[Closed] What does Christmas actually mean to you ?

More importantly, did you get the glitter?

Baby Jesus died so i can live for ever in heaven

Rampant capitalism/consumerism

Neither appeals tbh

Long before Christianity, humans - friends and family (tribe) - in the northern hemisphere gathered around fires in the midwinter solstice and did the best thing since the invention of hibernating - feasting. This alone is what I celebrate, crave even, during the dark days of mid-winter. You can stick all the rest of it.

There is a middle ground you know.

For me it's going back to my home town, seeing my folks and siblings for a few days and having a few old school nights with friends that I haven't seen for a while.

Every other year it's off to Wales for an extended family get together, which I also love.

An excellent opportunity to ask pointless questions lifted from the letters page of the Daily Mail

A hedonistic orgy of food, drink and stuff. It brightens up a crappy time of year. Which is what it's for.

Time off work so I can badger my wife to go out on my bike during daylight hours. think: 'Aghhhh daylight, it burns, it burns!' I haven't asked about a Christmas day ride yet but probably more likely boxing day.

Christianity and spending time with my family.

Also means traffic and no car parking spares.

Over inflated prices when a household item breaks down.

Scrooge.

Humbug!

For me its a time for living, a time for believing. A time for trusting, not deceiving, Love and laughter and joy ever after, but that's just how I roll.

Driving 850 miles in the space of three days.
Being very tired.
Undoubtedly having to mediate in a massive argument.

It's not all year you get to have a punch up in Marks and Sparks over some fowl.

Family time, yes you can do that any time of the year but the fact is over this week work is very quiet and we get 3 public holidays (inc New Year).

Even if you are not religious Christmas can be a time to think of others, send e-cards with a gift to charity (eg Great Ormond Street hospital) and yes there is a lot of commercialism but it attracts VAT at 20% so think of all that support for the Welfare state and it pays retail staffs wages.

As digga says, it's a time of feasting during the darkest part of the (northern hemisphere's) year. Makes total sense and nothing to do with Christianity.

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Plus, mince pies.

It's a nice time to get together with friends and family.

But... the weather's looking nice on Christmas day so for us two it will be smoked salmon and scrambled egg followed by a bike ride and dinner with lashings of booze.

No Thursday night ride.

We'll be sat around a fire feasting on good food, drink, spending time with family and friends, having a laugh and giving each others gifts. A bit like it's original meaning before church was invented for those who don't understand the true meaning to get all preaching about it in place of safety.

Rampant capitalism/consumerism

This I'm afraid. I use to love christmas..now I'm sick of it by the start of december.

the fact that shops take decorations down on christmas eve really boils my piss...

Time for parties and celebration, People dancing all night long, Time for presents, And exchanging kisses, Time for singing Christmas songs.

Time off work, time with family, yes you can do it any time and I do but this means doing it one more time. The gift giving's fun too.

This year? Hopefully a successfully delivered 2nd baby girl. Would be great if she can wait 'til Boxing Day or later tho..

less than nothing! and a massive inconvenience! other than that, its Great 🙂

Family get together, where everyone just has the time off work. It's fun.

Spending time with family ? Which you could do at anytime of the year
Time off from work ? again you could do this at anytime of the year, going to church ?

I get 2 weeks off work to spend with my kids and it only costs me 3 days annual leave. That can't happen at any other time of year!

You could arrange it at any time of year, of course, but it's a widely accepted time for most people to be off at the same time. Certainly in my family we are. Wether is generally crappy so we just socialise, eat and drink together. Good times 🙂

Commercialism doesn't affect me. I consider people close to me then buy inexpensive gifts (as they do for me). I don't go into town on Saturdays before Christmas cos it's too busy, so no real issues. Don't watch TV with adverts either.

A Sunday roast midweek ,invoices being paid late ,businesses shut for over a week .I see friends all the time and dont want family time as we are not close like that .I dont do God so that wont come into it and avoid sending cards .This year I dont have a materialistic girlfriend so I wont feel compelled to buy loads of crap designer gifts either

All the usual stuff really. Except the religious bit, obviously. Why do you ask?

unfitgeezer - Member
Spending time with family ? Which you could do at anytime of the year
Time off from work ? again you could do this at anytime of the year, going to church ? eating ? receiving presents ?

Greed....

Utter bollocks. I enjoy all of those things and certainly wouldn't define them as being greed.

You're missing the collective point of it all! EVERYONE (well, most at least) is/are off, happy, merry and geared up to spending time, money, thoughts on each other at this one time of year.

