how did christmas become the "default" holiday?

[jabumbo]

i am curious to know why it is that christmas became so much more than just a religious observance.

obviously christmas is a big event in the christian world, but what about the millions of people who celebrate the holiday now who could care less about all of that?


how did we evolve from 3 wise men bringing gifts to a baby jesus to a fat man bringing gifts to you?


and then you wonder, how can someone who isnt christian talk down on whatever it may be during this season when in reality, the whole thing today exists because of all of the religious reasons

[TurdBerglar]

i hate christmas


ever one gets all retarded this time of the year. from thanksgiving to new years everyone is a neurotic spaz.

[jabumbo]

i hate christmas


ever one gets all retarded this time of the year. from thanksgiving to new years everyone is a neurotic spaz.

are you religious at all?



i for the most part, feel the same way. i don't understand why everyone gets so wound up about things. i mean, i love seeing friends and family and the like, but relax, people.

[hardnox71]

Come on Turd, let's go ice skating, we'll eat cookie dough, and make snow angels. We'll walk, hold hands, and later I'll make us coco.

WTF? You promised me we would do all that.:(


As I got older the holidays became just like any other ordinary day to me because I never really had what you would call a 'family' so to speak. But when my daughter was born back in 2000 I really started getting into it, especially X-mas. I want her to have great memories to look back on.

Yeah, I know it's cheesy but it's true.

[hardnox71]

:eek:
I thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow!

Cheatin' bastard!!

[Rock]

I just like the paid days off of work. Other than that, I don't think I really like Christmas.

[TurdBerglar]

are you religious at all?



i for the most part, feel the same way. i don't understand why everyone gets so wound up about things. i mean, i love seeing friends and family and the like, but relax, people.

im not religious at all and i don't see how the now traditional way to celebrate christmas has anything to do with religion.

[Waus]

I like Christmas, I just wish people wouldn't stress so hard about out.

Chill.

I observe it as a religious holiday, but I could care less whether or not other people choose to pay any attention to that part of it. Christmas would be a lot less fun if anyone who didn't agree with the Christians was just a big dick about.

[hardnox71]

im not religious at all and i don't see how the now traditional way to celebrate christmas has anything to do with religion.


Oh, it doesn't. Christmas today is nothing but a marketing ploy. That's why you start hearing about X-mas in the begenning of November. The only time I ever hear any mention of Jesus is when there is some commercial on TV for some store that has nativity scenes marked down 20%.

'Tis the season and ho, ho, ho.

[cookiepuss]

If I remember correctly, the marketing and commercialism of xmas it kinda started around World War II or something.

In the 1930's the coca cola company had alot to do with popularizing the image of Santa that is most common today (they didn't invent santa though). they were looking for a way to increase sales during the winter months when sales were usually slow.
A breif history of santa (http://www.santalady.com/history.html)

[MC Moot]

Well if you ask Mel Gibson he'll tell you that the "Jews" began to exploit the commercial aspect of Christmas as a way to undermine Christianity as well as a way for merchants to clear inventory before the fiscal year end....I kid you not....(n)

[jennyb]

Christmas, blown out of proportion? Yeah, one word, "Money".

That said, I adore Christmas for it's religious foundings and all the ridiculous bologna surrounding it. *chucks snow ball* *plays 'have yourself a merry little xmas'* *puts on xmas sweater*

[Freebasser]

I think you'll find that a bunch of animal-fucking Pagans were celebrating this time of the year long before Christianity came to town.

In the Northern Hemisphere it's the winter solstice and the day with least daylight on the 21st of December. The Pagans were happy celebrating there being longer days of sunlight just around the corner and generally revering Mother Nature when some Roman twat on a horse with a story book about some Mexican guy dying for our sins decided to change all that.

I celebrate xmas because I get a week and a half off work and ASDA sells mince pies. No other reason.

[RobMoney$]

It's the default holiday because Christ is the one and only true Lord of Lords. Everyone else is worshiping a false idol and will be smite from heaven when judgement day comes.

It's also because Jews are cheap and spend no money on their family for Hannukah ,Catholics spend too much so Christmas wins.

Plus Santa Clause is way cooler than some stupid dradle. Hannukah doesn't even have a mascot, how did they ever expect to beat out Christmas with a fucking toy top?

[Freebasser]

No.

In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.

[Randetica]

i dont care, i just want my presents!

[kaiser soze]

Christmas took a chunk out of my college savings....oh geez

[jabumbo]

but even if all of that pagan stuff did start long before christ, then why is everything still celebrated on christmas isntead of the solstice or any other day?

it obviously wasn't a strong enough tradition for them to keep it as a seperate celebration and it just got absorbed by christmas.

[beastieangel01]

I'm not sure how it became the "default" holiday but I do know that, for the most part, I dread this time of year.

And I'm one of those people who end up at a bar Christmas night. But maybe this year it will be different because I will be with my best friends family vs my problematic blood relation.

[King PSYZ]

I wonder how many of the people protesting the pagan roots of "christmas" know that by all accounts Christ was probablly born right around April-June.

The reason the "church" moved "christmas" to around the time of the winter solstice (and more than likely not realising the mechanics of the solar system assumed that the solstice would always fall on the 25th...) is because the pagans were gonna celebrate it regardless but if you give them some christ imagery to chew on rather than mother nature and pagan gods than it keeps christ in their mind.

"christmas" is basically a celebration of begining, be it a new year or a new life (AKA the birth of christ)

[ThatGuy]

I love the celebration of God sending his Son into the world to save it...I absolutley despise the greed from every single corporation tryning to cash in on the Christmas season!!

[paul jones]

What about Superman Day?

He's saved the world a few times.Everyone could decorate their trees with Kryptonite


or James Bond Day

Everyone could get smashed on vodka Martinis and make love to sexy russian spies

[roosta]

i am curious to know why it is that christmas became so much more than just a religious observance.

obviously christmas is a big event in the christian world, but what about the millions of people who celebrate the holiday now who could care less about all of that?


how did we evolve from 3 wise men bringing gifts to a baby jesus to a fat man bringing gifts to you?


and then you wonder, how can someone who isnt christian talk down on whatever it may be during this season when in reality, the whole thing today exists because of all of the religious reasons


it's because, whether you(not you specifically, but as a reader of this thread), as a, (guess here) liberal, possibly-athiest, person believes in it or not, there HAVE been and ARE lots of christians, and they made a holiday (by YES co-opiting pagan dates) that has become a time of year that many people religious or not enjoy.

I think you'll find that a bunch of animal-fucking Pagans were celebrating this time of the year long before Christianity came to town.

In the Northern Hemisphere it's the winter solstice and the day with least daylight on the 21st of December. The Pagans were happy celebrating there being longer days of sunlight just around the corner and generally revering Mother Nature when some Roman twat on a horse with a story book about some Mexican guy dying for our sins decided to change all that.

I celebrate xmas because I get a week and a half off work and ASDA sells mince pies. No other reason.

Zzzzzz....boring. Give all your presents back then.....