[Igor Antunov]

A religious celebration turned into a consumerist celebration? No I don't care for christmas. But having said that I respect peoples right to celebrate it and enjoy themselves, I just don't care for it myself.

[Doomhammer]

New Year's is celebrated in many countries much like Christmas is celebrated. In that sense, I will be celebrating New Year's/Christmas.

Christmas is hardly a religious holiday.

[missy]

I think Christmas has lost a lot of it's true meaning and foundation in Christianity. However, it has spread beyond it's limited focal point to encourage a broader indoctrination of it's spirit to the population. Therefore, it has bees successful in it's purpose.

I would like to see less consumerism and more benevolence toward one another. Especially in these tough economic times. It is, however, hard for children to understand since they are bombarded with TV commercials and jealousy of their peer's possessions.

[War Angel]

Are you saying all the literature and movies about JESUS is false?

missy, rabbinical Judaism is a very recent invention - it wasn't around in Jesus' time, because the Temple was still around! He couldn't have been a rabbi any more than he could've been the Pope.

Now, in Hebrew, there's 'rav', which is sort of like a priest for Christians (the word 'rav' could also mean 'multiple', 'grand' or 'arch'), and 'Rabbi' (pronounced 'rah-bee'), which is literally 'my rav', or 'my teacher'. Since Jesus was certainly a sort of teacher for many, it's possible that they've addressed him as rabbi - he was not, however, an official Jewish 'priest' of the kind we're familiar with today, since that sort of thing only came to be many decades after Jesus was already dead (following, mostly, the destruction of the Temple and the Diaspora).

[perpetuum]

I will. It's a tradition. However I will celebrate New Years even harder(if you know what I mean) since I am of Russian heritage.

[Paradigm]

Yes, because it is tradition

Call me a sentimental fool, but I LOVE the holidays. During the past week I spent with my parents, I got to go with them to pick out a tree and decorate it, which I haven't gotten to do years. Plus, Christmas is the only time of year I get to see certain relatives.

[Nets]

JESUS was a rabbi.

Disputable.

He worshiped the same G-D as the Jewish people and celebrated the same holidays.

So?

He ADDED to the religion.

More like, his successors SUBTRACTED a whole lot, they gutted the core of the religion.

The difference between the two is that the Jewish religion still awaits the MESSIAH.

The Messiah is a very murky topic in the Tanach. Christianity is far more Messianic. And how can you argue that Christians don't also await the messiah? Are they not still waiting for the return of Jesus? None of the messianic prophecies were fulfilled by his first appearance, no world peace, hence all this second coming stuff.

JESUS was celebrating Passover during the last supper.

So the myth goes.

The two religions are forever inter-twined.

Historically, yes. Ideologically, no. You could maybe argue Christianity in the period circa 30-150 was related to Judaism, modern Christianity is a completely different religion.

Perhaps I should have investigated Jews For Jesus but I am very happy I became Catholic. I love all the pomp and circumstance. I love attending Church and participating in the Mass. I love everything about it.

Better Catholic than Jew for Jesus.

I didn't break it in my heart, and that is what counts. I don't subscribe to man's law when it comes to things like that.

I didn't say you broke any law, just that Jewish law considers you still Jewish.

[bp-open]

winter solstice, midwinter is a big event for those who life
on earth. It happens every year around December 21. It last
for three days.
The Stars at the day December 24. form a line. From the three
Kings, the belt of Orion, to the Star of the North pointing to
the sunrise that day.
This event is celebrated for over 10.000 years.
There are a few other cosmic events to celebrate, but not
every year.

During the long history, there are some things in common about the celebration ceremony.

1) The Threes, they are the "spirits" of mother nature. The fir tree wasn't there in the first place.
The fir tree is there since ~500 years. In the first place those have been willow tree and others
like them.

2) The good time together, this has always been the same. Having good meal and drinks.
Celebrating with love and pleasure.

3) The gift, in the first place it was fruits and food for the long winter. The gifts as we know,
it is just a commerce invention, forced by the Christian Story of the three Kings giving Jesus
the gifts.

[Vigil of Reason]

Jesus was more probably not born on 25 December (or Christmas of the Julian calender). Yet still somebody has to put Jesus's birthday on some date, with expediency from existing pagan festivals.

I have nothing to say against the secularization of Christmas . It ensues with consumerism, which always ultimately helps the capitalist economy. I do not like Linus for his missing out on consumerism during his speech of "what Christmas is all about".

Yes, Christmas is a tradition, but I think "spending time with family and friends" is not Christmas without elements of consumerism. To simply spend time with family and friends is simply to spend time with family and friends.

I personally do not "celebrate" Christmas in any real sense. I bought a Christmas tree and justified it with helping the economy. I do hum carols - because they sound nice, and post replies to topics that are Christmas-specific.

(In Taiwan December 25 was originally a national holiday, but only because the 25th was the date of the completion of the ROC constitution).

[cocard]

I'm agnostic but I'll still be celebrating Christmas because it's tradition and because it's fun. I really don't care about the religious importance of it all. The food and the decorations and the presents and everything. All good.

[jaakko]

I will boycott Christmas when the Christians begin to celebrate the birth of Christ.

[Agent Steel]

OTHER

I'm not celebrating Jesus or anything, but I'm still getting involved with buying gifts for my friends

[Nattering Nabob]

However, Christmas Spirit need not be religious. The message of the season is to spread joy and love.

Joy and love are religious and are the core of every religion.

Every religious figure taught joy and love as ends unto themselves.

This is plain from reading any religious text.

The followers, unable to experience joy and love, screwed up the message.

[Erebus]

I dislike the period right before Christmas; the whole stress with shopping, food, just preparations in general. But for the rest, Christmas is great. Being together, presents, having a nice dinner; just the general atmosphere is fitting.

[kuros_taken]

I like Christmas for family and great food and being thankful and happy in the presence of both, but I can do without the consumerism. I have to petition myself really hard at my family to not buy me things for the sake of buying and unwrapping presents. I am blessed with a loving family, that's good enough.

[votingblockhead]

Yes, I'm boycotting Christmas.

I want to send a message to Santa that the poor working conditions the elves have to endure are unacceptable.

Workers of the world, unite!