Decorated houses, pretty lights in towns, joyful music, happy people and lots of nice food and good camaraderie, all at one point in the year where [b]everyone[/b] can enjoy it.

Forget the religious connotations, forget the bah humbug - "I don't do Christmas" mentality. It's a great time of year to just enjoy LIFE in all it's aspects....well, except perhaps sun and long, light days.

Wine, mistletoe. That kind of thing.

The birth of our lord god jesus christ.
I reckon this whole god and christianity thing could have been averted if Mary hadconfessed to having slept with another man instead of making out that she got magically impregnated by the creator of all the heavens and the earth. & What a mug Joseph was for believing it.

Today, it seems to be the opportunity to worship at the altar of conspicuous consumption.

We have come a long way....

Happy Christmas nonetheless - however, you chose to celebrate it!

Today, it seems to be the opportunity to worship at the altar of conspicuous consumption.

We have come a long way....

Indeed we have. Some of us still think it's about a big sky wizard giving birth to himself, though.

Interesting to think which represent progress!

(There is some wonderful confusion between Easter and Christmas going on too!)

Decline and fall anyone?

Asking my girlfriend to wear a Mrs Claus outfit I bought from Ann Summers.

Sorry Mod.

One thing at a time.

Today, it seems to be the opportunity to worship at the altar of conspicuous consumption.

Not yet. I've got a meeting at work but then after that it begins. 😀

I wonder what unfitgeezer does for Xmas?

A genuine stress and anxiety that I wont sort out presents in time followed by vague unease that my brother will have bought me more and better than I get him followed by a day of relaxing drinking and eating with some selection of the people who mean most to meand the unalloyed joy of seeing my sons pleasure in the day.

not a smidgen of religion infects our day . The Christians should stick to their own special day jan the 6th or 14th when they make their minds up.

It's all about the baby cheeses, innit.

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Somehow, this is how I picture the OP

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It's all about the baby cheeses, innit.

Awww I love the baby cheeses

time off work, over-indulging with the family and hopefully getting out on the bike

2 weeks off.
That's what it means to me...

I truely believed in christmas I wouldn't be celebrating on the 25th of December.

Oh yes I'll be serving at the altar of cheeses too.

3 kids and all birthdays in september, what do you reckon.

We spent euro 40 on cheeses in Paris supermarket on Sunday before the eurotunnel home, to be honest that's just a normal shop though !

I think it depends a lot on how well you get on as a family....I'm very lucky that my wife has two sisters with great (Hubs)Bro in laws, fun Parents and lots of nephews and neices etc. We all get on great and have fantastic days together enjoying each others company.

For that reason, I look forward to it and enjoy it. I know its not the same everywhere. I also enjoy the fact that its a two week break with nothing going on at work to distract and concern me.

Awww I love the baby cheeses

Remember they're for life, not just for Christmas.

I wonder what unfitgeezer does for Xmas?

Loads up the tombola for 2015.

A testing time in that am caught between:

Family/social conditioning ie conspicuous consumerism, lots of plastic crap, costly tech and tat presents, TV & acres of Hallmark/Sellotape/ignore the homeless and less fortunate who often feel even more lonely at this time of year.

and

Personal inclinations/belief - ie celebrate the Winter Solstice/Yuletide with friends of a similar persuasion, no plastic tat, homemade fare, cheer, lots of evergreen decor, scotch, ale, and volunteering in the community.

Add to that our wedding anniversary and two family birthdays between 19-25th Dec.

It's a very busy and costly madness to do it all but we do. I also feel very lucky.

euans2 Your picture has me off to a tea. Mrs. S is just out of shot looking similarly miserable. But we enjoy ourselves.

Pretty Girls prancing on dance floors giggling into Mahitos, exposed bare bottoms wobble and tence as they're fling towards half open Loo doors.
Tear stained makeup leaking from sore eyes and squished gloss lipstick stained teeth, tramp tats blinking from low cut Little Black Dresses and broken heels on Jimmy Choos.
Matted hair sprinkled in glitter, a lonely earring glinting in the dim light of Dawn.
Phone numbers etched into over ripened pale skin forearms, clutch bags piled high next to abandoned tables, necklace figurines caressing the lower shoulders.
Lost coat locker tickets, a single glove.
Straddled kerb onlookers.
A "goodnight" hug.

That's what Christmas means to me..

Have a good one all.

These days, nothing.

If I had kids it would be different, but I don't and the dogs don't care.

Sleighbells in the snow.

bikebouy ,have you considered writing lyrics for Marillion.

Currently, sitting at work waiting for the gaffer to give up and let us go home! (We're all doing our best to look as un-busy as possible too).

