NationStates Jolt Archive

The Xmas season is fast approaching, and I have to say I don't really like it.

Xmas to me means working too hard, having little sleep, not being with my family.

I wouldn't mind really, but I am not Christian, nor is my wife, nor my kids. In fact I may be inflicted with 'The Religion' but my wife and kids seem thus far immune to it.

Why then I wonder do they bother celebrating what is a Christian holy day, (now, now,all you neo-pagans, they may have well stole it from you(unsubstantiated), but possession being 9/10 of the law and all that, it belongs to them now got it!) I mean that seems a little hypocritical to me, how many non Hindus for example celebrated Diwala this year, or how many non Muslims partook in the Ramadam fasting?

So hands up how many non Christians celebrate Xmas, why, and how do you justify it?

i celebrate christmas because its an american tradition to do so and i enjoy it very much.

As usual, my family tradition of making gifts will supersede my need to shop. Thank goodness.

i celebrate christmas because its an american tradition to do so and i enjoy it very much.

Heheh I love your answer. I know you probably didn't mean it this way, but your answer makes it look like Americans invented Christmas!:eek:

I think most people in my area celebrate it because they want gifts *nod*

I am not sure why I do......tradition?

I send out Christmas cards to network and make money though.

Christmas was a made up religious holiday to bridge with the winter celebration.

Christmas Season is an abomination created by capitalism to milk as much money out of consumers as possible.

Neither have anything to do with the birth of Christ.

I celebrate it because it is an excuse to have fun, and I only celebrate to the point where it's still fun for me. Personally I haven't give out a single gift for the past 10 years. I much rather spend that money and time eating and having a good time with my friends. Not to mention that I hate receiving gifts more than giving them. I don't want to receive a bunch of worthless stuff and look for a place to put them because I don't want to just throw them away.

Christmas is fun. A time to spend with family and sort of focus the "goodwill to man" stuff. Something that it'd be ideal to do all year, but it's nice that we have a reminder. And the fact that my whole family is atheist has never stopped us from loving it.

I haven't actually been thinking about Christmas at all. I've told my family there's nothing I'd like, and I haven't started buying them anything yet. I suppose I should, soon...

The Xmas season is fast approaching, and I have to say I don't really like it.

Xmas to me means working too hard, having little sleep, not being with my family.

I wouldn't mind really, but I am not Christian, nor is my wife, nor my kids. In fact I may be inflicted with 'The Religion' but my wife and kids seem thus far immune to it.

Why then I wonder do they bother celebrating what is a Christian holy day, (now, now,all you neo-pagans, they may have well stole it from you(unsubstantiated), but possession being 9/10 of the law and all that, it belongs to them now got it!) I mean that seems a little hypocritical to me, how many non Hindus for example celebrated Diwala this year, or how many non Muslims partook in the Ramadam fasting?

So hands up how many non Christians celebrate Xmas, why, and how do you justify it?

why "Not being with your family?"

Christmas is fun. A time to spend with family and sort of focus the "goodwill to man" stuff. Something that it'd be ideal to do all year, but it's nice that we have a reminder. And the fact that my whole family is atheist has never stopped us from loving it.

This sort of covers my whole position. I like Christmas and you don't need to be religious (nee Christian) to enjoy the whole spending time with family and friends and enjoying great food.

I'm not buying a single gift this year. Not even for my kids. Especially not for them. Every year I cave and buy them a bunch of stuff, and every year their grandparents spoil them rotten and I am sickened by how much shit they get.

So, I'm a single mom, I'm dead broke, I don't want anything for Christmas myself, and I'm not spending a cent.

I'm not buying a single gift this year. Not even for my kids. Especially not for them. Every year I cave and buy them a bunch of stuff, and every year their grandparents spoil them rotten and I am sickened by how much shit they get.

