Christmas

[Biggles]

Feck sake, the Christmas threads start earlier very year. It's not even December.

[Jon L. Obscene]

You're weird............nearly as weird as me

Jonno

[Mathea]

You're weird............nearly as weird as me

Jonno

i didnt know that was possible

[TheDave]

father christmas is green

[Lilmiss]

father christmas is green

Thats the hulk.....or the grinch.

Santa looks strangely like my Dad.
Even has the same shoes.

[TheDave]

he was green till coca-cola came along

[Biggles]

father christmas is green

This is the case. Many of the early depictions of Father Christmas show a long green robe with fur. The red top and trousers is largely a Coca Cola invention - see Drawing Room for abominations of capitalism comment.

Why is JPaul almost as weird as Jonno?

[Mathea]

well imo to each their own..... but the poem was not my cup of tea

I thik thats theres 2 christmases... the religious one for believers, and the consumer one for the rest. The household I grew up in wasnt religious, but we did celebrate Christmas in the trees decorations and presents sense of it all....

[Everose]

Christmas is a strange time. It is many things to many people. The ancient Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus on the 25th December and for the Pagan peoples of Northern Europe it was also a celebration of life and the rebirth of the sun. Hence the Santa figure dressed as a Shaman with his reindeer and the symbols of the Pagan solstice - Yule logs, Holly, Mistletoe and circular wreaths of winter greenery.

There is one common thread running through all of these and that is the hope inherent in new life. Horus was the symbol good prevailing over evil, the reborn sun the symbol of life to come. The early Church chose the winter solstice to celebrate the birth of Christ because it was rich in exactly the kind of symbolism that they wanted his birth to convey. They simply presented their choice as a promise fulfilled. The Pagan past, far from being a problem, foretold this coming. The Pagan elements, gifts and celebrations in themselves do not detract but rather enrich this message. To try and strip them out (as some would like to) is to totally fail to understand why this time was chosen in the first place.

Alas, the rampant consumerism of today masks and blurs all. This is, however, rather a new phenomenon - even in my childhood it was far less prevelant than it is now. I hope, however, that it is simply a passing phase. It is possible to really really enjoy this time of year without going completely crazy with a bit of plastic. (Least that is what I am telling the kids )

So the message is simple, Hope - she who also came with Pandora's box.

Biggles, it is the 'rampart consumerism' that concerns me. I posted this same poem last year and received totally different responses. It is interesting for me to see the different responses, viewpoints on it.

In the United States, today is the biggest shopping day of the year. I know that it has to put unbelievable financial strain on a lot of families, often lasting throughout the year. I, too, hope it is a passing phase.

All I can really do myself is try to stay out of the shops this time of year, and start traditions within my own family that do not put this financial pressure on my own children and theirs, and uphold the traditional meaning of the Christian Christmas.

When I think back on my childhood, I cannot remember much of presents I received for Christmas. I know many years they were probably very minimal and items of necessity. I do remember the excitement of being with extended famiily, the traditional Christmas Eve and Midnight Masses very vividly though.

[Lilmiss]

he was green till coca-cola came along

Ahhhh...you mean he wore green clothes.
I was beginning to think, he had to travel from Mars every year.