Christmas

[highdesertmutz]

Because, the true meaning of Christmas has been lost over the years. Children sit in front of the television and are bombarded by numerous adverisements for this and that, and children want these things that they see on television, or, what their friends have. It all starts with the parents. mother and father have not been grooming their children for the past 40 some years, e.g., to respect others, proper upbringing includes all family members, when mother or father are excluded because of divorce or separations, it makes it difficult to raise a child/children. it is almost a form hipocracy to buy and give gifts, knowing in the back of one's mind, that this is not what Christmas is supposed to be about. parents who get their children believing in the easter bunny, tooth fairy, and santa clause are, in my opinion, doing the wrong thing, (call me scrooge) but once children are taught this way, raised in this fashion, it becomes harder and harder as years pass, to tell the truth. I've lost my religion long ago. but am not hipocritical of any religion. my religion is earth, moon, stars, the heavens, living and breathing things, and believe there IS an almighty power which put these things here for all of us to have and enjoy. I do not give gifts anymore, not even to my spouse. we both know why there is Christmas, and we respect each others views and opinions, my spouse is a devout Catholic, I used to be.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agnostic
your post helps point out the problems with many people who think of and celebrate Christmas in the wrong way.
http://www.christiananswers.net/christmas/home.html

Originally Posted by BigJon3475

How many people who utterly detest religion turn around every year and happily buy presents around Christmas for their children because they don't want them to feel left out?

[Theliberalvoice]

I do "Happy Holidays" and celebrate December 25th as Yuletide...the real and original name.

[cleatis]

I'm gonna have to agree with some of the others here. I don't have a problem with christmas, I do however have a problem with what it has become. Most stores make half their year's money on X-mas alone - THAT'S christmas. It isn't for any of us, it's for the waltons. It's just another excuse for us to blow all our money at the local Wal Mart in some half assed effort to "feel good". It's just another sham sold to us like any other product. and frankly I lose a little more faith in the whole human race every christmas when I see mounds of sheeple crawling around the mall like ants on candy and getting into fistfights after thanksgiving dinner with the family.

Not only is it sickening to go to the store before haloween and see the christmas crap up already, it's just some sham show. We can't do the peace on earth and good will towards all thing for one effing holiday and and feel like a decent person for a few weeks. I'd buy into it a lot more if that message actually took hold 365 days per year. But when it's done what do we do? Wait around until the next sham holiday to buy more chocolate and and fake love and spend spend spend before we go back to our normal, non caring, cold, mundane trivial roughtine.

yes, Bah Humbug!

[Richio]

I'm a Christian, but I don't observe "christmas", for the very reasons pointed out by SuSuSushi.

December 25th is said to be the birthday of Mithras.
Constantine began attaching christain labels to paganism to unite his empire.
All that has been "forgotten" through the years, and people have not wanted to "give up" a feast - leading to todays acceptance.

I don't care too much for the commercial aspect, but it's no worse than my other objection to the holiday.

If Christians or non Christians wish to celebrate, that's up to them.
I don't have children myself, so I'm not in a position of feeling "obligated".
But Santa isn't really real. Jesus is real, but He does not have a bag of toys.
Try not to play with children's minds.

Originally Posted by cislga

We celebrate Christmas as a time to spend with family. I never taught my child about Santa. I felt so betryaed when I found out my mom lied to me about Santa, Easter Bunny and The Tooth Fairy.
I was a very precocious 5 year old. My step-mother pointed out to me long ago, that kids aren't stupid and wll beging to wonder why Santa never visits children whose parents have no $$. We wouldn't have Toys for Tots or any of those other charities asking for new unwrapped gifts if Santa really existed.

In the house I grew up in there was a chimney, but it went to an oil burner. I used to wonder how Santa could survive. LOL

[janetvj]

I am an agnostic and I practice buddhism. I believe Jesus was a bodhisattva who tried to bring hope and purpose to people who were being oppressed, and it's a shame many of those who claim to follow his teachings have gotten it so screwed up. I celebrate Christmas not as a religious time, but because it's a time to spend with family and friends.

[chicken.or.the.nugget]

yeah i dont get the point of santa clause...it makes kids so happy and then they are crushed when they find out. they should just tell kids right away that Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus and family

[Spotted1]

We're atheist, and we celebrate Christmas. However, we don't (obviously) celebrate it as a time of Christ's birth, or any of that. For us, its more about thanking the family for being with us throughout the good and bad of the year.. Its a time for magic, wishes, and hot chocolate with peppermint sticks. Oh, and the presents. Its the one time of year (other than birthdays) that I can spend an absurd amount of money on my kids and my husband doesn't bat an eye at it. lol

As for Santa? I never stopped believing, and I don't want my kids to, either. To me, Santa is not the guy in the big red suit so much as he is a symbol for the true magic and wonder of season... the act of giving and caring about our fellow men.. blah blah blah lol.

I'd happily call the day something else, but as somebody else mentioned we're effectively "in the closet" with our atheism, so for the sake of the public story (Twilight reference.. lol sorry.) we call it Christmas like everybody else around us .

[ptsum]

I'm a Native American and we celebrate the Winter Solstice which is December 21, it is the shortest day of the year as far as daylight goes and the beginning of a new cycle.