Generally, pigging out, presents, being happy, no work. Christmas is great. 🙂

Better still OP forget people being in a church as that is only a building, do something good for someone/humanity, rather than some which I have seen over time, never miss the attendance in church but the rest of the time they are the nastiest vilest people you could ever meet.

What does it mean to me, it's a reflective time, my mother had her spinal injury on the boxing day, I was nine at the time, so going from a mum who would occasionally have a game of footy with you, walk on the beach, etc, to growing up quickly and pushing a wheelchair. How was the injury caused prolapsed discs which went whilst making up a fire whilst leaning over the jigsaw I was completing that had been a christmas present.

What are my plans this year, hoping to get out on the bike, and the rest of the time will be spent with my Mum, probably a walk/push out and go feed some ducks in the local park, whilst spotting the new growth of bulbs and trees.

What does Christmas actually mean to you ?

Quiet trails and hilltops. Can't beat it.

Ignoring the high probability of trolling....

I am not religious (and have no interest in the religious aspect), but love Christmas. Specifically just having time off work, giving and receiving presents, seeing the family (one of the few occasions when everyone is off work), relaxing, good food etc. My family spend very generously, but not beyond our means.

The people I know that moan about it tend to be joyless, jealous, bitter tightwads who can't stand spending money, and use the consumerism thing as an excuse :wink:.

On the other hand, I can see why some people may find it a lonely time, which is a better reason to dislike it.

I'm looking forward to the day after St Stephens, when I can legitimately chill with Mrs and Miss North before winding myself up for the onslaught of next year at work.

These are the first days off since July, and I suspect will have to sustain me until April. So deciding back in October to host two families seemed a better idea than it does after three supermarket trips and the fourth to come....

Merry Christmas - I love you all..!

food, drink, a nostalgic sentimental glow, gleeful kids and gifts

St Stephens

*wipes a tear from my eye...*

Haven't called it that in years.

For me it means some time off work to relax that always seems to rapidly get filled with things that aren't very relaxing at all. Last couple of years I've actually been sort of glad to go back to work!

Baby Jesus died so i can live for ever in heaven

Rampant capitalism/consumerism

Neither appeals tbh

You're a barrel of laughs Junkyard lol.

For me it's just about lots of food and family.

Humans like to feast and party.

Midnight mass with my fellow Catholics and plenty of ale.

Actually this year is weird having just moved to the UK and really not knowing anyone. With a small child socialising time is short and I would really like to have my mates to got for a beer with but, nada. Bugger. I'm a bit sad now.

Appreciating those who are with you

Missing (badly) those who are not

Counting your blessings

Giving

(And the last bottle of Clos Mogador bought before the price explosion 😉 )

For me, it's a holiday. I'm a teacher so cant have holidays here whenever I want. So, that's it, it's time away from the little dears.

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What does Christmas actually mean to you ?

1. Sales
2. Cheap/good food & drinks
3. Peace and quietness - the place is so empty it is good
4. Telly - I hope there are some good programmes on this year.
5. Eat, shite & sleep
6. Watching people get emotionally silly ...
7. Oh ya ... the invention of fat bloke called santa who should actually be a troll.

😯

Yet again STW provides a fascinating insight into the (mostly male) mind.
Always make time for that most holy of cheeses, emmental.

If I had kids it would be different, but I don't and the dogs don't care.

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Rampant consumerism and Religion can both bog off IMO but a day most of the working population can have off at the same time and get together with family is pretty cool, I'd keep that, happy to switch it to the winter solstice or new years.

All the food, beer and partying is pretty fun too.

Sleighbells in the snow.

Why did you mention snow?

Ale, whisky and pigs in blankets!

I wish someone would invent a fast forward button and I could skip the next 2 weeks and get back to normal living.

Mind you I wouldn't have missed today's ride - bone dry empty trails - best conditions for months. If you can get out in the next few days do it.

Sweet fa

Avowed atheist here but still love the way that Christmas essentially forces our work-obsessed society to simultaneously down tools and go see their Nan.

Tim Minchin puts it quite eloquently:

Midnight mass with my fellow Catholics and plenty of ale.

The ale bit is ok the other nasty stuff you can keep

Having a medicinal stiff one with the lunchtime bird.

OP. Do you actually want to know what Christmas means to anyone else?

Or did you just want to stand and randomly shout at passing strangers and tell them that they are "doing it wrong" because they do things different to your (obviously perfect) way.

Crap rant. Just makes you look like a miserable bastard to be honest.

Minchin speaks for many 🙂