Do you have a problem with the secularization of Christmas?

[IMGONNABE40!]

I am not naive and I know that Christ was not born on 12/25. I also know that the Christians took over a pagan holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ. That being said, does anyone have a problem with the secular/commercial evolution of the holy day?

I have a BIG issue with it. I don't want to know from Christmas until I have had a time to prayerfully prepare during advent. I do not want the Christmas hymns until 12/20 at the earliest. I want Christmas to last until the Epiphany. I don't want to hear about what everyone wants for Christmas and the BIG gift. I want gifts that come from the heart--not from some list that make the retailers eyes light up.

Is anyone with me? Anyone at all?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I'm kinda sorta in there with you. Lead the charge!

It doesn't bother me so much that the world has made Christmas into a cash cow. But is does bother me that many Christians can't find time or space to take in what Christmas is really supposed to be about from a Christian perspective. Of course, I have lots of bothers and disappointments in life .

Personally, hearing Christmas music in October/ November sickens me. Seeing the commercials that are currently running on TV (first week of November) make me change channels. Every year it seems like Chistmas is little more than a planned invasion of my wallet on the part of retailers. While I do buy/make small yet significant gifts (and enjoy doing it!), I reject the rampant materialsim foisted upon us by retailers and teach my children to do the same. Yet I do not make it my business to ruin someone else's day if they have a Chistmas groove going on -even if its 11/5. If you want to Rock Around the Christmas Tree on November 5th, suppose there are worst thing to be enthusiastic about. JMO

 

[Aidensmom]

Nope.

I can choose to celebrate the holiday as I choose. As a Christian, I have taught my child what I feel is the "true" meaning of Christmas, and he understands it. But Santa also visits our home, and we enjoy buying gifts for everyone else. We also always buy toys for less fortunate kids, usually through Angel Tree. I think it is great how many other people celebrate Christmas whether they see it as Christ's birthday or not, around that time of year there is a lot of generousity and caring outpoured from the majority of people. I think the "commercialization" of Christmas actually sometimes gets a bad rap. What is so wrong with wanting to buy things for other people?

 

[Disney Doll]

Yes, I believe we are lsoing sight of the reason for the season. And no, I do not believe that Christ was born exactly on December 25th. But the Christian celebration of it evolved to that day, and so that is when I celebrate it.

Over the past few years, I have tried to de-stress, de-secularize and reinsitute meaningful Christmas celebrations and traditions.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

I think the "commercialization" of Christmas actually sometimes gets a bad rap. What is so wrong with wanting to buy things for other people?

I don't think it is wrong to want to do for others. I think it is very wrong to shower our kids with the gift orgy they seem to expect in the name of Christmas.

 

[Rella Bella]

I love celebrating Advent! When we prepare for Christ's comings (his birth & second coming)!

We like to do it all: the candles, devotionals, prayers and alms giving. We usually put our Christmas tree up Thanksgiving weekend... but only put on white lights... until Christmas Eve when we add all the decorations. Parties or gatherings we have are usually the week between Christmas & New Years.

I love the anticipation of this short season. I love the advent carols rolleyes1 O come O Come Emmanuel )
and 'saving' Christmas Hymns for Christmas Eve. There is nothing quite as wonderful as a candle lit Midnight Service on Christmas Eve!

But, I also love seeing decorations everywhere... and lights on all the buildings. I love buying gifts and planning how to bless those I love. I also love listening to Christmas music constantly from Thanksgiving on... but I am very sad that it stops the day after Christmas because -- for me -- Christmas has just begun. We celebrate 12 days of Christmas, (the Wisemen don't arrive at the Crèche until Dec 6th). So I have lot's of CD's... and the music goes on!

As for commercialism... in reality that is here 365 days a year. They just add some tinsle and jolly music. So I choose to ignor it.

(And like imgonnabe40... I know the dates we celebrate don't have anything to do with the dates things actually happened. It was set up long ago by the church so we would remember all the parts of Christ's story.)

