I agree with Esq here. I can attach no personal significance to Christmas aside from the part that I am somehow obliged to spend £50+ on gifts for other people that they don't really want, while those other people do the same thing. Why not just save your money and buy what you want and let other people do the same? Everyone is better off. Don't even get me started on giftwrapping.

It's a purely commercial adventure these days. Of course, all the highstreet shops are crying their eyes out because customers are shunning them in favour of online buying (which is statistically safer - and cheaper - anyway). It's not hard to infer what their priorities during Christmas are; all this talk of cheer and goodwill is lip service. It's clear most people don't believe in it either.

It was in the news the other day that some teaching assistant got sacked for telling kids as old as nine that Santa didn't exist. Yet another example of things being blown well out of proportion.


Yes, yes, I am a miserable person.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called pessimism by those who have not got it."
-George Bernard Shaw

Am i one of the few people who likes going shopping with a few friends for xmas presents?
Oh and New Year is just an excuse to have a party, to go out get totaly drunk and spend the next day in bed. The street partys as well, was in Aberdeen last year and it was gr8.

pah, I hope no-one gives Scrooge McHare any presents this year! Have a miserable Christmas down in the Burrow with only wheezy Typhon for company, Eskilezer! I might even send you an "I'm having a great Christmas and you're..not!" message!

Well, I wish a very heartfelt "Merry Christmas" to each and every one of you - even you bah-humbuggers.

May you all have a joyful holiday season and may all your families find comfort and love in the future!

Merry Christmas TLR!!!

Taw - Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your holiday with your loving family, etc, and I'll tolerate my relatives and say "Humbug!" to passers-by in order to amuse myself. Yes, a good day will be had by all I think.

ff - Silence churl! What makes you think I have the money to travel overseas anyway? I do, but it doesn't matter, because *some* of us have jobs that have responsibilities that do not allow us to travel (at least until April). And I see that, as usual, you have targeted one tiny piece of my post without reading the rest. Typical. *Shakes head* In any case, I wasn't "whining" I was responding to Taw's comment and expressing an opinion. Anyway, why would I be thankful for a hot day when I hate hot weather? Obviously ff-logic there *shakes head again*. In any case, we all know that you'll come on TLR after Christmas and bore us all by bragging about your gifts including, but not limited to, your latest camera case and new camera lens, etc. Oh yes, I'm on to you!

topher - Thanks, and a m-mm-merry (I said it!) holiday to you as well!

I'm too lazy to read those long posts. However, even though I attend church and do believe in God and believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins (no I'm not trying to preach here, just stating my beliefs) I never really saw Christmas as a religous thing. The Christmas I've always known was presents and listening to anti-freedom nutjobs ranting about Christmas trees and angles on public property, a little Santa here and there for my two little cousins and the Christmas dinner that I mostly pick at. However, I've heard people from my church say this as well as aethiests (too lazy to really care about my spelling right now, which is usually horrible anyway) that Christmas is not the birthday of Christ, that we have no real idea what day of the year Jesus was born and that the Christmas we celebrate was a Roman holiday that ran for 12 days where prisoners were tortured, women were raped and everyone was pretty much did whatever the hell they wanted. This however, I'm not sure about.

But I still love Christmas. It just doesn't feel like December without hearing about those nutjobs on the news complaining that there's a huge pine tree inside the shopping mall.

So, merry Christmas to all and please murder Santa when he comes by your house. He only goes after kids, you know what that means...

I don't think many do see the relgious side of xmas, it's merely a passing fancy for even the most aware agnostic. Of course the christians love it, after all they continue to have the most commercially powerfull holiday of all the religions and what better way than to celebrate than with a steaming cup of egg nog and some sing songs.

Me, I love the day, but hate the lead up. The instant I even think about having to go buy presents I have this vein in my forehead that pulses and one eyelid is guarenteed to be twitching for at least 2 days after returning home. The sheer agony of spending 2 hours driving around a car park, looking for any sort of spot, while avoiding pedestrians that in your heart of hearts you would dearly love to crush beneath your wheels in a hail of blood, bone and brains is just to painful. Then you have to stand around while 'loving partner' finds gift for 'target relative' and then proceeds to pull all 50 identicle items from the shelves in an effort to find the 'best one'. All the while listening to the excrutiating sounds of 25 different heathen spawn throwing tantrums at the top of their lungs becuase parental unit won't buy them the lastest molded piece of plastic rubbish that will no doubt placate their brattish behaviour for the next 25 seconds.
I won't even go into the horrors of the food court, which year after year will reduce my otherwise manly demenour to that of a freshly gang raped schizophrenic with a bladder disorder.

However that being said, the day is ace. Despite the sheer terror of procuring gifts, I do live to give. That added with the great social lubricator and some piss-funny relatives always makes for a top day.

A rant worthy of the Mullah himself Musty! I too, dislike shopping at Christmas. Why? Because every single shop/shopping centre will play Christmas carols ad nauseum , and at annoyingly loud volumes. "Joy to the World"? I think not! Carols incite people to violence! At least, they affect people by encouraging violent tendancies... It's true I tell ye!

It is the celebration of family as well as religious commemoration to those who are pious.

I like the family aspect of it. Although there are times when everyone is faking the good cheer because of some major clan dispute or what have you. But those times are rare and it is fun to just get together for the purpose of gifting each other and having a happy time together.

The food helps and I also get immense satisfaction by having people over who just tuck in on the repast.

The greatest thing, if you are the host chef, is when everyone is having a great time and then they all settle down at the table to partake of your work and the next thing you know, dead silence. Just the clang of silverware on plate and the occasional pass the ------- please. When that happens, you know you've got a hit on your hands.

Hell Ed, i'd be chuffed if no-one had to visit the emergency room after sampling my culinary delights.