'Christmas v New Year's Day...' poll discussion

Lehman

I am definately a NY person, just because I am not Christian. I love the festive spirit of Xmas, however. All the lights and Santa (which has nothing to do with the religion). I love fireworks and therefore, NY is my favourite. I bought fireworks for EUR120 on the 30 and had a blast shooting them with my friends yesterday. Still a bit drunk for the champagne and prosecco though.

andrealm

E. I love em both

pandas66

We celebrate both with a good meal, and both were enjoyed with family and good friends.

Can't ask for more..xx

Butti

The earth's been around for 4.2 bn years I think so I've never much seen the difference between 31/12/09 23:59:59 and 01/01/10 00:00:01. Christmas day I find quite stressful trying to walk around family arguments.

This year bizarrely I feel a bit more optimistic as I am being made redundant and will have to change my job. Currently looking at a 1 year Masters in Housing. It's making me feel quite upbeat

B

stewartgraham1

I like my family and don't drink. After all the fun of picking out gifts, it's good to be with family, seeing them open their presents and eat too much. With two family birthdays between xmas and new year, and having to get up as normal on new year's eve for work, there's then the build up to midnight, the confusion when people listen to Big Ben (starting to say happy new year on the little ding dongs, rather than waiting for the first main "DONG"), then I'm just knackered and it's bed time

Impet_Limpet

I love Christmas because most of my friends and family are off work so I can travel home and visit my family. We make Christmas last the full three full days. We have a Christmas day on boxing day when I spend the day with my boyfriend family and we open gift from his side of the family then). I love dropping off the pressies and all the preparation. I find new year such an anticlimax!

Eco_Miser

abulkasam wrote: »

Isn't it a little ironic to say
"C. Team New Year (as my religion means I don’t celebrate Christmas)"
when the New Year is referenced to the birth of Jesus?

The New Year has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, although the year number is based on an incorrect guess of that date some 530 years after the event. Christmas hasn't got that much to do with his birth either, as it certainly wasn't in December.

Butti wrote: »

The earth's been around for 4.2 bn years I think so I've never much seen the difference between 31/12/09 23:59:59 and 01/01/10 00:00:01.

The important point is the second in between: 00:00:00 - it's a rollover.

Mozette wrote: »

Not over fussed about either, but New Year I really don't see the point of. It's a point in an arbitary counting system. There's one day, a night, another day. Same as the rest of the year.

Yes it's just a point in an arbitary counting system, the point when most of the numbers roll over, and as such is a slightly better point for marking the completion of another rotation of the earth around the sun than most points in time. Better arguments could be made for the solstices, where there is a change in the apparent motion of the sun.

Mozette wrote: »

Still, anything that gives you a day off work gets my vote, so hurrah to them both really!

That's the point of a Bank Holiday.:T The excuse given doesn't really matter.

Getting back to the poll, there's no option for "I like them equally", so I haven't voted.

keet83

too much stress bout buying presents etc at xmas, so new years were you can relax with a few pints :beer:

minerva_windsong

Christmas - you get to spend time with your family and there's more of a build up, which is what I like. I think I actually prefer doing all the preparation stuff - wrapping presents, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas films, making mince pies etc - than I do actual Christmas Day, where it all seems to go in fits and starts.

There's none of that anticipation with New Year. It's over too quickly, and for what it is (really, a ten second countdown and saying happy New Year afterwards) there's a bit of an anti-climax about it all. Plus if you go out it costs a fortune to get in anywhere and you'll never get home

paulbbb

Christmas is bigger and better because New Year is gone as soon as it has arrived. And those that celebrate New Year most remember it the least. (assuming that they remember it at all). It is nothing but a p!!!-up. Whereas Christmas has a build up that lasts at least a month. Christmas is about so many things... the decorations, Christ, yes---materialism, but also snow, the tree, the traditional Christmas Carols, modern Christmas songs, family, emotion, warmth, giving, Christmas movies (and more)... and of course New Year latches onto some of these things. It doesnt entirely stand on its own two feet. (pun unintended).