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Would you ban Christmas

Deleted User

if you could?

A deliberately controversial title Blush

How many people welcome Christmas with open arms, I wonder?

It's purportedly a Christian festival based upon a pagan one.

However, in the UK today (a secular society) and a lot of the West, the God being worshipped appears to be money.

When I was a child we were working class.

In those days (60s/70s) goods were far more expensive as the mass manufacturing we see today of cheap imported goods didn't happen.

Borrowing money from banks etc was far more difficult than it is today.

We didn't have much and didn't get much for Christmas.

Also, my mother became cyclically depressed every Christmas and because of all the arguments and misery during my childhood Christmases, I get depressed too.

There are other causes of the depression - bereavement, most of my life spent in deep anxiety about how I was going to pay for presents and spending time in mass gatherings I hated.

I went shopping today and the shops are mad, completely mad with people rushing around buying stuff that the recipients may not even want.

This is what Mind says:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/christmas-and-mental-health/christmas-and-mental-health/

What do you think?

Does it cause more misery than happiness?

Parents

  • To make it enjoyable you have to do what makes you happy, which is not necessarily what is "expected" .

    Since we got our first flat, my partner & I have always had one rule for Christmas - no visitors on Christmas day. It's always been a day for peace and enjoying good food, TV movies, etc. with nothing else to worry about. 

    I hate crowds and Christmas music, so I avoid the shops during December. We don't give anyone presents now - we have an allocated budget to each choose something we want and then order it online. No worrying about what to get someone and no disappointment that you didn't get what you wanted.

    I don't like the dark nights, but I know that by Christmas we are past the shortest day, so it will be gradually starting to get lighter again afterwards. I think people like to have something to look forward to in the dark days, and although I respect other people's faiths and their religious festivals of Christmas, Hanukka, Diwali, etc, I prefer to celebrate it as the original winter solstice.

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  • To make it enjoyable you have to do what makes you happy, which is not necessarily what is "expected" .

    Since we got our first flat, my partner & I have always had one rule for Christmas - no visitors on Christmas day. It's always been a day for peace and enjoying good food, TV movies, etc. with nothing else to worry about. 

    I hate crowds and Christmas music, so I avoid the shops during December. We don't give anyone presents now - we have an allocated budget to each choose something we want and then order it online. No worrying about what to get someone and no disappointment that you didn't get what you wanted.

    I don't like the dark nights, but I know that by Christmas we are past the shortest day, so it will be gradually starting to get lighter again afterwards. I think people like to have something to look forward to in the dark days, and although I respect other people's faiths and their religious festivals of Christmas, Hanukka, Diwali, etc, I prefer to celebrate it as the original winter solstice.

Children
  • in reply to Lotus

    I wouldn't ban it either, but do as another poster suggested and calm it all down a bit, keep it seasonal, no xmassy stuff until december, I wish they'd do it with other festivals such as easter too. I'd rather celebrate the winter solstice too. I agree about people spending to much, there's so much guilt tied up in a percieved lack of generosity.

    It also really bugs me that shops seem to stop stocking normal everyday stuff too, like one year it was loo roll and another year it was cat food, WTF?

  • in reply to Lotus
    Lotus said:
    To make it enjoyable you have to do what makes you happy, which is not necessarily what is "expected" .

    It took me many years to get even an approximation of this.

    The expectations of others are one of the main things I've always found oppressive.

    I'm very glad that you have organised your Christmas so well.

    Lotus said:
    I prefer to celebrate it as the original winter solstice.

    I have a leaning towards these ancient celebrations/festivals too.

    I've been to a burning man (wicker!) ceremony at Beltain.

    Wonderful experience.