So, I'm a single mom, I'm dead broke, I don't want anything for Christmas myself, and I'm not spending a cent.

what we sometimes did was gather the old yet good toys that they rarely play with and re-wrap them. :p

what we sometimes did was gather the old yet good toys that they rarely play with and re-wrap them. :p

Hahahaha...well I already took most of their unopened and uneeded toys to the Santa's Anonymous box, but that would work too!

This is slightly off topic, but people (not just the OP, but everyone everywhere), could you PLEASE stop using the word 'Xmas'? That annoys me to no end. The correct word is 'Christmas'. 'Xmas' sounds like the title of a fucking video game.

i celebrate christmas because its an american tradition to do so and i enjoy it very much.

so America is stealing Christmas as well now? :D

I celebrate it because it is an excuse to have fun

I like this kind of answer but I also like giving presents out because I'm such a nice guy who should get lots of action because of my sheer sweetness

alcohol and mistletoe are also good answers (yes I like being really awkward and choose the most unsuspecting person to use mistletoe on:p)

This is slightly off topic, but people (not just the OP, but everyone everywhere), could you PLEASE stop using the word 'Xmas'? That annoys me to no end. The correct word is 'Christmas'. 'Xmas' sounds like the title of a fucking video game.

so you don't want any seXmas?

'Xmas' sounds like the title of a fucking video game.
or something that belongs in the back room of the video rental store.

*snip*

What is this Xmas of which you speak?
Infidel.

*attempts to cut off your head with a crucifix*

I thought Christmas shopping wasn't supposed to start until after Thanksgiving. :eek:

I thought Christmas shopping wasn't supposed to start until after Thanksgiving. :eek:

Welcome to Capitalism...I mean America...no, wait..
Welcome to the 21st Century.

Welcome to Capitalism...I mean America...no, wait..
Welcome to the 21st Century.

That seems like way too much time ahead of a holiday to start shopping...
:confused:

That seems like way too much time ahead of a holiday to start shopping...
:confused:

I agree, I haven't done the least bit of shopping yet.
Then again I just started my 4-5 page paper which is due tomorrow and I am still browsing NSG...

Christmas is fun. A time to spend with family and sort of focus the "goodwill to man" stuff. Something that it'd be ideal to do all year, but it's nice that we have a reminder. And the fact that my whole family is atheist has never stopped us from loving it.

I think that at least 10% of all profits retail stores make between Thanksgiving and December 24 should be donated to the Catholic Church. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

As for non-Christians, there is a $20 per person celebration fee. :)

I agree, I haven't done the least bit of shopping yet.
Then again I just started my 4-5 page paper which is due tomorrow and I am still browsing NSG...

Wouldn't it be better to buy the decorations for the next year like right after the holiday and then not worry about buying anything else, like gifts, until around December 1 or so?

Wouldn't it be better to buy the decorations for the next year like right after the holiday and then not worry about buying anything else, like gifts, until around December 1 or so?

The decorations, yes, definitely. The plus side is that they are(in most cases) on-sale after the holiday season because most people have already bought them, and who buys decorations for Christmas after the holiday?
Smart people.

I guess, it depends what gifts one is buying, whether or not there is shipping or assassinating involved, and whatnot.

Wouldn't it be better to buy the decorations for the next year like right after the holiday and then not worry about buying anything else, like gifts, until around December 1 or so?

That's why it pays to be Eastern Orthodox. They celebrate Christmas twelve days after everyone else, so they get to buy their gifts at all the post-holiday sales.

i celebrate christmas because its an american tradition to do so and i enjoy it very much.

You're implying that all Americans are Christian.

Ignorant, much? Not really.. what'd you get me for Christmas?!

The decorations, yes, definitely. The plus side is that they are(in most cases) on-sale after the holiday season because most people have already bought them, and who buys decorations for Christmas after the holiday?
Smart people.


My family has an artificial Christmas tree and the same Christmas lights that we use every year so we don't ever really have to buy new decorations.

