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Christmas Love it or hate it

Christmas Love it or hate it

  • I'm Christian and I celebrate it for a valid reason

    Votes: 11 13.4%
  • I'm not Christian but I like to overindulge myself in an orgy of mass consumerism

    Votes: 19 23.2%
  • Not too keen on it, its too commercialised

    Votes: 27 32.9%
  • Hate it with all the red hot fiery hatred of an imploding star.

    Votes: 25 30.5%

  • Total voters
    82
  • Poll closed .
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43021HST

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As huge chain stores nationwide start gearing up to make more huge profit from thick people who are desperately trying spend themselves to ultimate happiness, Ive been thinking whats RUKs general opinion of christmas?
I despise christmas, I hate the cheap tackyness off it, the mass gluttony and consumerism. To me christmas has about as much significance as ramadam. Why does this country have to go nutty over a Christian festival when half of those who are celebrating arn't Christian. Personally I think its a celebration of mass consumerism. Hopefully this year I'm going to spend christmas up the side of welsh mountain.
 
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ANorthernGuard

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I despise christmas, I hate the cheap tackyness off it, the mass gluttony and consumerism. To me christmas has about as much significance as ramadam. Why does this country have to go nutty over a Christian festival when half of those who are celebrating arn't Christian. Personally I think its a celebration of mass consumerism. Hopefully this year I'm going to spend christmas up the side of welsh mountain.

Bah humbug :)

 

rail-britain

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12 Aug 2007
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4,102
A pagan festival, so why does the rest of the world have to put up with it?
Britain claims to be multi-cultural, yet this get forced upon everyone
 

SS4

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Birmingham
Too much stress and much needed money is diverted from more important things. As an atheist I also feel like a fraud and despise being forced to celebrate it
 

Eagle

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Leamingrad / Blanfrancisco
Aren't you forgetting something? Christmas is a time to spend with family. And now we've all moved out across the country it's more important than ever. All the commercialism and Christian tradition can go hang (being as I'm from a low-income and irreligious family), but I won't give it up for the world.
 

SS4

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Aren't you forgetting something? Christmas is a time to spend with family. And now we've all moved out across the country it's more important than ever. All the commercialism and Christian tradition can go hang (being as I'm from a low-income and irreligious family), but I won't give it up for the world.

What's so special at Christmas? Why not Easter or any of our bank holidays? I suggest renaming it to Stressmas
 

Seacook

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17 May 2010
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456
Location
West Bromwich
If the Christmas holidays were abandoned, I would not miss them. I do as little as possible to celebrate - buy a present or two for my immediate family and perhaps a card - that's it, no decorations, no booze (I gave up alcohol years ago), no partying, no worshipping. I just make sure I have enough tea or coffee, a DVD or two, and a few books and try to forget what I am supposed to be doing according to the media.
 
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If the Christmas holidays were abandoned, I would not miss them. I do as little as possible to celebrate - buy a present or two for my immediate family and perhaps a card - that's it, no decorations, no booze (I gave up alcohol years ago), no partying, no worshipping. I just make sure I have enough tea or coffee, a DVD or two, and a few books and try to forget what I am supposed to be doing according to the media.

I was lucky in that I used to work over Christmas - double pay, day off in lieu, and half the normal workload. :lol:

I dont mind if people over-eat for a few days, because feasting has always been a tradition even at pagan festivals.

What I hate is the way Christmas seems to have expanded out to cover the whole of December in many households. I never put my decorations up before about the 20th, and never have. Some folk see Dec 1st as the day to have everything decorated so they can go into Christmas mode (whatever that is) for 4 to 5 weeks, if they carry on until 12th night.

Some people are now sending cards in November, which seems to be a bit ridiculous as the post is not usually that bad.

The supermarkets and large retailers have cottoned on to the wall to wall free publicity that the media give Christmas and so use that as an extra opportunity to make people feel guilty for not joining in with the 'fun' at all times.

Christmas used to be a time when everyone could be excused for being rather the worse for drink, but now most folk seem to get wasted every weekend, birthday, wedding, christening, holiday period, etc. that doing it again over Christmas seems rather illogical.

But then, I am a miserable old git - so what do I know.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Like the family / goodwill to all men aspects, but could probably do without it.
 

SouthernStar

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29 Oct 2011
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London
I Loath it! They say Chistmas is time to spend with your family, but I don't have a lot of family in the UK
 

newbie babs

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Joined
16 Jul 2011
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Location
Sheffield
I love Christmas I just hate the blatant commercialism.

Shops have cards, decorations and gifts in way to early. When I lived in Germany it was more family orientated and you had a sense of what Christmas actually meant. We open presents on Christmas Eve now as there are no little ones in the house.

I am old enough to remember shops closed and stay closed for the holiday period, so queuing out side the bread shops was my task as a teenager. I actually miss that, shops closing and you having to spend time as a family talking to each other, playing games (snooker as it was in my house with 3 brothers)
 

Greenback

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I love Christmas I just hate the blatant commercialism.

Shops have cards, decorations and gifts in way to early. When I lived in Germany it was more family orientated and you had a sense of what Christmas actually meant. We open presents on Christmas Eve now as there are no little ones in the house.

I am old enough to remember shops closed and stay closed for the holiday period, so queuing out side the bread shops was my task as a teenager. I actually miss that, shops closing and you having to spend time as a family talking to each other, playing games (snooker as it was in my house with 3 brothers)

I fully agree. As I have said in other threads, I support the idea of a break where the majority of people get time off to spend with their friends and families.

Your memeories regarding family Christmases are very similar to my own! Apart from the snooker!
 

Hydro

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2,204
It does make a good excuse for a slap up, no holds barred food and drink-athon.

