What's Christmas all about

[jacklev1 12]

Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about,, no one seems to know the real

Meaning anymore , most people put presents ,first the more the better food and getting <removed> to me its all got out of hand big style Christmas causes more problems than any other time off year

Edited December 12, 2016 by nikki-red

[andyofborg 11]

it kinda depends on what you want it to mean

 

the western christian traditions use it as a celebration of the birth of jesus, though it's doubtful he was born at this part of the year

 

to the romans it was the festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the birthday of the unconquered sun

 

to most of the other european non-christians this time marks the winter solstice and they were marked with all sorts of ceremonies, most of which will have involved drinking, feasting and such like.

 

as with anything, it only causes problems if you let it,,,,

[Anna B 1,401]

Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about,, no one seems to know the real

Meaning anymore , most people put presents ,first the more the better food and getting <removed> to me its all got out of hand big style Christmas causes more problems than any other time off year

 

Sadly, in our society, it seems to have lost its religious context, and we are left with a mid winter festival which has mushroomed into a rather vulgar, geedy spectacular. And we are all the poorer for it.

[*_ash_* 88]

Sadly, in our society, it seems to have lost its religious context, and we are left with a mid winter festival which has mushroomed into a rather vulgar, geedy spectacular. And we are all the poorer for it.

 

Just out of interest, at what point in time did Christmas 'peak' as being better in religious context?

[Anna B 1,401]

Just out of interest, at what point in time did Christmas 'peak' as being better in religious context?

 

I'd say almost any time other than this.

 

Christmas has survived within a religious context for nearly 2,000 years. This sudden loss of faith in the late 20th and early 21st century is fairly unprecedented.

 

My Grandparents who died in the 1970s were typical God fearing Victorians. There was a certainty to their belief and it was taken for granted that everyone thought like them - and most people did. Churches were full on Sundays well into the 1950s.

 

I think the Victorian era was probably the best time for social conscience as the gap between rich and poor was most noticable, and being God fearing meant that something had to be done about it. Philanthropy, social reform and trade unionism flourished to try and genuinely improve the world.

And of course the traditional Christmas that we still try to emulate began in the Victorian era, but hadn't yet reached the unchristian hedonism we see today

Edited December 13, 2016 by Anna B

[mancmart 10]

It's a good time to break up the monotony of the long, dark British winter.

By the time it's all over, and the hype has gone (along with Cliff, Mariah, wizard, Slade, Pogues, Shaky etc.) the nights are already starting to get longer.

 

It's a great excuse to pretend that there really is a point to living in such a dull climate for such a large proportion of the year, and hey; we can line the pockets of the money people while we're at it!

 

It's also a good excuse to snog the boss, but not for me!

[Alcoblog 10]

It's a good time to break up the monotony of the long, dark British winter.

By the time it's all over, and the hype has gone (along with Cliff, Mariah, wizard, Slade, Pogues, Shaky etc.) the nights are already starting to get longer.

 

It's a great excuse to pretend that there really is a point to living in such a dull climate for such a large proportion of the year, and hey; we can line the pockets of the money people while we're at it!

 

It's also a good excuse to snog the boss, but not for me!

Not that I'm of the pedantic ilk, but the nights are in actual fact starting to get shorter by the time of Christmas. Just saying like.

[Halibut 12]

The true meaning of Christmas is in Jesus's words ´Love your neighbour as yourself'.

[tzijlstra 11]

It is becoming more and more commercial and, to be honest, it doesn't do anything for me any more. To me it should be about getting your close friends and family together and have a good time and reconnect. To others it is about all the peripherals that the Americans bestowed upon us.

[alchresearch 211]

Whats this "Christmas Eve box" business all about?

 

The Christmas Eve box: a charming new tradition, or just another way of squeezing parents for money?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/christmas/2016/12/13/christmas-eve-box-charming-new-tradition-just-another-way-squeezing/

[SnailyBoy 10]

Whats this "Christmas Eve box" business all about?

 

The Christmas Eve box: a charming new tradition, or just another way of squeezing parents for money?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/christmas/2016/12/13/christmas-eve-box-charming-new-tradition-just-another-way-squeezing/

 

The 'inventor' of the box.

 

"Before this tradition, there wasn't really anything created for a child to build on their excitement," she says. "You would probably just make them a hot chocolate and snuggle up to a Christmas film under the blanket."

 

All I got was an advent calendar to 'build on the excitement'.

Edited December 13, 2016 by SnailyBoy

[Guest]

Whats this "Christmas Eve box" business all about?

££££££££££