Why is everyone so obsessed?

[zbw565]

I don’t celebrate Christmas but I really don’t understand the appeal. Is it because most people celebrated it as children so it’s nostalgic? You got toys and spends some time with family member you rarely see otherwise?

I don’t get how you can do things with zero meaning behind any of it except “it’s tradition”. Yes but what’s the significance of any of it? All I see is pure commercialism.

The majority of people who celebrate are not religious at all. Some agnostic, some atheists. Yet they still insist on celebrating Christmas. They will put a tree up and tinsel and lights and make up some story about Santa - what’s the significance of any of it? Aren’t these pagan rituals? What do they have to do with Jesus? Just doing it because the adverts on tv tell you it’s time to?

I could just never live my life this way. Doing things like a sheep with no idea why I am even doing it. When I read some posts some people honestly seem to revolve their whole lives around it. I have no idea how much money they end up spending.

How people just rinse and repeat the same crap every year. No wonder most people are miserable and depressed.

Of course after Christmas we are told we have to get excited about New Year, then Valentine’s Day, then Easter, then summer holidays, then Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas again. They’ve added some more gems along the way - Mother’s Day, st Patrick’s day- you get the jist. It’s all load of commercial crap and I can’t stand this time table the west has made up that we all seem to be obsessed with living our lives by with zero meaning behind any of it.

rant over

So what do you do OP? @zbw565

You don't like the pagan rituals (I'm not sure Santa is pagan though), you don't celebrate Christmas either.
Do you celebrate Diwali or Eid or anything else? If so, you have a calendar too - just a different one.

Other wise you are just working through the whole year without a break. Do you stop for new year? And Sunday - it's the Lords day after all.
Also, make sure you don't celebrate birthday's either - that'll show 'em.

We tend to spend time with kids and enjoy doing different stuff/experiences.

I kind of miss palm Sunday and Christingle - as enjoyed the things my school and village did for those events - enjoyed brownies and cub/scouts annual event that my DC groups never did. Even little local carnivals with floats a staple of our childhoods have been rare thing in my DC childhood.

So we probably have learned in harder to Halloween and bonfire night which existed in our childhoods but not in a big way - making our own traditions.

We are not religious but I'd say Christmas and even Easter are more cultural events now - a rare thing than most people are doing at same time - and we tend to have a few family traditions.

I do to try and cook something particularly welsh on St David day as we are in wales and have welsh heritage - if I remember but can't say we bother much with Valentines day.

Can't say everything we do in expensive - walking up local hill and eating hot cross bun as is local tradition. Sunday lunch sitting down and having that.

Some of these traditions won't last once kids leave home. It is annoying though when we are sort of passing UK culture and family traditions on to our kids it gets sneered at - as commercial crap and not worth bothering with. If you don't want to do it don't but leave those of us who do alone.

Haven't RTFT but I get really into Christmas because why not?

I love parties, presents, time off work. What's not to like?

I don't have kids and I don't martyr myself. The only people I buy presents for are myself and a significant other if I'm in a relationship.

Christmas is a zero stress time for me.

I'm an athiest, I was raised strictly Catholic. My very devout mother hated Christmas and couldn't wait until it was over despite dragging us to church a lot during the season. That permeated our childhoods but as an adult I recognise her childhood Christmasses were blighted by poverty and parental alcoholism so her memories were trauma based and unfortunately she didn't ever really overcome them. She prefers Christmas alone now, and we respect that. But having had tense Christmasses as a child, I went the other way and embrace it.

I dislike consumerism, and while I admire the shop windows, I don't get sucked into the advertising. We've never done piles of expensive presents, and when DS was young, we limited present giving to just godparents and grandparents so a total of 4 presents outside of his parents were allowed - and that's loads! We don't buy for extended family, but I will give our wonderful neighbours a box of chocs and a bottle of wine. So I don't spend a huge amount on gifts.

