I like Christmas. Way more than when I was growing up. My wife puts up the lights outside and we have the tree up already. The kids are pumped.
The best part for me is work Christmas parties. My wife can dance really good and we don't go out much so she doesn't get the chance to often.
She could get anyone to dance. Anyone. It's so contagious to see her smile and having such a good time.
Well this year I have no girlfriend, no commitments, and nothing to do, so I'm going to get off my face wasted at some poor friends house, annoy his wife, poison his kids with conspiracy theories, and hopefully vomit off his patio. Cigars will be lit, lies will be told, and I will stumble home with a new-found sense of dignity for a job well done.
So yeah, I won't be surprised if no one takes my calls this year. You know who you are.
Care if I join you?
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Love Christmas, it's one of my favourite times of the year.
My immediate and extended families are all Christians so that aspect of the holiday is very important to us, and it drives me around the bend that the self-righteous anti-religion crowd seem to make it their annual mission to water Christmas down into politically-correct, one-size-fits-all pabulum. I don't consider myself to be as extreme as many people are on the religious front - I don't really care why other people do or don't celebrate Christmas, but I hope that whatever their reason, the season brings them joy. If Christmas for you means Santa Claus and Elves, awesome. We get excited over all that stuff too, it's just not our central focus for the holiday. If you're a seasonal shopper basking in the glow of commercialism and boxing week sales, more power to you. Everyone has their own take.
I don't expect the world to see things the same way I do, but it does piss me off when my kids can't sing Christmas Carols or wish their teachers Merry Christmas at school. Don't like Christmas? Fine, then don't celebrate it - but don't expect me and my family not to. We don't celebrate Ramadan or Hanukkah, but my kids are allowed to learn about those at school - and I'm glad they do. I'm of the opinion that diversity makes the world go 'round, and the more you can learn about what others believe, the better off we all will be.
In the end, Christmas for me is about a lot of the same things it is for everyone else. (except for maybe the religious elements) The decorations, the dinners, late nights and the World Juniors on TV, watching my kids get completely AMPED by the presents under the tree, hot chocolate, cookies, and way too much junk food; less time at work and more time spent with family. It seems that throughout the years, no matter what has been going on in my life, Christmas always seems to make things a little bit brighter.
I hope it does the same for all of you.
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Christmas to me................christmas songs, putting lights up and decorating the front of the house, lots of wobbly pops, hanging out with friends and family, decorating the tree and the inside of the house, presents, more songs, some rum and cokes, turkey dinner, chocolates, more rum, more time with family, play some card and board games, watch some WJC starting on boxing day, more rum and cokes, watching christmas movies with my daughters, lots of laughs, smiles, and almost 2 weeks off of work.
Anytime you can drink and eat like a madman, spend a lot of time with family and friends, and laugh and smile for days on end it can't help but be my favorite time of the year.
If this is the case then why do we always here stories about parents not wanting carols sung in schools? That workers at The Gap have to say "happy holidays"?
The religious aspect is WHY we have CHRISTmas. Without Christmas there wouldn't be any "cultural" holiday. The main theme around this year is celebrating the birth of Christ. Everyone knows this. But we have to careful to not shove it down everyone's throats, and celebrate everyone's beliefs, even though it all started with Christians and CHRISTmas.
...I see the thread title has been changed. Nice one.
Ughh. So much wrong in one paragraph, so just watch the video below instead.
Christmas for starters is not X-mas.
Christmas should not be suppressed by any other self agenda seeking religious beliefs in Canada in their goal to eliminate the public display of Christmas.
Yet thats dead wrong.
Xmas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Italian frogman unit "Xª MAS", see Decima Flottiglia MAS.
Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but it, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass,[1] while the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as "Christ".[2]
There is a common misconception that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas[3] by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas".
Going through some of the themes from this thread.... "food and drink"... I am in Overeaters Anonymous trying to control my desire to overeat, and this time of year is by far the hardest. Whether at work or with family, there is always lots and lots of free food. And it's not fruits and vegetables.... this is the time of year for chocolates and cookies and egg nog.
