The meaning of "Christmas"

[Caliga]

What exactly are you celebrating by attending all these Christmas things and making the 25th special?  If went to two separate Synagogues before attending a Passover Seder it would be weird to insist I just didn't celebrate Passover.

She said a friend invited her, right?  When I was a kid friends used to invite me to their bar mitzvah celebrations, but that didn't make me Jewish.

[derspiess]

What exactly are you celebrating by attending all these Christmas things and making the 25th special?  If went to two separate Synagogues before attending a Passover Seder it would be weird to insist I just didn't celebrate Passover.

She said a friend invited her, right?  When I was a kid friends used to invite me to their bar mitzvah celebrations, but that didn't make me Jewish.

No.  But it did mean you celebrated their Bar Mitzvah.

[OttoVonBismarck]

No, it meant he celebrated a separate coming of age ritual in parallel and with most of the same customs as the Bar Mitzvah. But not the Bar Mitzvah!

[derspiess]

They also don't bring up punch lines like Kwanzaa or Yule or some other tradition that has about as much cultural relevance in the US as Boxing Day or Guy Fawkes Day.

I wonder why you guys don't celebrate Boxing Day.  It's not religious, or tied to anything particular to Britain.

It'd be nice.  We'd have to rob a holiday from somewhere else on the calendar to make up for it but I'd be down with getting another day after Christmas.  I usually take that day off anyway and we celebrate my brother's birthday that day so it's almost like a holiday to me, if unofficially.

[crazy canuck]

They also don't bring up punch lines like Kwanzaa or Yule or some other tradition that has about as much cultural relevance in the US as Boxing Day or Guy Fawkes Day.

Again with the cultural blinders.  Just because they are not in the numbers of your religiously concentrated belief system doesnt make it any less valid for them.

To paraphrase Valmy - only an ass would deny the ability of others to celebrate the season as they wish.

[merithyn]

Ok so you want to the this service where Christmas was being celebrated along with all these other things.  And you are not celebrating Christmas?  You have the 25th as a special day for you and Max.

What exactly are you celebrating by attending all these Christmas things and making the 25th special?  If went to two separate Synagogues before attending a Passover Seder it would be weird to insist I just didn't celebrate Passover.

My son was in a UU church service, so I went to see it. While there, a friend invited me to the 24th service to hear him sing a solo with the choir. Since it's a block from my office, I said sure. The 25th isn't a "special day" for Max and me. It's a day off from work where I can actually get away with doing nothing since everything is closed and no one will be dropping by.

Why is it so bloody important for you to "trap" me into saying that celebrate Christmas? The holiday, in and of itself, has zero special meaning to me. Why do you keep insisting to find meaning where there is none? I celebrate the season, not the holiday.

[Valmy]

She said a friend invited her, right?  When I was a kid friends used to invite me to their bar mitzvah celebrations, but that didn't make me Jewish.

Huh?  Of course not.  But you celebrated his Bar Mitzvah right?  She is saying she is does not celebrate Christmas.

[garbon]

Ok so you want to the this service where Christmas was being celebrated along with all these other things.  And you are not celebrating Christmas?  You have the 25th as a special day for you and Max.

What exactly are you celebrating by attending all these Christmas things and making the 25th special?  If went to two separate Synagogues before attending a Passover Seder it would be weird to insist I just didn't celebrate Passover.

My son was in a UU church service, so I went to see it. While there, a friend invited me to the 24th service to hear him sing a solo with the choir. Since it's a block from my office, I said sure. The 25th isn't a "special day" for Max and me. It's a day off from work where I can actually get away with doing nothing since everything is closed and no one will be dropping by.

Why is it so bloody important for you to "trap" me into saying that celebrate Christmas? The holiday, in and of itself, has zero special meaning to me. Why do you keep insisting to find meaning where there is none? I celebrate the season, not the holiday.

Why is it so bloody important for you that you say you don't celebrate Christmas? Seems odd to do celebrating on that day but say you aren't celebrating Christmas because you aren't a Christian. I'd think there are a lot of Americans who celebrate on Christmas that aren't really Christians.

[merithyn]

She said a friend invited her, right?  When I was a kid friends used to invite me to their bar mitzvah celebrations, but that didn't make me Jewish.

Huh?  Of course not.  But you celebrated his Bar Mitzvah right?  She is saying she is does not celebrate Christmas.

Maybe that's the difference to me. I do not celebrate Christmas as I understand it. As a Christian, celebrating Christmas meant something specific to me. It meant honoring Christ's birth and all that that entailed. As I am no longer Christian, I do not do that, ergo, I do not celebrate Christmas. I do follow some seasonal traditions, but they have nothing to do with Christ's birth. Christmas has a very specific and distinct meaning to me, which apparently it doesn't to the majority of you. Because it does, however, I do not feel comfortable saying that I celebrate that particular holy day.

If you feel a need to berate that, feel free, but at least I've put more thought into it than, "But it's the season!!!!!!!11111"

[garbon]

Because it does, however, I do not feel comfortable saying that I celebrate that particular holy day.

If you feel a need to berate that, feel free, but at least I've put more thought into it than, "But it's the season!!!!!!!11111"

Just seems overly pedantic given that a great many people who celebrate Christmas aren't Christians.

[Razgovory]

They also don't bring up punch lines like Kwanzaa or Yule or some other tradition that has about as much cultural relevance in the US as Boxing Day or Guy Fawkes Day.

Again with the cultural blinders.  Just because they are not in the numbers of your religiously concentrated belief system doesnt make it any less valid for them.

To paraphrase Valmy - only an ass would deny the ability of others to celebrate the season as they wish.

I didn't see Otto denying anyone the ability to celebrate Kwanzaa.

[garbon]

They also don't bring up punch lines like Kwanzaa or Yule or some other tradition that has about as much cultural relevance in the US as Boxing Day or Guy Fawkes Day.

Again with the cultural blinders.  Just because they are not in the numbers of your religiously concentrated belief system doesnt make it any less valid for them.

To paraphrase Valmy - only an ass would deny the ability of others to celebrate the season as they wish.

I didn't see Otto denying anyone the ability to celebrate Kwanzaa.

Well only when in the context of his previous post. By itself it kinda reads that way.

[Razgovory]

I wonder if Viking will have to work on the 25th.

[Razgovory]

They also don't bring up punch lines like Kwanzaa or Yule or some other tradition that has about as much cultural relevance in the US as Boxing Day or Guy Fawkes Day.

Again with the cultural blinders.  Just because they are not in the numbers of your religiously concentrated belief system doesnt make it any less valid for them.

To paraphrase Valmy - only an ass would deny the ability of others to celebrate the season as they wish.

I didn't see Otto denying anyone the ability to celebrate Kwanzaa.

Well only when in the context of his previous post. By itself it kinda reads that way.

We could ask if that's what he means.

[garbon]

I don't really care.