 

[disykat]

: I don't want to know from Christmas until I have had a time to prayerfully prepare during advent. I do not want the Christmas hymns until 12/20 at the earliest. I want Christmas to last until the Epiphany. I don't want to hear about what everyone wants for Christmas and the BIG gift. I want gifts that come from the heart--not from some list that make the retailers eyes light up.
:

We try to celebrate this way and I guess I don't find what other's are doing to be that upsetting. I was raised this way as well. The kids know we don't get as many expensive "things" as others do, but it really doesn't seem to bug them. Set your own traditions and ignore everything else.

We do an advent wreath at home and an advent calendar. Our church really focuses on Advent as a season. I find I'm able to enjoy looking forward to Christmas while enjoying the early decorations etc., but I really consider the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany to be "Christmas".

The early stuff doesn't bother me. However, I do admit it bothers me when Christmas disappears before Epiphany.

 

[Mandabella]

No it doesn't bother me too much, but I guess the secularization explains why Non-Christians are "celebrating" Christmas nowadays.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I like Advent..but I like the secular stuff too!

we keep our CD changer loaded with christmas songs year round. Sometimes they sneak themselves on.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Nope.

I can choose to celebrate the holiday as I choose. As a Christian, I have taught my child what I feel is the "true" meaning of Christmas, and he understands it. But Santa also visits our home, and we enjoy buying gifts for everyone else. We also always buy toys for less fortunate kids, usually through Angel Tree. I think it is great how many other people celebrate Christmas whether they see it as Christ's birthday or not, around that time of year there is a lot of generousity and caring outpoured from the majority of people. I think the "commercialization" of Christmas actually sometimes gets a bad rap. What is so wrong with wanting to buy things for other people?

I so agree. Another Christian here and I don't care if people see this as a time to just "buy presents". I put our christmas tree up on Thanksgiving day and ring the house with lights too.

In my community we have so many bike runs starting on Thanksgiving day and lasting until New Years. It is a wonderful and giving time of year. I also love to hear the Christmas songs as early as I can get them.

 

[Aidensmom]

I so agree. Another Christian here and I don't care if people see this as a time to just "buy presents". I put our christmas tree up on Thanksgiving day and ring the house with lights too.

In my community we have so many bike runs starting on Thanksgiving day and lasting until New Years. It is a wonderful and giving time of year. I also love to hear the Christmas songs as early as I can get them.

We put our tree and lights up the day after Thanksgiving. And my son and I are going Christmas shopping tomorrow for all of his cousins. He is looking forward to picking things out for the other kids. I honestly see that as something good.

I don't think giving gifts equates to expecting things if you teach it the right way. My son tonight asked me what I wanted, and I told him I didn't want anything (which, truthfully, there is nothing I can think of I want), and he questioned me on it - because he wants to get me something. So I told him to get me a coffee at Starbucks (that is a special place for him and I to go on weekend mornings), and then we talked about how it is fun just to buy things for others without wanting something in return. I am proud of him actually for wanting to get me something, it just shows he is thinking about more than himself at the big old age of 4.

 

[ford family]

Nobody here.

As an atheist it please me that the Christian message gets weaker each year and that the celebrations revert more to their original meaning.

For us, Christmas is a time for the family to be together, for the exchange of gifts, the sharing of hospitality with friends and preparing ourselves for the challenges of the coming year.

We devote a large amount of our time throughout the year to fund raising for a cancer charity so this is a very busy time of year for us; selling Christmas cards (very little demand for religious subjects), running Christmas Fairs and organising carol concerts with mince pies and mulled wines.

We put our (real) tree up on the Saturday before Christmas and take it down on New Years day. We throw a big party on the Sunday before Christmas for about a hundred people and then everything quietens down after that. On Boxing Day (26th) we traditionally meet up with friends for a mass dog walk across the fields and woods surrounding our village.

