Christmas
 

Anyone thinking about plans for Christmas?

I do not usually celebrate, thinking about going to Area 51. It is probably a bad idea. Even on the last Saturday of the month, usually dead. It might not even be open. Everything in town closes for Christmas. I've been to another club that's supposed to be really popular and hardly anyone was there. Most people reserve the time to spend with family. If it isn't Christmas it is another holiday that coincides with the holiday, so I am extremely curious.

I don't know how xmas is going to go for us, things have been a little weird between my s/o coming out and my dad dying.

I'm probably going to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas and play some christmas tunes on my guitar for my family.

Your parents didn't know you are gay? I have a cousin that just hasn't gotten married forever and everyone thinks he's gay. Oh well, I could tell you were gay from just the avatar.

Sounds fun timeless.

I don't celebrate Christmas, and it upsets my family. I just don't believe in Christianity, God, etc. I also believe that most people are just selfish and want gifts and use religion as an excuse to do so.

Gilgamesh: That is a bit selfish of you. Christmas doesn't nescessarily have to be about religion - despite the origins and actual meaning. I am a full-fledged atheist. I celebrate Christmas for the sake of my family.

I can't sacrifice my beliefs for the sake of my family - my family is also the type that is extremely religious and are the type to tell you go to hell for disagreeing. So yes while it may be selfish (as is human nature), at least I am not being entirely ignorant. I refuse to participate in Christmas because it is based around something I do not believe in - THAT is not selfish, that is sticking to your beliefs. And I'm sorry, but Christmas is a religious holiday. To say otherwise is plain ignorance.

Christmas is an amalgamation of a Roman holiday and other pagan traditions as Christianity expanded. When one converts or leave a religion, you still have a sort of religious/cultural baggage with you, and seeing that reflected in Christian traditions made pagans more likely to embrace Christianity. Saturnalia, which Christmas was originally based on, had the gift giving and was one of the few holidays all of Rome would celebrate together, it was a religious holiday but it was also a celebration of unification.

When I converted to Buddhism I thought I wouldn't celebrate Christmas, and it really hurt my family. My mother is Catholic and not the fire and brimstone kind (and now I know no Catholic can rightfully claim that you go to hell, mwahahaha) but I think now that she was concerned I wasn't only losing a religion, but losing the cultural ties that come with it. And that's why I still celebrate it now, Christmas while religious in origin is also very much a cultural phenomenon that can absolutely be celebrated without being Christian. Plus I've participated in religious holidays/ceremonies in the past that aren't Christian or Buddhist, and while I don't believe in it I really appreciated being invited into that and view it as cultural exchange.

And while gift giving may be selfish for some people (definitely for children who are too young to really buy or make anything), I know from my family we nearly kill ourselves trying to buy/make the perfect gift while we're a little loathe to say what we want because we don't want to trouble the other people. I'm reaaaally looking forward to giving mom the rosary I made her because I'm really proud of it and I hope she likes it.

I understand Gilgamesh and I could spend all day thinking about reasons as to why Christmas is in ways problematic for different reasons.

But... it is a cultural thing which religions tend to engender for generations. It's not really something you have to divorce yourself from. The west's culture of individualism does allow one to experiment with establishments. So Christmas doesn't have to be religious or even traditionally cultural for Gilgamesh. It can be something totally different.

I can also see how Gilgamesh's feelings on the matter can be an expression of respect. He sees it as a religious thing and therefore does not participate in it because he's not of that religion.

Not necessarily, I did passover with a friend who moved from BC and had no one to celebrate with, I felt it would be way more disrespectful to say "NO OUT OF RESPECT FROM JUDAISM YOU CAN STAY HOME AND CRY".

Plus when you're from that religion originally, its not appropriation. Its in your heritage that you cannot really shed.

I'mma chill with this year which is cool because I get to see my sister again and I haven't seen her for more than 24 hours in about a year and a half. Plus I don't have to pay for food which is amazeballs.

Having two Christmas days this year. One with my boyfriend and his family on the 25th and then one with my family on the 26th. Double dinner!!!!!!!!!!!

Well that's you. Perhaps Gilgamesh doesn't participate in religious holidays because he doesn't necessarily like to FAKE sincerity for the sake of pageantry out of respect for those that actually take it seriously.

Not too sure why this part is relevant, but okay.

Well true, if you don't have any respect for a person or their heritage/beliefs, and fight to roll your eyes every time a contrary belief is presented, yeah its more honest to say that you can't tolerate it.

Are there no deer of any type in Australia?

Saya. People CAN abstain from participating in religious practices if they don't believe in them without being petulant and they can also make it understood why they do.

Holy shit.

