Bah humbug!

Pollycat

supermassive wrote: »

This thread is very aptly titled. I can't believe all the lack of festive spirit there is.

People with irrational dislike for xmas due to religious association... get a grip, please. I'm an atheist, my whole family aren't religious, except for the elderly, and we all celebrate xmas, you know why? It's a designated time of the year when everyone's set free from their real-life commitments and allowed to enjoy anything and everything.

Going back to this post (above), I find it quite amusing given the thread that supermassive has started on the subject of a very full Christmas Day:

supermassive wrote: »

So I'm cooking for 12 people on Xmas eve, which is my dad's side, and then xmas day is my partner's family for dinner, and boxing day is spent with my mum.

Problem is, I need advice on what to do xmas day, because in the morning we'll go to my mum's for my 8 year old brother to open presents with my niece/nephew etc. Then after that it's time for breakfast at his mum's (apparently a 'tradition', but seems a waste of time if there's a big meal coming later), then back to my mum's as his mum's family goes to the pub (what on earth? erm..) and then on to my Dad's family who we'd seen the day before, for more niece/nephew presents, to see my grandmother, and my dad's family and kids etc. Then back to MIL for Xmas dinner, and back to my Dad's a few hours after that, to do the traditional "sat infront of an open fire getting steadily fatter and drunker watching home alone on TV and moaning about terrible xmas specials and how they're not as good as they used to be while some little scrubber steals all the caramel quality streets". I'm usually the culprit.

How would you advise - baring in mind all these other parts of the family have kids, which is why we're sticking to this crazy messed up timescale - in order to allow me to drink whiskey all day, because MIL is too much to bare? :rotfl:

Here's a simple list...

Xmas day:
Mum - 8 year old brother aka surrogate son & Niece & Nephew
MIL - Breakfast - 10 year old BIL & Grandparents
Mum - Baby brother, because.. it's xmas
Dad - 2 step brothers, step sister, step mother & Grandmother
MIL - Dinner
Dad - Endless supply of home made wine...
Bed - with food poisoning, probably.

What makes it worse is they all live opposite sides of town.

Is there a way to please everyone (they're demanding this schedule, and as we don't have kids - too many men in the relationship - we are obliged to stick to it)...

All I want is to have a morning whiskey. There's not many days you can do that!

To me, there doesn't sound like a whole lot of everyone being "set free from their real-life commitments and allowed to enjoy anything and everything" in that Christmas day plan - unless you enjoy to-and-froing across town. :rotfl:

margaretclare

Pollycat, you've hit the nail on the head as usual. You quote: 'It's a designated time of year when everyone is set free from commitments.......'

Really? It sounds like a whole load of obligations and commitments! Being 'set free'? The very reverse of freedom! It sounds absolutely awful. 'My mum's then his mum's then my mum's then Dad's family then grandmother then back to MIL....'
And it's only because 'they're demanding this schedule'...

I couldn't do it.

j.e.j.

lostinrates wrote: »

In this country and some others;)

Eastern Orthodox celebrate it in January, I think.

j.e.j.

Person_one wrote: »

It matters when people are trying to claim it as exclusively a Christian celebration. It's a big mish mash of loads of traditions, and it's only because of the power and influence of the Church in this country that Christmas is the name that stuck here.

Nobody has any problem with Christians celebrating the way they want, so why are some Christians so possessive of it that they don't like anybody else doing it differently? It's not just their day, it's everybody's who wants it.

Has anyone actually said that, though, or are you trying to stir up a bun-fight about religion

I know you've got a beef with the Church and religion in general, fine, that's your prerogative, but you shouldn't go attacking other forum-users who dare to mention anything Christian (like Christ :rotfl:) when talking about Christmas

Morglin

heuchera wrote: »

Yes, to snipe at someone for having the gaul to bring Jesus or the church into a discussion about Christmas was a bit odd! People are free to believe or not believe whatever they wish, but to say Christmas is nothing to do with Christianity makes no sense at all.

I think there are several modern alternative words for people who reject the idea of a Christian festival. Winterval is one of them.

Present-buying is a tradition which stemmed from the gifts brought by the Magi. There are lots of traditions and customs which were Christian or religious in origin, even if people are not as religious nowadays.

I don't think we need to change a thing - despite being atheists, I and
DH enjoy the songs, we love the history of churches and cathedrals, and sing along with any carols - nostalgia for when we were forced to Sunday School (so parents could get shot of us!), and had to perform in nativity plays etc., in far gone days.....;)

It's all part of what an English Xmas used to be, and disregarding religion, and belief, I wish we could get a little bit of how it was, in the past back.

Singing, with the Sally Army, crowds of people, around the Trafalgar Square tree, eating proper brazed roast chestnuts, and then seeing all the window displays is a treasured memory!

It was what we did, and what united us as a nation and a community.

Now, it's all Argos, stress, expense, computer shops and stropping kids lol

Lin