New Year is not a big celebration for us (except last year at Epcot) and, apart from taxi runs for children, we generally have a quiet night at home.

ford family

 

[scanne]

Well, being a NON Christian, I cannot stand that Christmas is shoved down our throats from November 1st - Dec. 31st. My biggest peeve of recent years is the radio stations that only play Christmas songs for the 6 weeks up to Christmas. I hate the Lexus commercials where they show people giving out luxury cars as Christmas gifts. The commercialism of it all gets under my skin and FAST!

However, I don't have a problem with those that believe in the sacred aspect of the holiday and celebrate for those reasons. I wish our society would do away with the money pit that the holidays bring and let them (the holidays) be quiet family events. It is the family interaction I look forward to most on the major holidays.

Just my .02.

 

[Mamu]

As a Christian I believe everyone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate.

I do not push my religion on anyone. I with my family celebrate the Birth of our Savior.

With so many of different religious beliefs or non-religious beliefs living in this country, I guess the separation of church and state will become a battle until all religious holidays, icons and celebrations are a think of the past. Yet I have no future without a past. Christ is part of my past and my future. I would hope the world would respect my beliefs the same way I respect their beliefs.

Secularism rejects all forms of religion not just christian. If we remove Christ from Christmas what do we have "mas" The dictionary discribes the word mas as masculine or "manlike" Christmas in my lifetime will always be one word and that word means Christ became Man. No secularist can ever take that away, as hard as some try.

 

[Puffy2]

I think that if you want it to be that way, you can certainly make it that way in your home and your actions . Many people do.

 

[bgirldeb]

I'm a Christian, and I don't celebrate Christmas.

We noticed Friday night that a local upscale outdoor shopping mall already has christmas decorations up- white lights on all of the buildings and white light reindeer up in various locations.

scanne, those Lexus commercials really are awful!

 

[aprilgail2]

I do not believe in god/ jesus etc but I celebrate christmas...I celebrate it as the season of good will towards fellow man, nothing to do with jesus etc.....I LOVE the present giving part of it much more than being on the receiving end of it...I volunteer for a toy drive that gets toys to sick and needy kids in the area and that takes up every weekend from thanksgiving till christmas for me and I LOVE doing it...

 

[helenabear]

I get a bit tired of it. For me though, Christmas season starts with Advent (just around Thanksgiving) and it will last through Epiphany.

I get really tired of the greed I see with some of what goes on. I also get really tired of people putting me down and telling me I am crazy to keep a tree up past Dec 26 and that Christmas is over so I should let it go! Well, if y'all wouldn't mess with the real meaning with Christmas (and the 12 days there of) then you all wouldn't be tearing everything down when the season has just begun!

I get really ticked off with some of the Christmas stuff same as I do Halloween. Every year things get more quiet for me and the holiday since I like the true meaning of what it is to me. And yes, I realize that both Hallowen & Christmas were moved way back, but it isn't the day, but the idea behind the celebration that matters to me.

I love giving to other people, but I hate how some people get so dang commercial. Just try going to the mall between TG and Christmas... there is nothing loving or good will towards other men like about that time of year. I find most of the people around that time to be quite the opposite unfortunately

 

[yeartolate]

I think if the secularization diminishes ones religious beliefs and experience, it possibly is not the fault of the seculatization. Celebrate the birth of Christ in the way you see fit. If the secular aspects disturb someone, they should not participate.

The secular aspect of Christmas is family and friends gathering and sharing. This is a good thing, is it not? (it is good for the US and our economy as well )

 

[florida-again]

No it doesn't bother me too much, but I guess the secularization explains why Non-Christians are "celebrating" Christmas nowadays.

Do you (all of you reading this I mean) think this is a bad thing? My family are Jewish and we've always 'recognised' Christmas. This means we get together with family for xmas dinner and exchange xmas presents . Don't ask me to start explaining why though....that's just how I've been brought up!