Not everyone celebrates Christmas

[FourChimneys]

Semi lighthearted but is anyone else exasperated and irritated by the assumption that you celebrate Christmas? If you were obviously from another culture it might be easier but otherwise the default is Christmas.

Nothing I do or say suggests this is the case but people persist. Eg in the supermarket today, getting some basics "Oh, hello Chimneys, doing your Christmas shopping?" Or "What are doing for Christmas?" Or "Finished your Christmas shopping yet?".

I know people are making conversation and I usually just smile and move on but it's as though an alternative viewpoint doesn't exist.

sadly it’s the French way too.

Semi lighthearted but is anyone else exasperated and irritated by the assumption that you celebrate Christmas?

you just assumed we all celebrated Christmas! 😂

Ursuladevine True 🤣 See, I'm no better than anyone else 😊

Well said Quveas. This is a humbug thread. Christmas is a nice celebration, choose to join in or not but don't ruin it for the rest of us.

My lovely Muslim neighbours always send us a beautiful Christmas card.

Well I'm one as I have no religion. If I lived in a country that was predominantly Muslin or Hindu of whatever I would join in the religious celebrations to a certain extent especially if I had chosen who would like to do the same thing as their friends.

Children

I'm not Christian but I'm happy to join in with Xmas - presents, food, family, Santa, fun.

What's not to like?

No I'm saying that lots of people who are not Christians do some form of Christmas even if its just a couple of presents and a tree for the kids so they dont feel left out of what their friends are doing.

I would say most people are not christians and do celebrate in a big way- not an apology of a "couple of presents so they don't feel left out"
Christians don't own christmas.

Someone was complaining the other day that too many people asked her "do you celebrate Christmas?"
You cant do anything right these days.

pr1mr0se I certainly hope I haven't ruined your Christmas, that was not my intention at all xx

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t do anything at Christmas. I am from a multi religion background. Everyone I know does something. Has family over, exchanges gifts etc. no religion included. My mum was catholic so Christmas did include some religion. But since she died it hasn’t for us.

I work with people of loads of different religions and they take part. Christmas is more cultural than religious for many. I don’t assume only Christians celebrate Christmas.

Christians don't own christmas.

🤔 Hmm.

You disagree?

But you see how easy and completely without offence you meant it when you wished everyone had had a happy Christmas.

so why the infuriation and annoyance as others doing literally exactly what you did

It's an interesting question, I think. But Christmas only exists because of Christians so, yeah, I think I do. Jews own Hannukkah, Muslims own Eid , Hindus own Diwali and Christians own Christmas. It's not that people of other faiths shouldn't or can't celebrate the religious festivals of others, but I think they do primarily belong to the religion that founded that celebration.

Christmas doesn't exist just because of christmas though- they tried to hi-jack it and didn't do a very good job.
They certainly didn't " found" christmas.
Christmas was even banned in my part of the UK for 300 years as it was deemed pagan.
They christmas we celebrate in the UK is a mish mash of many influences- Roman Saturnalia, Germanic, Scandic, Celtic, christian, each bringing customs and ideas into a midwinter celebration.
According to the bible jesus would have been born in september anyway.

Look at the customs and symbols surrounding christmas- flying reindeer, evergreens, decorating a tree, gifting, feasting, hanging stockings, santa claus, mistleto, yule logs, leaving offerings at the hearth- none of these are christian, none mentioned in the bible ( apart from one mention which warns christians not to be like a heathen and decorate trees)-all have pagan origins, and I am happy celebrating a secular christmas.

Christmas doesn't exist just because of christmas though

woops meant

Christmas doesn't exist just because of christians though

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus's birthday. The date might have been appropriated from another festival but it doesn't really matter because it's highly unlikely to be the correct birth date anyway. And all the paraphernalia that surround it is unimportant too. Even if I were snowed in, trapped in my car, no decorations or christmas food, I'd still recognise the day and give thanks.
Ultimately it's the festival itself, that God's son was born, that is the purpose of the Christmas celebration. And the celebration is Christian.

But I do love me a tree and some fairy lights, and Santa and Rudolph, and carol singing and snowmen. I'm only human after all!

My best friend at school was Sikh and her family celebrated the cultural aspects of Christmas. When I was in Japan they did too.

Christmas doesn't exist just because of christians though.

How could there be a Christmas if there was no Christian religion? Something else might be celebrated on 25th December but it wouldn't be Christmas.

Maybe you could share a thought this Solstice for people less privileged that you ? Perhaps those who don’t have their own woodland or even a dining room, don’t live near a mountain and don’t have the health and strength to climb one.

Or for the the retail staff in the supermarket who annoyed you by making polite social conversation about the holidays whIle they scanned your shopping and packed your bags. Those who worked through the night to deliver your goods and stack the shelves. The people who risked their lives during the pandemic to keep Britain fed.

How foolish of them not to have considered your “ alternative viewpoint “ and recognised your specialness .

Reported for hate speech.

Exactly. Christmas is the celebration of the Mass of Christ. Anything else is just Yuletide/winter solstice/saturnalia. So those that hate Christmas so much should just refer to those festivals.
I find it sad that people hate Jesus so much they cannot being themselves to say CHRISTmas or CHRISTian. It’s all “xmas” and a new one to me “xtian”. Super hateful imo.

Being = bring