Bloody Christmas

[Ewan Husami]

Because then it wouldn't be Christmas.

It would be like celebrating your birthday a month before your birthday

[immunodiffusion]

[s]Ewan Husami wrote on 19:08, 9th Nov 2003:
Because then it wouldn't be Christmas.

It would be like celebrating your birthday a month before your birthday


But your birthday actually commemorates a specific number of exact years since your birth - so it is tied to being at a particular time of year. Christmas is not tied to any particular time of the year - its date is completely arbitary - indeed everyone doesn't celebrate it at the same time (in Russia, the Orthodox church celebrates Christmas on 6th January). What makes Christmas have to be on the 25th December? There is no reason why Christmas is the date it is - there is absolutely no reason to believe that Jesus was genuinely born on 25th December - its just that it has traditionally been celebrated on that date in this country. I do not see any reason why people should not celebrate it at another time of year.

[Nick Mitchell]

The point is that the regular two months of the same Christmas songs, Christmas decorations, Christmas advertising etc make everyone sick of the whole event (especially the music)by the time Christmas actually rolls around.

And I don't think that Marks and Spencers would claim that they're "celebrating Christmas at an earlier date" for religious reasons. The Christmas marketing machine is just up and running from the end of Halloween.

[PurelySynthetic]

[s]niall wrote on 01:22, 9th Nov 2003:
there was a hotel in Kinross that had CHRISTmas stuff up at the begining of august... the country club where my rugby club plays have their decorations up...


ARGH are you stalking me!?!??!?!!??!!?!!?!?!?!?!??!??!
;oP

[Ewan Husami]

[s]immunodiffusion wrote on 19:27, 9th Nov 2003:

... But your birthday actually commemorates a specific number of exact years since your birth - so it is tied to being at a particular time of year. Christmas is not tied to any particular time of the year - its date is completely arbitary - indeed everyone doesn't celebrate it at the same time (in Russia, the Orthodox church celebrates Christmas on 6th January). What makes Christmas [i]have to be on the 25th December?

There is no reason why Christmas is the date it is - there is absolutely no reason to believe that Jesus was genuinely born on 25th December - its just that it has traditionally been celebrated on that date in this country. I do not see any reason why people should not celebrate it at another time of year.
[/i]

[/i]

According the story of the Nativity, wasn't Christ born on Christmas Eve?
But that's beside the point. I'm not talking about any other countries - I'm talking about Britain. It is widely recognised that Christmas Day falls on December 25th. If you were to ask any of the shops that start selling Christmas stuff in September when Christmas Day is this year, they will undoubtedly tell you it's December 25th.

[Pussycat]

Well I like seeing christmas stuff about and more importantly so do my little brothers - after all this time of year is way more fun for them. Just because there is commercial stuff about doesn't mean you have to go and buy it.

But when the weather is dreary and it's always so dark, seeing santa on your bottle of coke can still make you smile. If it were up to me I'd keep the christmas tree and lights up until February at least. It cheers people up, makes them happy and most importantly of all, the shops are FULL of Terry's oranges.

If you don't like christmas so much then fair enough...but keep your shouts of bah humbug to yourself, some of us are still kids at heart

[immunodiffusion]

[s]Ewan Husami wrote on 21:22, 9th Nov 2003:
According the story of the Nativity, wasn't Christ born on Christmas Eve?

No, the Bible does not mention when Christ was born. It could have been any time.

[s]Nick Mitchell wrote on 20:36, 9th Nov 2003:
I don't think that Marks and Spencers would claim that they're "celebrating Christmas at an earlier date" for religious reasons.

Indeed, the owners of Marks and Spencer are Jewish.

[niall]

[s]PurelySynthetic wrote on 20:41, 9th Nov 2003:
[s]niall wrote on 01:22, 9th Nov 2003:[i]
there was a hotel in Kinross that had CHRISTmas stuff up at the begining of august... the country club where my rugby club plays have their decorations up...


ARGH are you stalking me!?!??!?!!??!!?!!?!?!?!?!??!??!
;oP
[/i]


eh?! :/

[Rex Mundi]

[s]immunodiffusion wrote on 19:27, 9th Nov 2003:
[s]Ewan Husami wrote on 19:08, 9th Nov 2003:[i]
Because then it wouldn't be Christmas.

It would be like celebrating your birthday a month before your birthday


But your birthday actually commemorates a specific number of exact years since your birth - so it is tied to being at a particular time of year. Christmas is not tied to any particular time of the year - its date is completely arbitary - indeed everyone doesn't celebrate it at the same time (in Russia, the Orthodox church celebrates Christmas on 6th January). What makes Christmas have to be on the 25th December? There is no reason why Christmas is the date it is - there is absolutely no reason to believe that Jesus was genuinely born on 25th December - its just that it has traditionally been celebrated on that date in this country. I do not see any reason why people should not celebrate it at another time of year.
[/i]

[PurelySynthetic]

[s]niall wrote on 14:57, 10th Nov 2003:
[s]PurelySynthetic wrote on 20:41, 9th Nov 2003:[i]
[s]niall wrote on 01:22, 9th Nov 2003:[i]
there was a hotel in Kinross that had CHRISTmas stuff up at the begining of august... the country club where my rugby club plays have their decorations up...


ARGH are you stalking me!?!??!?!!??!!?!!?!?!?!?!??!??!
;oP
[/i]


eh?! :/
[/i]



Thats where i live P

[Happy Bunny]

I couldn't have said it better myself!

[monkeymadness]

Do they still have that Christmas shop open on Market Street?

[Precious]

Yes they do.
[hr]Teeth! Teeth, my preciousss, but we has only six!

[Tobias Joss]

Grr, this is where my pearls of wisdom vanished from, and I like the energy to repost. One thing I will put back, though, is that according to their website M&S have in excess of 300,000 shareholders. All Jewish? Are you suggesting some kind of conspiracy?

[immunodiffusion]

[s]Tobias Joss wrote on 02:01, 13th Nov 2003:
according to their website M&S have in excess of 300,000 shareholders. All Jewish? Are you suggesting some kind of conspiracy?


No, but the Marks family, who have owned Marks and Spencer until it was publicly floated a few years ago, are a Jewish family, and even now that there are public shareholders, the Marks family still have a lot to do with the running of the company. I'm not suggesting there is any kind of conspiracy, or that there's anything wrong with this - I'm just saying that as the firm is traditionally run by a Jewish family, it is unlikely they would have any religious views on when Christmas should or should not be celebrated.

[Guest]

[s]Pussycat wrote on 22:50, 9th Nov 2003:
Well I like seeing christmas stuff about and more importantly so do my little brothers - after all this time of year is way more fun for them. Just because there is commercial stuff about doesn't mean you have to go and buy it.


thats true but if the build up to christmas lasts several months it makes it less special and more ordinary.
I think shops should be banned from putting up christmas stuff until december or the first day of advent.

[Pussycat]

[s]Unregisted User wrote on 00:06, 13th Nov 2003:
thats true but if the build up to christmas lasts several months it makes it less special and more ordinary.

That would be true except Christmas is always cool, and kids especially never get fed up of it. If only St Andrews got decent snow, sigh.

[Miss Maryland]

the only thing about this time of year that annoys me is that it means that every single store i go into will be playing frank sinatra's christmas album. even though i'm not much of a sinatra fan, i can usually handle encountering his music every now and then. but it gets really irritating when you are at the mall and the stores you go into keep playing the same songs over and over again!
[hr]...and there was much rejoicing.

[Anon.]

Don't the Sieffs have rather a lot to do with it, too?

[Tobias Joss]

Settled down, immunodiffusion! I was not being entirely serious!