I guess, it depends what gifts one is buying, whether or not there is shipping or assassinating involved, and whatnot.

Yeah, that makes sense.

But I like Thanksgiving and it seems like it's not being paid attention to as much this year. :(

i don't "celebrate christmas" per se. i just like the time off and enjoy the traditional consumption of turkey, chocolate and booze... and the gift-giving is nice to do once a year (ignoring birthdays)


basically, i celebrate the time off and being close to my family. and i think christmas trees smell nice :)

My family has an artificial Christmas tree and the same Christmas lights that we use every year so we don't ever really have to buy new decorations.

:eek:
Same.
Here.

Though I doubt that is uncommon.
No need to kill a tree every year just to get its annoying foliage all over the floor.

Yeah, that makes sense.

But I like Thanksgiving and it seems like it's not being paid attention to as much this year. :(
I will be paying it much attention come Thursday.
I guess Thanksgiving isn't so much a season, as it is a seasoning.

You're implying that all Americans are Christian.

Ignorant, much? Not really.. what'd you get me for Christmas?!

It's tradition to celebrate chrismas regardless of religion.A teddy bear

:eek:
Same.
Here.

Though I doubt that is uncommon.
No need to kill a tree every year just to get its annoying foliage all over the floor.


I will be paying it much attention come Thursday.
I guess Thanksgiving isn't so much a season, as it is a seasoning.

Yeah, I don't think it's that uncommon.

This year I'm adding some new ornaments that are actually pretty old... they're from a toy carousel music box thing that I had when I was a baby. The carousel and horse parts were handmade I think and so when we found the carousel and it was too broken to salvage and saw the little loops on the horses we figured they could work as ornaments. :)

I love Thanksgiving. It's like Christmas in that I get to spend time with relatives I don't get to see too often and eat good food but without so much shopping... I don't enjoy shopping at all, if you can't tell ;)...

Yeah, I don't think it's that uncommon.

This year I'm adding some new ornaments that are actually pretty old... they're from a toy carousel music box thing that I had when I was a baby. The carousel and horse parts were handmade I think and so when we found the carousel and it was too broken to salvage and saw the little loops on the horses we figured they could work as ornaments. :)

Does your artificial tannenbaum dissasemble into 30 peices?

Cool. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I love Thanksgiving. It's like Christmas in that I get to spend time with relatives I don't get to see too often and eat good food but without so much shopping... I don't enjoy shopping at all, if you can't tell ;)...
Pretty much the less hectic version of Christmas. Or not.
I had no idea you disliked shopping, thank you for removing the wool from my eyes, it was getting itchy.

The only time I ever go shopping is if I am going for a specific item that I know is there. I cannot condone "browsing" or going to "look around".

There's no "celebrating" Christmas here, so I just use the holiday to buy stuff. And this year, I'm getting myself a good amp for my guitar. A tube amp... If I can find (a decent) one.

That'll run me about $300, which I could easily use to buy a couch... But hey, my foray into music's far more important than a piece of furniture.

Heheh I love your answer. I know you probably didn't mean it this way, but your answer makes it look like Americans invented Christmas!:eek:

hmmmm i didnt expect that interpretation. it IS an american tradition--as in a tradition in america not a tradition made in america. so much so that non-religious people and even non-christian religious people tend to celebrate it to some extent.

You're implying that all Americans are Christian.

Ignorant, much? Not really.. what'd you get me for Christmas?!

this is more the reaction i expected. this is why ruffy is so valuable here.

i have a great 10 year old fruit cake ready to mail out to you next week

I find the xmas shopping season really annoying. I am a passionate member of the Jewish faith, and when I see other people bragging about their religion by throwing it all over the place, I get really bummed out. Especially since their religion branched off of my own. Oh, and one more thing. Jesus would probably be disgusted with all these people bowing to him. He sure didn't think of himself as the messiah.

I give holiday presents out of respect for Santa.

