn't celebrate Christmas-when obviously the majority of people keep a Christian festival without the Christian beliefs. I am saying that it is perfectly all right as it was pagan long before it was Christian.

I think that whatever view you take...the Santa Claus side or the Jesus side, the message is the same. Christmas is about giving to others, sharing a meal and spending time as a family.
And for small children, whether you believe in God or Santa it adds up to the same thing...someone is keeping an eye on you to make sure you are being good, and if you are, you'll be rewarded!

I think it should be stricly for atheists. We could get on with a good materialistic winter wallow without all this God stuff being dragged into it

sorry honestley not meaning to offend

like i said i think its good because it welcomes others into the church

Yeah, lose the God stuff!

Anna, you're married to Jewish chap too?

Actually: in the interests of fair play, this is absolutely on a level (in terms of fuckwittery) with the type of miserable local government jobsworths who tell Christians that they can't display nativity scenes at Christmas in case non-Christians are offended. ANyone who would be offended by someone else enjoying their preferred festival decorations really needs to be told to get a fucking life.

yeah, you can't stop us anyway,

lol fillyjonk!

YABU - if you're not religious, then xmas is a winter celebration or a celebration of children.

I'm not religious.

I see Christmas as a family time, we all get together, have decorations up, give and recieve gifts, drink and eat way too much etc. It's a holiday period where everyone gets to be around family and to celebrate tbh. However, I'll be the first to admit that I think midnight mass is lovely. My mum's side of the family are strong Catholics and I'll go with them occassionally. Might take dd this year.

I really don't want to get all Daily Mail-ish, but sticksanta's post reminds me of a news story about some council taking the cross out of a crematorium in case non-Christian mourners were offended.

Made me wonder whether crems have a Changing Rooms crew that quickly dresses the room to suit the next party. 'Right, says 'ere the next lot are Zoroastrians, can someone look up wikipedia?'

I am muslim and dont celebrate Christmas i buy presents and cards for people who do.

I'm Catholic but I don't see why everyone can't celebrate Christmas.

The imagery of tree, presents, turkey, mistletoe, etc, don't have a lot to do with the Christian faith and the whole tradition has developed to include elements of all kids of religious practices over the centuries.

I go to Church at Christmas and put up my nativity but everyone should be able to celebrate winter and family at this time. It's the one holiday where family gets together and people seem to genuinely be that bit happier!

I do not, however, have any time for people saying that religious imagery should be banned. If you don't like it, don't look at it.