Yes, this is exactly it. My family happens to view Christmas as extremely religious and that's what Christmas is. That's how it is viewed nearly everywhere in the world. There may be other variations of it etc, but none of them fall into my beliefs. You posted the origins of Christmas - more things that I don't necessarily believe in to the full extent in which they're intended. I don't participate because I won't be something I'm not, plain and simple and I won't try and hide it. If family and friends want to get together during winter for something that's not christmas, that's fine.

Nah, it isn't, bro.

kay then you're the expert

Are you? blacktext

The institution of Christmas WAS religious at one time, this is true.

But dude... Christmas HAS changed and the individualist culture has penetrated the sacred and turned Christmas into more of a secular thing.

For YOUR family, yes. It's the celebration of Jesus' birth. I can understand if you don't celebrate it with them because you're not really a spiritual person and obviously if they know that, they may find it at LEAST "unfortunate" that you don't share in the celebration of the virgin birth.

But seriously... don't make the mistake thinking that Christmas IS totally a religious holiday. It so isn't.

In some parts of the world, like Japan, it is even common for devout practitioners of other religions to celebrate Christmas with Santa, reindeer, Christmas trees, gifts, and everything we may associate with Christmas except Jesus. This view of the day isn't as common in the Western world but it is starting to be embraced. Just like everything else Christmas is evolving, many people don't realize just how quickly it is happening.

Watching deer would be fun.

The only people who can get me to celebrate Christmas are my parents. It isn't a big ordeal. They ask and let's go eat some turkey. :)

Dude, you know from his intro thread that not celebrating Christmas will involve sulking in his room all day feeling victimized that no one understands his physical epiphanies he experiences when he thinks about blood and death.

Possible urban legend, but a friend of a coworker of mine allegedly saw a giant crucified Santa while in Japan.

Not urban legend, my best friend from highschool immigrated there and sent me a postcard of a Buddha with little Santas all over him.

Oh right, American Christmas food is turkey, isn't it?
In Denmark, it's duck, pork and potatoes cooked in various ways.
And a sauce cooked on the fat from the various animals. It is really good :D

Sometimes. My parents like to make ribroast with baked potatoes and pudding. Christmas Eve is the day they go nuts and make beer sausage, lobster, chicken wings, crab legs, cookies, various pies, etc.

That sounds so nice :o

There are more orientations than gay/straight. My wife was the one who came out, as a lot of things.

And Catch, for the sake of humanity, don't tell people "I could tell you were ___ from ___." It is quite rude, I'm sure you don't mean to be as some folks don't always know.

Our Christmas dinner changes from year to year but we always have doughboys for breakfast on Christmas morning, a tradition that I introduced Jake's family to and they seem to have picked it up.

This thread makes me hungry..

I could tell that you like holding up large glasses of ale from your avatar.

you don't know me!!! ;)

That does sound enjoyable. For whatever reason game birds are the special food of choice around here. mmm

On that note, I don't really celebrate holidays, but don't not celebrate them either. I think I might invent a new thing. I remember when I went clubbing there were times of staying up too long and feeling tired. I took some mini thins and then had a couple drinks. It is such a cool rush. It is like being up and hyper followed by down and lurky. Then you feel cold like being in a wind tunnel and sometimes stuff goes numb. And Then something I like to call spinners. Spinners happen whenever drinking too much alcohol. It is that queasy feeling that feels like everything is spinning when you close your eyes and if you try to move or do anything you'll probably throw up.

Yah, I have all kinds of plans now. :)

Sorry, I knew when you said it on the thread then.

Catch, thanks for being understanding. :)

Miss Absinthe, you know it. I totally get down with beer, especially around the holidays. If drinking beer is wrong I don't wanna be right. *beer wench pride*

Not sure what I'm gonna do for Christmas. I really wish I could go see my family this year, especially because both, my mom just got back from Afghanistan and I recently came out to them and they were really awesome about it. But I just don't think it's in the budget.

I heard drinking beer was contagious. I had a friend once who stayed the night with a beer drinker and when I saw him next he had become a beer drinker. I don't think I want beer drinkers around my kids, they might grow up to drink beer too.

Enough with this slippery slope duck-drinking. Equal draughts for all! BEER PRIDE!

We're here, we like beer, get used to it!

Ugh, I can't believe you are preaching about beer. Have you no respect for those that don't drink? Seriously, I am ashamed for you.

Is this where we're done goofing around? Or are we thinking of the children?

It should be noted that I was only joking. Besides, Christmas is not the time for beer, it's the time for Baileys :)

Christmas beer sounds delicious

When the weather gets cold I much prefer cider, its crispness matches the air, that or some mulled wine mmmmmm.

Guys is it too soon to look for eggnog, start making peppermint hot chocolate and bake gingerbread men?

Saya: It's never too early!