I'm still trying to figure out where Santa came from and how he relates to the birth of Christ.

I give holiday presents out of respect for Santa.

Christmas is fun. A time to spend with family and sort of focus the "goodwill to man" stuff. Something that it'd be ideal to do all year, but it's nice that we have a reminder. And the fact that my whole family is atheist has never stopped us from loving it.good stuff.

I'm an atheist, so Christmas has no religious meaning for me, but I enjoy the getting together of friends & family & having a good time. My little sister is coming over from Denmark too. I haven't seen her for 9 months, so that will be really nice.

Bah, the christmas shopping season starts earlier and earlier. Soon, Thanksgiving will cease to be, and will simply become known as the Prechristmas Shopping Season Feast.

I don't care what the holiday is. Hannukah, Xmas, Winter Solstice - whatever. I celebrate it because I like celebrating things.

Does your artificial tannenbaum dissasemble into 30 peices?

Cool. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.


I don't know how many pieces exactly but that sounds about right.


Pretty much the less hectic version of Christmas. Or not.
I had no idea you disliked shopping, thank you for removing the wool from my eyes, it was getting itchy.

The only time I ever go shopping is if I am going for a specific item that I know is there. I cannot condone "browsing" or going to "look around".

I'm pretty much the same way. If there's something that I'm specifically looking for or that I need then I'm fine with it but my least favorite type of shopping is clothes shopping... I don't mind looking through books and video games if I know I want to by a book or a video game and I'm stuck at the mall anyway since my parents are shopping there.

If I don't celebrate Christmas, Santa will come into my room and hurt me.

why "Not being with your family?"

I work, and they got the mother in laws until boxing day.

This is slightly off topic, but people (not just the OP, but everyone everywhere), could you PLEASE stop using the word 'Xmas'? That annoys me to no end. The correct word is 'Christmas'. 'Xmas' sounds like the title of a fucking video game.

Heh Xmas, Xmas, Xmas. I am not a Christian, and so have no respect for the 'sanctity' of the word. Can't live it, go play elsewhere.

Man it's sooooo funy what people get het up about, Xmas, really?

Click Stand;13219657']It's tradition to celebrate chrismas regardless of religion.A teddy bear

Huh is it? do Jews celebrate it I wonder?

This is slightly off topic, but people (not just the OP, but everyone everywhere), could you PLEASE stop using the word 'Xmas'? That annoys me to no end. The correct word is 'Christmas'. 'Xmas' sounds like the title of a fucking video game.

I prefer Crimbo.

If I don't celebrate Christmas, Santa will come into my room and hurt me.

Best answer yet!

Because it means I get free stuff.

Huh is it? do Jews celebrate it I wonder?

some do. non religiously of course but there are plenty of non religious christmas traditions.

in areas with a large jewish populations some christian families give their children bar mitzvahs.

americans hate to miss a good party just because its based in some other religious/ethnic tradition.

Heh Xmas, Xmas, Xmas. I am not a Christian, and so have no respect for the 'sanctity' of the word. Can't live it, go play elsewhere.

Man it's sooooo funy what people get het up about, Xmas, really?

Don't get me wrong; I couldn't care less about the religious implications of the word. In fact, the word for Christmas in my language is derived from the pagan 'yul'. Even though I am a Christian, 'Christmas' is not any more sacred to me than it is to you.

This is just a case of grammar/spelling nazism (from which I always refrain, unless the errors are obviously intentional). I hate all of those text message abbreviations, where an entire word is replaced with a single letter or number, for example: "c u b4 xmas". 'Xmas' is the worst, because unlike most of these atrocities, it is not even phonetically correct. I know, 'christ' somehow comes from 'cross' (or vice versa), and X kind of looks like a cross, but finding a logical explanation for this word doesn't make it any less teenage-girlish.

I'm sorry if I came across as a crazy fundie.

so you don't want any seXmas?

