Hands up if you hate Christmas! .. (sorry, edgar!)

Well, as a weeeeeeeeeeny kid they were good.

From 8 on - when my sister died - not good.

No. Of course not.

Deck the halls with Boston Charlie.

Hey, msolga. That's my way of book marking.

Well, the worst of my relatives are gone, but even when around, I did't let them spoil my fun, Olga. Can you just imagine the difficult ones doing silly things? Or can you avoid spending much time with them? The alternative, of course, is to drink a bit more than usual or have a bigger party.

As for being Christian or not, I have a Christian background but don't go to a church and am more interested in other spiritual endeavors. There were plenty of celebrations BCE. In fact, that's why I'd suggest switching gradually to a mid-summer theme and less of the Christmas-y Good Yule that is more appropriate to Europe.

John Lennon's Christmas song keeps going through my mind. It isn't very happy around the world, so the celebration should be subdued, I think.

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

I'm catholic, but not practicing and I don't go to church either.
Yet christmas is all about tradition, and it doesn't
matter what you do, as long as it represents something
your family is enjoying.

Looking back, I treasure the traditional christmas we've
had back home and my mother made sure, that every
year the same routine was kept.

Today, I have a different tradition with my family, however,
it is repeated every christmas and my daughter (9) is
looking forward to all the tradition she knows, happened
last year and the years before in the same manner.

Living in southern California isn't exactly inspiring for
cozy christmas either, but so far, we've gone down to the beach
every christmas and watched the surfers who always wear
a Santa's hat and traditionally come every year too.

Tradition = comfort and familiarity, and what better
time to practice it then christmas.

Olga ~ {hugs} Christmas brings me much sadness as well. Both my father and my sister died on Christmas Eve, 25 years apart. I had strained relationships with them both. Something I tried my best to rectify while they were living, but was not totally successful. I can't help but feel more melancholy than merry this time of year.

Aw.

I do like Christmas -- always have, but definitely is taken up a notch with sozlet. She just loves it, so that puts a glow on everything.

msolga, I think it's very possible that the season thing has something to do with it. My three Christmases in L.A. were fine, but were probably the worst Christmases I've had. It's just SUCH a winter holiday. Which is also how I celebrate it, as winter solstice, festival of lights. But something about bringing in the freshly-cut pine tree from the porch, with cold deep down in its boughs and maybe even some snow on it, and the aroma as it warms up, THAT's Christmas. Didn't have that in L.A.

I was brought up by agnostics, one of Methodist descent, one of Jewish descent, so it's never had a Christian meaning for me except for indirectly, in the music for example.

I am a practicing Christian, msolga, and yes, it definitely plays a significant part in our celebrations. It's a thrill every year when I hear Handel's "Messiah." Lighting advent candles, carefully unwrapping the old china Nativity scene, watching the little ones fumble about as shepherds and camels in the yearly Christmas play at church, and anticipating the carolers who always stop by to sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" before we give them hot chocolate are some of our favorite things about Christmas.

In Christian-speak, it is the season when light came into the world, when the miracle of miracles occurred. The one time of the year when we all stop to remember that love is more important than anything.

I don't hate Christmas. I just hate what it has become.

We often forget that a baby in a barn started it all. It doesn't matter what one's religious persuasion is. The idea of humility has long been forgotten.

Christmas, of course, is for kids. That part is wonderful.

Well, depends on what you mean by "started it all", Letty. People were celebrating a festival with evergreens and candles towards the end of December long before that baby appeared...

I love Christmas...although I love Thanksgiving Day even more.

Frank -- so does my son. He says "the pressure is off" -- also, I think the four-day weekend helps.

But, Soz. It wasn't called Christmas. I was always amused when the slogan "Keep Christ in Christmas" was first introduced. It has become so "green" oriented, justified by the Magi.

I love Christmas. My favorite part is going into Macy's about three days before Christmas, and seeing the joy of the season. Mobs of people angrily shoving and pushing each other so that they can get that last Buzz Lightyear doll, kids crying, couples fighting and bickering about who's fault it is that they waited until the last second to shop...aaah, it just warms the cockles of my heart.

I love Christmas, probably because I'm Jewish, and was deprived of it as a youth. Hannukah blows.

Heh!

A whole lot of what we think of as Christmas was absorbed from pre-existing festivals/ rituals, Letty, including the very timing (unlikely that Jesus was born December 25th) -- depends on what "it" is, I guess. ;-)

But completely agreed that it's an especially wonderful holiday for kids.

Just pretend you're Ukranian and leave the shopping until Epihpany, when all the best sales are on.

I think it's the combination of the sacred and profane that so attracts me to Christmas. (Probably says more about me than the holiday, come to think of it.)

There ain't nuttin' wrong with having mad monkey sex under a tree with balls while an angel watches.

Well, it IS a celebration, you know...