For us Christmas has always been about taking a break from work and school, and hanging out as a family doing things we love. DH loves outdoor decorations and this year the only new ones were hand made by him. I love cooking and it's the time of year where I get the time to make all the lovely things from scratch that I never get time for during the year when I'm rushing in from work to throw a quick dinner up before tackling homework and bedtimes. I'll make gingerbread dough and together we'll design and build something. We'll bring the dog for a walk and then warm up with hot chocolate and chestnuts. DH's favourite memories is of them all having a stir of the pudding made by his mother. He doesn't eat pudding but he loves the idea of it and the memories it triggers.

I don't care where the origins of the season come from. All I care is that it's a welcome pause in our busy lives to appreciate who we have around us.

What a misery-guts OP.
Unable to understand that for many people, Christmas massively brightens up an otherwise dark and dreary time of year.
And you don’t have to be religious to enjoy traditional carols, children’s Nativity plays etc. The ‘feasting’ aspect, and evergreen decorations, are of pagan origin anyway.
Such things are bound up with UK, and indeed much of European culture.
But then I dare say that to some people, ‘culture’ is important only when it belongs to non western, or non European countries.

I am pretty grinchy.

I am fed up with the shite people are expected to do and buy.

I get a chicken from Tesco and we have a nice meal. I like staying home with my family and I like food so I can get on board with that. Father Christmas is fun for little kids so I can deal with that. My kids are late teens now anyway. I like my siblings so I can do a visit to them as well, get some nice things for DNs.

The rest of it however can get to fuck. I just hate it. Meaningless nonsense and can’t get practical things done. Tat everywhere.

I'm a Christian. I love Advent, the wait and approach and preperation for Christmas, It's a vey spiritual time for reflection.

I also love Christmas tress, fairy lights, cosy fires, candles, red wine, board games. chatting into the night, long walks, mince pies, presents and whiskey.

I love the traditions we had as children that I've continued and I love the new ones we developed (many by accident) with our own.

I also love observing and jooining in with the celebrations of other cultures. I've been in muslim countries for Ramadan and found their commitment to fasting and prayingthe shared meals at sunset very moving.

The need for ritual, tradition and celebration is very deep for humans. The idea we all just develop ourselves without history or culture from scratch is laughable.

I think most people would find even greater joy if they found and accepted the love of God into their ritauls and celebrations, and put Jesus at the heart of Christmas, but I totally understand why they can enjoy it without that being explicit.

The fact that it stems from tradition gives it meaning. To think otherwise is ridiculous. It means something special to people because of the fond memories they hold of loved ones. what's not to understand??
This made me happy so I will do it for my children. Simple. It has meaning borne from love!

I mean that sounds very nice, but bluntly the love of God is kind of difficult to find - Jesus could be fiction - who knows and how do they know?

Why not? It’s the one day that most people celebrate, unlike a birthday where only you and close family/friends celebrate? People get time off work so have time to visit family, share time together to talk about what they have done over the past year? Eat together, drink together and exchange gifts. Why does it have to be about religion or the true meaning?

I’m not religious, though my family are Christians and I went to a church school. Christmas did involve going to church and reading the true Christmas story but it isn’t now, for me it’s about spending time with family and taking a rest as a time of year that’s grey and depressing.

If you don’t want to celebrate then that’s your choice but many people decide too. It’s not being a sheep…..doing something you enjoy 🤔, if you don’t enjoy it then don’t do it….I know a few people that decide not too and that’s fine.

Meaning ?

It's probably different for each "family" but for us ( family, friends , your core unit of people )

The meaning is it's a dark cold time of year when we know everyone makes an effort to come together with people they love for a banging party/celebration

Traditions are the things shared - shared things is what leads to deeper relationships

The time when we remember the special people who have died -Christmas is a time we shared with those people

Its the one time when we decorate , get different , richer food and more treats, - we put aside the routine , humdrum and stress of daily life and try to make time to properly relax and to do nice fun things together to remember what it really mean s to be human

Well that's a whole other thread!

I was sharing my view of Christmas not trying to convert you.

If though you are genuinely interested in exploring why or how people have faith you could ask a question on one of the philosophy boards or the Christian board, or if you have a more personal question I'd be happy for youto DM me 😊.