"Consumerism".... I avoided going back to Halifax the past few years. It seemed Christmas was totally about GETTING STUFF!!! I'd go to my brothers place to watch the family unwrap their presents and it would take 4 hours. To them, Christmas was a time to overextend the credit card and remortgage the house to buy stuff that they really didn't need. I, myself, have asked that everyone not get me a gift because I don't believe in Christmas. But if they feel obligated to giving a gift, that I'd accept receipts for cash donations to the food bank in my name that I can claim on my taxes.
People assume that when I say "I don't believe in Christmas" that I have a hate-on for Christianity. Which isn't exactly true... I think every religion should be able to have their own beliefs and celebrations thereof; I simply wish that Christians would celebrate theirs in private more than in public but whatever. It's all good. The truth is that it is the SECULAR celebration that repulses me. From food to material goods to house lighting - this has become a season of excess. My nephew has 40 Lego sets while five million children die each year from malnutrition related diseases.
From an environmentalist perspective, from a social-justice activist perspective, and from a slightly selfish perspective given my particular addiction, this is by far the worst time of year for me. From all of this swirled into a perfect storm, I usually end up very depressed by the end of the season. The scenes of people trampling each other on Black Friday or Boxing day. Looking at all the stuff lining the roads the garbage day after Christmas. Seeing people gorge themselves to excess (and SO WANTING TO BE THAT PERSON). Most years I wish I could fall asleep and wake up in January.
-=-=-=-=-=-
This year is going to be a bit different though. My brother is going through a rough time financially so they are really, really scaling back Christmas this year. It will be an absolute shock to the kids who are used to getting thousands of dollars in gifts. This will be the year (I hope) that they learn Christmas shouldn't be about "getting stuff"; it's should be about spending time with family. Their uncle is only in town for two or three weeks of the year, why not take the opportunity to go play glow in the dark mini-putt or try some Uno or Mariocart. We could read some books together and sing some songs. If the Who's down in Whoville can enjoy Christmas without presents, then why can't we?
Christmas should not be suppressed by any other self agenda seeking religious beliefs in Canada in their goal to eliminate the public display of Christmas.
If someone doesn't follow or believe in Christmas its meaning or even just the simple spirit of Christmas then so be it that's fine but don't seek to change the opportunity such is in schools and public places in hopes to hinder the celebration for those that do.
If somebody just has a genuine dislike for Christmas well so be it that's their right to feel that way.
This is something I agree with, even as an athiest and a christmas-hater. It's culturally relevant to many people, and you can easily choose not to participate (christmas is impossible top outright ignore) without wanting it eliminated for all.
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"If Javex is your muse…then dive in buddy"
I'm single this Christmas, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Going back to the year 2000, my family began going to a movie on Christmas day. It was our little secret, the theatre was never really busy.
More recently, it's a goddamn nightmare--every theatre is utterly packed, and if you don't arrive quite early, you're SOL. Regardless, it's a tradition I've come to enjoy: sometime there's as many as ten of us present, sometimes as few as two. This year it's looking more like two people. It's really the only thing I'm looking forward to this year.
There's too much pressure when it comes to gifts. I actually enjoy finding gifts for people a great deal more than receiving them. I don't need anything. I don't want anybody to go out on the 23rd of December and scramble to find me a gift just because that's what you do. That's not what Christmas is about for me anymore. This year, however, my brother and his wife wanted to implement these ridiculous gift giving rules to mix things up: second hand, homemade, or a gift under $20. They're really handcuffing me and I'm thinking I'll bow out of gifts this year.
However, I'll do gifts with my mom, as I know she'll have a truckload of 'stuff' she's found throughout the year. We try to go to an event. She's a widow, I think she misses doing couple-things, so I try and mimic that: we go to a play or concert. This year I'm thinking tickets to a Billy Elliot musical coming to town . . .
And I like making fruit cake. And chocolates. And this is the only time of year I do it.
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I mostly enjoy having the time off work and just kicking back with my family while depleting my Dad's liquor cabinet and shooting the breeze. Also Christmas baking, it's not Christmas if you're not taking in an extra 500 colories a day in baking.
The gift exchange I can do without, even just answering the "what do you want this year?" becomes a hassle because if I wanted something, chances are I'd have bought it already.
The thing I love the most about Christmas is when the Muppets/Sesame Street Christmas Special crossover comes on TV.
Best day of the year.
Big bird: "Though it's been said, many times many ways... Merry Christmas!"
Sweedish Chef: "Norgish brogish!"
Gets me every time..
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
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