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davywavyIf you've been reading the news in the last few days, you might have noticed a short piece about Pipers Vale Primary School, which has banned any mention of Christmas until two weeks before the holiday. This has prompted letters to the press varying in the opinion spectrum from "Shocking, Christmas time for kids, blah blah blah" to the "Hurrah, it's about time" positions. In many ways it's easy to see where the headmistress is coming from - apparently kids so anticipate Christmas that thanks to the amount of tartrazine and sugar in their diets there have been several cases of spontaneous human combustion caused by a build up of excitement at the coming holiday.
Most people, irrespective of religious views, celebrate something at this time of year. Some religions have got lucky and have festivals which happen at the same sort of time and can easily be Shanghaied into an appropriately festive form, like Hannukah. Other people just make something up and stick tinsel on it, like Kwanzaa* or Winterval (ugh).
So, what are your thoughts on Christmas and how it is celebrated?
[Poll #624101]
*Kwanzaa is not a real festival. No self-respecting religion would have a festival that shared a spelling scheme with Kwik-Save.
Most people, irrespective of religious views, celebrate something at this time of year. Some religions have got lucky and have festivals which happen at the same sort of time and can easily be Shanghaied into an appropriately festive form, like Hannukah. Other people just make something up and stick tinsel on it, like Kwanzaa* or Winterval (ugh).
So, what are your thoughts on Christmas and how it is celebrated?
[Poll #624101]
*Kwanzaa is not a real festival. No self-respecting religion would have a festival that shared a spelling scheme with Kwik-Save.
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:44 am (UTC)If you want to convince me that you follow a pre-Christan religion, get up that hill and sacrifice your king to the earth. Then we'll talk.
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Date: 2005-12-01 10:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:57 am (UTC)I'm quibbling, really, given I proudly own up to having no religion, just faith and belief (and I've never been Wiccan!). The idea that any higher being is checking the calendar to see who's behaving properly on a given day is risible (and yes, I am including Santa in that). There are just appropriate times to reflect and celebrate, although truthfully, it's nicer to try and have one of those moments per day.
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Date: 2005-12-01 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 12:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 10:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:10 am (UTC)Sprouts?
Date: 2005-12-01 11:11 am (UTC)Re: Sprouts?
Date: 2005-12-01 11:22 am (UTC)That moment in Star Wars rots actually triggered a small aneurysm, I'm convinced.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 12:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 12:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:57 am (UTC)IT SUPPORTS EVERTON _AND_ IT LIKES SPROUTS!
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Date: 2005-12-01 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:24 am (UTC)Would you like to buy my family?
Date: 2005-12-01 11:25 am (UTC)I've not got room for them
Date: 2005-12-01 11:28 am (UTC)Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 11:30 am (UTC)Re: Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 11:31 am (UTC)Re: Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 11:32 am (UTC)Re: Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 11:33 am (UTC)1. The current prevailing paradigm, and,
2. 90% of people are a bit c*nty.
*grin*
Re: Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 12:02 pm (UTC)2) Yes, they are; one of the greatest problems the world faces is that too many political idealists seem to want to create systems around the way they think people should be, rather than the way people actually are. This is not only doomed to failure, but failure in incredibly painful and unhappy ways.
Re: Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 11:59 am (UTC)The sheer numbers who believe they are individual all gang up in their big collective and beat the crap out of anyone who suggests they are alike in anyway?
Re: Damn.
Date: 2005-12-01 12:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 12:45 pm (UTC)Oddly, my parents insist on giving me presents (probably because they miss caring for me as I'm now self-sufficient) but don't want any themselves. I usually compromise by buying consumables we all can enjoy (a good bottle of whisky, port etc.). Obviously, I'm not complaining. :o)
The main thing at Christmas for us is being together as a family. I'm not religious and while my parents usually go to church on Christmas Eve, it's more a tradition/ritual rather than anything to do with faith. And obviously, there's the food. :o)
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Date: 2005-12-01 12:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 01:06 pm (UTC)But mmmm, carp and mmmm, venison.
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Date: 2005-12-01 03:38 pm (UTC)As Jo Brand said, I think they would get more people at church if, instead of bread and wine they gave out Tizer and Doughnuts.
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Date: 2005-12-01 03:55 pm (UTC)H
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Date: 2005-12-01 03:57 pm (UTC)