Sure, but that's an entirely different holiday.

some do. non religiously of course but there are plenty of non religious christmas traditions.

in areas with a large jewish populations some christian families give their children bar mitzvahs.

americans hate to miss a good party just because its based in some other religious/ethnic tradition.

You lot are sooo strange. Tell me you Atheists and no Christiansthat do Xmas, coz of the presents, and the good times etc.. do you also fast at Ramadan, because of the health benefits of fasting?

Don't get me wrong; I couldn't care less about the religious implications of the word. In fact, the word for Christmas in my language is derived from the pagan 'yul'. Even though I am a Christian, 'Christmas' is not any more sacred to me than it is to you.

This is just a case of grammar/spelling nazism (from which I always refrain, unless the errors are obviously intentional). I hate all of those text message abbreviations, where an entire word is replaced with a single letter or number, for example: "c u b4 xmas". 'Xmas' is the worst, because unlike most of these atrocities, it is not even phonetically correct. I know, 'christ' somehow comes from 'cross' (or vice versa), and X kind of looks like a cross, but finding a logical explanation for this word doesn't make it any less teenage-girlish.

I'm sorry if I came across as a crazy fundie.

Naaa not at all, you didn't come across as a fundie. I was just laughing at what people get het up about. The fact that abbreviation's actually make you mad, is extreamly funny to me.

This is just a case of grammar/spelling nazism (from which I always refrain, unless the errors are obviously intentional). I hate all of those text message abbreviations, where an entire word is replaced with a single letter or number, for example: "c u b4 xmas". 'Xmas' is the worst, because unlike most of these atrocities, it is not even phonetically correct. I know, 'christ' somehow comes from 'cross' (or vice versa), and X kind of looks like a cross, but finding a logical explanation for this word doesn't make it any less teenage-girlish.

I'm sorry if I came across as a crazy fundie.



:rolleyes:

The X comes from the greek symbol for Christ -- the letters chi and rho superimposed over each other. It was well entrenched prior to text messaging.

At the end of December, I make small gifts for my friends, we gather at various times and places for good food and drinks, laugh over what happened durring the year and go home feeling warm and loved. We do this mostly because it's a tradition of our society. Some of my friends also experience the religious side, but that desn't stop anyone from getting into the party.

You don't have to call it Christmas to enjoy it, but if you don't, the Christians tend to get offended. They don't want same sex couples to use the word 'marriage' but god help you if you don't call the end of the year 'Christmas' -_-

You don't have to call it Christmas to enjoy it, but if you don't, the Christians tend to get offended. They don't want same sex couples to use the word 'marriage' but god help you if you don't call the end of the year 'Christmas' -_-
not all Christians would get offended. I know I won't.

You lot are sooo strange. Tell me you Atheists and no Christiansthat do Xmas, coz of the presents, and the good times etc.. do you also fast at Ramadan, because of the health benefits of fasting?

Starvation type diets are not healthy. ;)

Last year's Christmas did not go well for me, thanks to my stupid little sister and my mom. I don't think this one will go well for me either. I celebrate it because it's tradition, yeah... not necessarily American, but a family holiday sort of thing...

Hopefully this year wouldn't be as bad as last year.

Naaa not at all, you didn't come across as a fundie. I was just laughing at what people get het up about. The fact that abbreviation's actually make you mad, is extreamly funny to me.

Not mad, exactly; very few things have that kind of power over me. Besides, it's not even my language about which to get 'het up' anyway. Wanton dropping out of letters from words just makes me cringe. But I'm glad I could be of amusement. :)

The X comes from the greek symbol for Christ -- the letters chi and rho superimposed over each other. It was well entrenched prior to text messaging.

Interesting (although in that case, wouldn't the logical abbreviation be XPmas?*). Thanks for clearing that up.

Anyway, I think I'll go watch some movies now. Rated X for Christ.


*I guess that explains where the XP in Windows XP comes from. Bill Gates seems to think that he is God.