This might have been done before (to death possibly) but I'm not too bothered about the ginger hair business – but what gets on my wick are 'Christmas' cards with "festive greetings", "Happy Holiday", "Seasons Cheer", "X-Mas….".

I find that offensive. Really. It's bloody Christmas. CHRISTMAS. FFS. I don't buy Easter cards that say "Happy Spring time festival (with a moveable date)". I don't buy Divali cards that say "Happy Lights Festival", or New year cards that say "Happy New Year (unless you're Chinese)" etc.

Of course the paradox is that I'm not that religious or anything. But I do place a huge significance on traditional things like christenings, confirmations, first communions, weddings, bat mitzvah, anniversaries and even funerals.

So to those that write cards – please, please : just call things by their traditional name.

And don't pick on minorities! As an outsider I love Britain as it's inclusive (usually). But poncing about traditional values: that's just one liberal step too far imo (unless the daily mail is right?)

Opinions appreciated!

#Edit# – Probably wrong sub forum – but I cant it change it now!!

Well its really nowt to do with Christ – after all he was born in the springtime.

We were having fun up here in Northern Europe with our midwinter solstice festival and the Christians stole it. Lots of "traditional Christmas" stuff is actually pre-Christian pagan – Holly and Ivy for example. "Yuletide" refers to a prechristian celebration. Even many traditional chistmas songs are pagan. Add to the mix the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Our British Christmas is even a mix of more recent influences – mainly German from the royal family.

So the traditional name would be solstice or Yuletide or hogmanay

Who cares so long as you get presents 🙂

Bloody right, where's my gravity dropper?

Good will, good cheer etc etc does it matter???

If you're so sincere about celebrating the birth of Christ why not try celebrating on something close to his birthday? Its a bit rich to grumble about the appropriation of a festival when the church themselves appropriated the winter festival in the first place.

You want traditional? How far back do you want to go to define the tradition?

Good will, good cheer etc etc does it matter???

nope its all about the size of the present!

Vote with your feet then. If people only bought cards with Merry Christmas instead of seasons greetings then they'd stop selling 'em after a while.

It doesn't really bother me 'cos I don't send cards.

epicyclo – Member
Who cares so long as you get presents

Probably the finest bit of nail/head interfacing i have seen this year.

Condiments of the Seasoning to you all….

Christmas – i.e. the celebration of something to do with Christ – superseded the pagan festival so we can forget about the pagan roots.

I think the OP's point is that some people seem to want to tip-toe around the fact that we are celebrating a Christian event. I'm not religious but it's part of our culture I'm more than happy with – my favourite time of year for sure.

As for presents – well I think the point of getting old is when you genuinely enjoying giving more than receiving – probably to loved ones, esp kids.

Well its really nowt to do with Christ – after all he was born in the springtime.

Glad you've worked that one out TJ since it's been a source of discussion amongst theologians, scholars and historians for the last 2000 years!
😉

Not the last 2000 years. Only really discussed for the last 18-1900 since they made him up based on various attributes of other pre-existing 'gods' and 'saviours'.

EDIT > Happy Solstice :o)

I saw some cards in Tesco with "Winter Wishes" on them. What's that? I hope it's foggy and damp for you?

Coudn't care, I don't believe in God, and that Christ bloke seems a bit of an urban myth, plus most religeous **** seem to be selfish ****! but Santa ia cool with his coca-cola sponsorship an all.. if you ask me, Xmas sounds more Gnar too, and sometimes fits more aesthetically into wording (which is far more important)

one of my kids got a card with a pic of santa on a bike riding in the snow, can't remember what it said but it's easily my favourite card this year.

Duh, have none of you read the bible?

How could Jesus have been born during Easter if Santa brought Mary and Joseph his presents at Christmas.

😉

Crazy legs. I thought it was more or less accepted that there was a Jewish prophet called Jesus ( or something similar) and his most likely birthdate was in May 4 ad

Lots of clues including herods census

It certainly was not mid winter – shepherds watched their flocks by night? Not in the hills in Palestine in midwinter – they would have been in the stable

X-Mas is chistian. The X was originally a chi-ro.

From wikipedia

This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters ? and ? used in ancient abbreviations for ??????? (Greek for "Christ"), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as ?, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches.

"Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021.

Seems pretty traditional to me. Again as others say Christmas is a mix of many european festivals + traditions. So its not the end of the world.

Its Xmas all the way for me, take the religious claptrappery out of it.

Christmas – i.e. the celebration of something to do with Christ – superseded the pagan festival so we can forget about the pagan roots.

Maybe it superseded the pagan festival for you, but virtually everyone else is carrying on with the feasting, decorating their house, giving gifts and so on that have nothing to do with Jesus' birthday.

Nothing wrong with marking Christmas as Christmas (we do in our house), but to object to someone celebrating things that the church has tried to hijack is out of order.

"Happy Non-Denominational Festival of Commerce"

Of course the paradox is that I'm not that religious or anything. But I do place a huge significance on traditional things like christenings, confirmations, first communions, weddings, bat mitzvah, anniversaries and even funerals.

So, you're religious, then…

Happy Winterval.

"Its Xmas all the way for me, take the religious claptrappery out of it. "

See above. I think your'll find its very hard to remove all religious connotations out of most european/world festivals as they are so deeply ingrained as most people have been somewhat religious since civilization started.

I think your'll find its very hard to remove all religious connotations out of most european/world festivals as they are so deeply ingrained as most people have been somewhat religious since civilization started.

Oh, go on. Give it a go.

Opinions appreciated!

You have no cares in the world so get stressed over what's printed on a card. I couldn't tell what's on half the cards I've received.