So do you not enjoy any kind of group celebration or event? It reads like you don’t.

You don’t do Christmas or valentines or Easter or Halloween or summer holidays. You appear to not do celebrations or anything out of routine.

do you do anything joyful that involves your extended family or groups of friends beyond the every day life routine?

This thread is becoming a beautiful ode to the meaning of Christmas!

Maybe the OP knew that would happen and is really a Christmas Angel/ Elf (depending on your preference) sent to remind us of the Light and love of Christmas 😂

We have a really beautiful tree this year, it smells so lovely and the lights are gorgeous and we hang up all the ornaments we've collected over the years, ones from places we've visited, ones the kids made, ones we've been given. While we're decorating, we talk about all the memories they bring up for us. I find it such a reflective time of year - when the world is dark and still and quiet, and we put up lights and gather together. I love it, and I find it healing and restorative.

I know this is a goady thread, but I liked reading people's sincere musings on the loveliness of Christmas so wanted to add one anyway!

You could literally say that about ANYTHING?!

Birthdays. Easter. Bonfire night. Halloween.

Why bother getting out of bed in the morning?

In short, the genuine answer is that almost all of human life is either unbearably painful or unbearably boring and we have to do something to get through it.

That's why religion exists in the first place.

Christmas is one moment when we find reason to keep going in each other's company.

Having to illustrate counterarguments with toaster festivals and serial killers is very off on a tangent I must say!

Perhaps it’s YOU who should take a good look at yourself as you suggested others here should do? Who the AF do you think you are? You don’t celebrate Christmas? Do you not know that that’s because you’re a stupid sheep who’s been brainwashed into living a miserable life blah blah?

See how easy it is to make up some mean crap? Why are you doing it? Why the fuck do you care what other people do as long as it doesn’t hurt you? Who the fuck are you to tell people they’re not good Christians? Seriously, the size of your ego must be approaching Jupiter!

Most people like a break and a reason to meet, eat and have fun. Most people do what they want as regards eating and spending money and how they spend their days. The idea that everyone else but you sits there watching Xmas ads, then mindlessly drones “I must spend £1000 on Xmas presents and stock up with enough food for 6 weeks” and rushes off to Morrisons is so ridiculous that I half suspect you’re having a laugh.

😂😂

Also @zbw565 you must know that Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas who is part of the Christian tradition?

Birthdays, funerals, weddings and festivals from around the world all have meaning behind them.

Not one of you can tell me the meaning of Christmas except “spending time with family, spreading joy, being generous, cooking nice meals, giving gifts” why can’t you do that all year round? Why do you have to wait until December lol

The fact that many of you say it’s the only time you feel happy or it brings you joy in your dull gloomy lives is very sad. It’s the only time some of you feel the need to create magic and happiness for your children? Again very sad.

I was hoping to invoke some deep reflection but I can see most of you are just really surface level and I just find it weird how people can be so shallow.

all the best folks.

Wow that is so sad.

@zbw565 Initially I thought your objective was to start an argument for the sake of it. But this part explains it all: How people just rinse and repeat the same crap every year. No wonder most people are miserable and depressed. This is obvious projection.

You are behaving like the most miserable person on this thread. Now you've resorted to calling people 'little consumers,' unless you live in a shack in the woods and shower in rainwater, I'd suggest you keep quiet or do you enjoy being hypocritical? The majority of people have explained the most important thing about Christmas is quality family time, as it isn't often immediate and extended family can get together all at once. If you can't draw meaning from that, then it is very sad.

Seems like you are trying to give off this nonchalant 'I'm so unique' vibe but you actually come across as very bitter. I asked early if you were spending Xmas alone and you didn't answer. I think you most likely are and that explains a whole lot.

What do you do around the Christmas period with your family and friends OP?

Well done OP 😂: Not one of you can tell me the meaning of Christmas except “spending time with family, spreading joy, being generous, cooking nice meals, giving gifts”

God Bless you.