I quite like it, when on a small scale. A few gifts here and there, time with the family and the above mentioned gorgefest.

Sadly it seems to be a huge push from marketing and advertising companies to ram so much crap down your throat it chokes the fun out of it. Spend, spend, spend and all that. One thing I dislike is cards. Sending and receiving them. Such a waste of something that will ultimately be thrown away without any use other than to make the living room look untidy. A few phone calls or visits is what I prefer, actually speaking to people on the day.
 

Greenback

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It does make a good excuse for a slap up, no holds barred food and drink-athon.

I quite like it, when on a small scale. A few gifts here and there, time with the family and the above mentioned gorgefest.

Sadly it seems to be a huge push from marketing and advertising companies to ram so much crap down your throat it chokes the fun out of it. Spend, spend, spend and all that. One thing I dislike is cards. Sending and receiving them. Such a waste of something that will ultimately be thrown away without any use other than to make the living room look untidy. A few phone calls or visits is what I prefer, actually speaking to people on the day.

I agree. When Christams decorations are put up in shops in October, and the TV adverts start earlier and earlier, the build up is so long that it all feels like a chore. I'm convinced that seeing the word Christmas more than two months before the actual day contributes a lot towards people being against it.

There are good reasons for having a winter festival though, whatever it may be called. The days are short, the weather is rubbish and we could all do with the distraction! It certainly breaks the year up as well. I can;t understand why they don't have it in June in the Southern Hemisphere! :lol:
 

Hydro

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I have to disagree with the weather part of it, much preferable to the uncomfortable summers we tend to have!
 

Greenback

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I've found recent summers very bearable, plenty of cloud and only occasional heat, but then again we are on the coast and we get a lot of breeze here! In contrast I find the winte rmuch colder than I used to, but maybe I'm just getting old!
 

Temple Meads

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Devon
Nothing like an orgy of mass consumerism!
That's what I've voted for anyway, I enjoy it a lot more than Halloween (for kids and idiots only IMO), it brings a bit of interest to bleak midwinter.
BTW I get my decorations up on 1st December.
 

43021HST

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I tend to find that the south goes nuttier over christmas than the North does, thats becuase this year I'm going to be spending christmas in Flint and probably watching the league of Gentlemen christmas special and then listening to the Dead Kennedys. A good antidote to christmas. Or climbing a mountain
 

yorksrob

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Yorks
I ticked option 2, although I have to say, I rather disagree with the implication that having time off of work to laze around boozing and stuffing isn't a genuinely valid reason to celebrate Christmas.
 

WestCoast

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19 Jun 2010
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Going wild in consumerism is quite a UK/America thing, it often tends to be more low key in other 'Christian countries'. For example, public transport runs on Christmas Day.
 

michael769

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2,006
None of the options really fit my view.

I dislike (not hate, I can easily ignore it), the in your face consumption push from retailers and the media, I resent the pressure from them to extend the season.... I think that some folks take it far to far and cause themselves a lot of unnecessary stress and an avoidable financial hangover when the January CC bill comes in. Fortunately I have a small family and can get my Christmas shopping done in 1 morning (or as with the last few years a few lunchtime on-line shopping sessions).

On the other hands filling the darkest and most miserable (weather-wise) month of the year will bright colours and extra lights is very welcome, as is the thought of 2 weeks off work.

It's nice to not have to force myself out of bed in the darkness for a couple of weeks, and to be able to get out and about during daylight (when I am normally stuck in the office). And to be able to go out and catch up with folks that are mostly too busy for the rest of the year.

I suspect it is the need for something to brighten midwinter up that makes Christmas be such a big deal for us - quite simply we need it to cheer ourselves up.
 

phil8715

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19 Aug 2007
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266
I don't mind Christmas, yes it's commercialised, and shops start stocking Christmas cards etc from July/Aug onwards. A couple of weeks ago I was shopping in my local Tesco's and they were selling Mince Pies the sell by date was well before Christmas day.

Every year myself and my Mrs go away to Northern Ireland to my parents and return just after the new year.

I used to work for Asda and have seen people arguing over parking spaces on Christmas Eve to get their last minute bits and also in the shop where people have fought over the last turkey, you think why bother? All this for just one day.

You also get people maxing out their credit cards and have only just finished paying for last Christmas.

I know the Yanks celebrate Christmas but not as much as Halloween, which is another god awful import from our friends accross the pond. I really hate it when you get little brats knocking on your door trick or treating when the same kids cause hassle in the neighbourhood all year round.
 
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Mutant Lemming

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London
I really hate it when you get little brats knocking on your door trick or treating when the same kids cause hassle in the neighbourhood all year round.

You could always buy some Laxochoc 'treats' to give them... and don't forget to heat up the pennies (or probably pound coins these days) for the carol singers.
 

2Dogbox

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22 Mar 2011
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Lincoln
I am sick of having it shouted at me from TV, radio, newspapers etc. And I cannot stand that boring week between Christmas and New Year, always found it rather tedious.

Is it me or do I also loathe the fact that as its Christmas I am told by the media that I "MUST be having a really good time", I just don't find it exciting. And I never know what to get people, and they don't know what to get me!

I quite enjoy the dinner and food but thats as far as it goes. Also, like most people these days, I have s family that has had divorces and re- marriages, I feel that I can never please everyone and always end up letting people down.

I don't think I would not want christmas, but just to have ONE day of it would be enough on the 25 th of December.
 

Robinson

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1 Aug 2010
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Helensburgh
I'm a Christian so wouldn't get rid of Christmas but I definitely don't go along with all the mass consumerism that surrounds it.
I'm also likely to find it difficult to be with the family up in Scotland, especially if we get another snowfall like we did last year (our term finished the day before the snow came!) and if the trains aren't any better at coping than they were...
 
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