Things about Christmas you positively hate

[icowden]

Valentine's day isn't a religious festival ,

Does it matter? Christmas is only a religious festival if you want it to be. Most of it is just the midwinter party to celebrate getting past the darkest day of the year. Christianity just couldn't make the pagans stop partying so they tried to make it all about them (as usual). The point is that the year seems to be structured into "merch sales", some of which overlap.

• Jan 1st to Feb 14th - Valentines Day
• Feb 15th to Mar 30th Mothers Day UK
• Jan 1st to Apr 20th - Easter
• 21st April to 11th May - Mothers Day US to try and sell the stuff that didn't go on the UK mothers day
• 11th May to 15th June - Fathers Day.
• 16th June to 1st August - Festival of barbecues and summer
• 2nd August to December 24th - Christmas
• 1st September to 31st October - Halloween

 

[Drago]

3 or 4 days after the start of winter is hardly "mid"winter.

 

[icowden]

3 or 4 days after the start of winter is hardly "mid"winter.

Honestly, you kids. You are using the.newfangled meteorological winter.

Go back 2000 years and you would have been using the solar (Celtic) winter which runs from around November to January. The point is that once the days started getting longer again, you knew how much food there was left and therefore the winter solstice was a time to have a little party. Thus the tradition of the midwinter festival is based around the time of the winter solstice.

 

[lazybloke]

Honestly, you kids. You are using the.newfangled meteorological winter.

Go back 2000 years and you would have been using the solar (Celtic) winter which runs from around November to January. The point is that once the days started getting longer again, you knew how much food there was left and therefore the winter solstice was a time to have a little party. Thus the tradition of the midwinter festival is based around the time of the winter solstice.

Nah, Dec is far too warm to be considered winter, especially down in the SE. The worst weather is usually Jan/Feb.


Better to delay chrimbo until late Feb.
Then all those blotto xmas parties in the lead-up will help us forget about the proper winter weather, and by the time we go back to work in March, it will really be warming and brightening up again.

Sorted.

 

[Alex321]

3 or 4 days after the start of winter is hardly "mid"winter.

Neither midwinter's day nor midsummer's day bear much relation to the middle of the season, being based on the solstices.

 

[grldtnr]

Does it matter? Christmas is only a religious festival if you want it to be. Most of it is just the midwinter party to celebrate getting past the darkest day of the year. Christianity just couldn't make the pagans stop partying so they tried to make it all about them (as usual). The point is that the year seems to be structured into "merch sales", some of which overlap.

• Jan 1st to Feb 14th - Valentines Day
• Feb 15th to Mar 30th Mothers Day UK
• Jan 1st to Apr 20th - Easter
• 21st April to 11th May - Mothers Day US to try and sell the stuff that didn't go on the UK mothers day
• 11th May to 15th June - Fathers Day.
• 16th June to 1st August - Festival of barbecues and summer
• 2nd August to December 24th - Christmas
• 1st September to 31st October - Halloween

Nah, Dec is far too warm to be considered winter, especially down in the SE. The worst weather is usually Jan/Feb.


Better to delay chrimbo until late Feb.
Then all those blotto xmas parties in the lead-up will help us forget about the proper winter weather, and by the time we go back to work in March, it will really be warming and brightening up again.

Sorted.

'is it a bird?........
Is it a Plane.....?,why, no its a flying spaghetti monster celebrating the winter solstice.
Your right , Lazy bloke, that's very much like it is in the sub tropical Snow belts of the South East....Cripes, 12°c here on the muddy Riviera, it's warmer out ,than in!!!!!

 

[Beebo]

Nah, Dec is far too warm to be considered winter, especially down in the SE. The worst weather is usually Jan/Feb.


Better to delay chrimbo until late Feb.
Then all those blotto xmas parties in the lead-up will help us forget about the proper winter weather, and by the time we go back to work in March, it will really be warming and brightening up again.

Sorted.

I like that idea. But probably late January would be my preference.
Let’s start a petition to move Christmas. It can’t be that hard to do, it’s been done before.
Just need the buy in of the Pope and all other Christian churches. Plus most western governments.

 

[grldtnr]

I like that idea. But probably late January would be my preference.
Let’s start a petition to move Christmas. It can’t be that hard to do, it’s been done before.
Just need the buy in of the Pope and all other Christian churches. Plus most western governments.

I don't see a Snow ball in summers chance of that happening.......

 

[lazybloke]

I like that idea. But probably late January would be my preference.
Let’s start a petition to move Christmas. It can’t be that hard to do, it’s been done before.
Just need the buy in of the Pope and all other Christian churches. Plus most western governments.

I'll drop a note into my local church's suggestion box.

Weirdly, they call it a donation box.

 

[MidnightRider]

Parents who say "we only buy for children now"
- I have no children
- There is no expense to or effort from the parents, but I am emotionally blackmailed into playing or I am being mean to their children and they then have the right to be offended.
- There is no discussioon or consultation with the parents, it's just issued as a flat statement from them. Pretty much this is what we want and you will comply.

I actually really enjoy trying to find presents for people based on things I note they say through the year such as "I just adore purple teapots with yellow ants painted on them" or whatever hobby they have. I seem to be regarded as passably good at getting gifts 'right', so its not I am the sort of person who is mean or who cannot be bothered. I do resent the expected acceptance of such a one sided relationship though.

It really annoys me when children are not taught the fun and joy of seeking out the right gift for others and are instead encouraged to think everything is about being given stuff with no kindness in return. It discourages learning an interest in and empathy for others and these are life skills which will prove important, not just christmas skills.

Its also unkind when this sort of statement is sometimes a widely broadcast on social media including to those friends who do not have kids but had really wanted them.