| Quote: |
It is no secret that, with each passing year, what is perceived as the "Christmas season" begins earlier and earlier. We've come a long way from the time that hardly anyone really got excited about Christmas until Christmas Eve.
Many of us are old enough to remember a time when most people didn't even put up and decorate the tree until the 24th. It then remained in place until Twelfth Night. On that night, people would bring their trees to the city square or park and have a huge bonfire to celebrate the official end of the Christmas season. The next day, of course, being Epiphany.
Still though, year after year, we hear sermons preached about the secularization of Christmas. We hear loud complaints from the pulpit about the way the commercial world has STOLEN Christmas. Actually, from my point of view, we Christians actually GAVE CHRISTMAS AWAY.
Last year, as way of building my case, I called more than a dozen major American Christian radio stations and networks providing Christian programming. Not one said it planned on playing Christmas music more than just a few days after Christmas. Several said that they planned on putting it away on the night of the 26th. Only one said it MIGHT play a few seasonal songs past the first of January.
What really amazed me was the comment I got from one of the disc- jockeys at one of the largest Christian radio stations in the US. He told me, "Well, the 12 Days of Christmas END on Christmas, don't they?"
Isn't that the problem? Even the Christian media thinks that Christmas is over when Christmas dinner is put in the refrigerator and the dishes are washed. I really don't think that any of us has the right to complain about Christmas being "stolen" when we do little, if anything, to actually keep the religious aspects of the holiday as a counterpoint to the secular.
Isn't a vital part of Christianity, the WITNESSING of our faith? What better way than to actually celebrate Christmas according to the pre- commercial tradition. Not to sound flip, but, think about it. Not only would churches and groups sponsoring Christmas parties find fewer "no vacancy" signs in restaurants and convention centers, but the prices would be less were we to hold our concerts, celebrations and parties AFTER Christmas....between the 25th of December and the 6th of January. And, if we look a little out of place celebrating the Birth of Christ and the Christmas season in early January (while we await the arrival of the Wise Men), maybe our "oddly timed celebration" would tell the commercial world that WE are the ones who really own Christmas, they don't.
Advent was never designed as a time to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. The more that we Christians go along with the all-too- early observance of Christmas, the more we play into the hands of those who are more interested in selling the holiday, not celebrating it. It may be too early for this time around, but it would be an interesting way to ring in the new Millennium.... actually celebrating Christmas beginning with the vigil on Christmas Eve. That's the way they did it when the First Millennium was coming to a close. |
Source - http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9081.htm
[MOD - quote tags and source added - Bikerman]I’m not really religious because I think it offends others by what religion I might chose, but in my family they do celebrate Christmas, so you can say I am Christian, but almost everyone either they are Christians or not celebrate it.
Over to what I have to say, it is completely true about the Christmas being commercial, we live in a maternal world so it’s unavoidable to not see someone sell something that should be more special and sacred.
Both my mother and I have stopped decorating and following the tradition as people might say it is. Tradition for me is something that means something besides ‘Oh my god, presents!’, money is being wasted on things we don’t need or think we need before they get thrown away or forgotten after a few weeks or months. I appreciate a card or a letter more than an object I don’t find use for and will place in a box and forget about, and if it should be a card I like a home made one.
I have seen Christmas decorations in stress already, and I am pretty sure that if anyone sends me anything like that I’ll send it back to them with a card telling them they wasted their money on something I think is garbage. I’m not cruel; I just see what people are doing to this world.
One of my younger sisters, she is now 12; was asked in class what Christmas was about, all the other kids answered gifts and holyday, but she answered it was about Jesus and his birth. She isn’t Christian but she knows what it is about, and I do to.
I don’t live in USA so there isn’t a lot of Christmas lights, turkey and such here, but a lot of shopping amongst people and travelling.
well these festivals are only about celebrating, remembering a few things. In India we dotn get turkey at all 
Beng rasied athiest, christmas was never about Jesus, instead it was about waking up super early and raiding our stockings while my sister and I took turns trying to get our parents up. Then we would open up our presents and have lox and bagels (my mom grew up in a jewish community...it was only when i was 16 that I found out this was not the traditional christmas breakfast). We would then go have dinner with some friends (we have no family close by) and talk and play games. By 11pm chistmas was over and all we had to show for it was a ton of presents. So for me chistmas was about 24 hours. If I wanted it to be longer...it would not be to take it away from the commercial industry (I love the cheer of trees in store windows and jolly music) but to prolong the period of warmth and the love i think comes from finding the right present. I know that many think material things are a horrible way to celebrate Chistmas....but I think if you think that you are doing it all wrong. I spend all year gathering gifts and spend a lot of time thinking what people might like. To me, presents are about giving a person the gift they never asked for, didn't know they wanted, but will bring them a ton of happiness. For example my sister got me a weird head massager once (I have really bad migranes). Now I had no idea what this contraption was when I opened it, but when I found out it was an item she got me after hours of searching on amazon and in the store it meant so much to me...and I use it all the time to relieve pain. I would never have done all that searching on my own. I feel like presents are a way to show a person you care about them and want to take the time to find them something that makes them happy. By giving over (or having them steal) chistmas to the commercial business we have found a new way to celebrate (one that us non-believers can participate in) and we have been able to start the holiday in june (okay I am a strong believer that chistmas decorations should not be put up before thanksgiuving...but I love buying candycanes in october too) and share that cheer for a long time. Sure it comes to an abrupt halt on the 26th, but I hope it has given people some cheer and giving spirit so they can spend the non-chistmas time being just a bit more kind.
Is just a celebration for christians but being an important group I thought it was a good idea to put some reference, I'd like to read about other religions, other celebrations.
It should be great to share information about how countries do celebrate Christmas Day.
The commercial "Christmas" has been going now for some time-it seems once the Autumn sales are over shopps gear up for the next big event on the spending calendar -Christmas
BTW Edwil the 12 days of Christmas actually start on the 25th of December and last until the 6th of January(twelveth night). Many of the eastern or orthodox Christian groups still celebate Christmas in this way with the big event being at the end of the period not the start.
I must admit Christmas to many Christians is a time for family to get together and celebrate the birth of Christ in a simple way without the razzamatazz of the secular Christmas. Presents are given but they are often inexpensive, particularly between adults, and just make one think of the gifts of the wise men.
Oh i was not knowing these things 
, well in India we celebrate on 25th December.We enjoy lot.
our enjoyment lasts till 1st January.We have lots of fun every year. The whole month of December is a christmas for us. We shop a lot, we eat a lot and we will enjoy the most of our time...we make sure that for we will have a memorable christmas every year.
I gotta say, I don't mind Christmas being extended or commercialized. The decorations are nice (especially all the lights, we make our house the best in the neighborhood!), the music's good, and we get to see family that we don't usually visit. It's all a great time.
