How did we get to Christmas?

Money. My simple answer.

Happy holidays to you and yours, timber. And.....may the spirit of the season last all year long.

"MONEY" is an answer, I suppose, but the holiday concept surrounding this particular part of the solar cycle of this planet is almost universal, and far predates even "MONEY". Why do humans tend so heavily to party at this time of year? And just how have our concepts of observance of our own individual cultural memories and concepts of The Winter Soltice become our present CHRISTMAS.



timber

Commercialization for the most part. But many people actually get into the spirit of the season, never been big on holidays of any kind myself. I just do it Christmas thing for my daughters, they enjoy it, so thats good enough for me.

It's ten hours and five minutes till Christmas Day here.

Seasons Greeting and Best Wishes to You All.

Mele Kalikimaka.

Money and commercialization are at root the same thing. They're components, of course, or A Component, but not the reason this time of year has such ancient significance. Why is this a special time of year?



timber

don't know the answer to that, and stop turning to look at me

First off, the solstice can happen as late as the twenty-second, so let me have that day, please:

Well we are all sitting around the fire, having been born just this year - all of us (that's the way good origin of being stories start). So this is 0 FDOTW (see, back then, years were so short - we could have more initials-FDOTW stands for First Days of The World). Okay, so see - each night we're sitting around that camp fire roasting our Mammoth meat and starting in September we notice the days are getting shorter - no big deal, no worry, they're not that much shorter.

Come November we start worrying, on December 15-20 we have become absolutely horrified-and on the 21-22 we are running around yelling at the Gods and staying up all night praying. Man, are we scared that the Sun is going to leave us for good in just no time.

Then on the twenty-third, we notice that the sun stayed up a little longer. We get refreshing sleep that night but we don't say anything. You know, don't want to kill the Karma! Then on the 24th, it is up for even longer and we are convinced-toal AWE. We run out and kill a fresh cave bear, dig out a bunch of saved goodies, make a new wrap for the wifey, stay up all night on the hooch and praying (need hooch for good spiritual communication, maybe some smoke even) - then on the 25th we feast, we celebrate and we are rejoicing.

What BillW said.

Besides, who wouldn't want to party when it has been cold and dreary for a few months?

I wonder if the celebration was as big in the Southern Hemisphere? By that, I mean before Christianity. Would cold weather make a difference?

Or is there something I'm mything?

Good appraisal, BillW, or at least one with which I agree. That may well be how things started. Somehow, that became this ... religious and secular highpoint of many, many calendars.


Something I find amusing is that America iconifies "The Traditional New England Christmas", for instance (Its A Wonderful Life ... Christmas in Connecticut, etc.), yet New England was primarily settled by Puritans, a dour sort with no use for such fripperies as Christmas. They in fact forbade practice of Christmas Observence, and the matter had some to do with their embarking to a new continent in the first place. Just one of so many incongruities. Its been a long strange trip to CHRISTMAS.



timber

Timber, I have found "It's A Wonderful Life" to be so good because of its irony and blasphemy that it has captured. But, all in all, I agree with your synopsis!

Reading Another Topic reminded this old chestnut was here. Sometimes a long-dormant thread will come back to life. I wonder if bumping this one back into the rotation will give it a new run. Be interesting - to me anyway - to see what, if anything, happens.


Here goes - have at it, if you've the inclination to.

You beat me on it (but of course it was much easier for you to re-find this thread )

Timberlandko,

I'm an atheist who lives in the southern hemisphere and hangs plastic snowflakes on a plastic tree and has a baked lunch in 45C heat on Christmas day. ..but my little girl loves it...and so do I...so I guess that is the answer...it's fun !

Great observation, Eorl. Fun lies at the base of the concept, no doubt.

I know this is shameless; but may I refer you to my Christmas Story ?

By all means, Neo - neat story it is, too.

Eorl, it was good to hear you still celebrate Christmas for your little girl.

I think one of the reasons Christmas has meaning for those of us who aren't religious is the touch of magic. No matter how old we get, it is nice to put pragmatism and practicality and rationalism aside and just enjoy the magic, especially when children are involved.

Neologist, your story was lovely. It had a special meaning for me.

I think I'm at the age where I'm getting a bit too cynical to really enjoy christmas. Living in America, I can't help but get a phony feeling when all the decorations go up, and the carols start playing. It's the same thing every year, everyone promises to be better and to turn their lives around, but we all go back to the crapper within months.

My own little philosiphy is one that makes every day of the year, a day where I praise Jesus and care for those who need help. It is more fulfilling to 'give' everyday of the year than to just blow some money at a single moment.

Sure it's nice for families to come together, but why can't we make it an all-year thing? Why do we have to remember what is really important for just a couple of weeks? Why do we wait to be empathetic for one season?

Sorry if I bummed out anyone...

People don't want to believe in God, but they do want to have a good time. A good excuse for a good time is a religious festival - but people don't believe in God. So we have a vicious circle. Until someone has an idea: Hey why don't we take Christmas, but get rid of the God part
Society has replaced the Christian God with its own God, Money Which takes us back to the begining of this thread.

Purists of the Roman Empire period contemporaneously bemoaned the commercialism, crass secularism, and blatant hedonism which had overtaken the Saturnalia - Christmas never was what it once was :cool: