Would you rather...

[lauraelmore1033]

I'm with the waiting for it to be over group. We live one mile away from the mall and the freeway, so from Thanksgiving to new years, it is a major ordeal just getting ANYWHERE. I didn't come from a religious family, so I grew up feeling very confused about the holiday. As a kid, I did enjoy giving and receiving gifts, but had trouble attaching any meaning to all the hoopla. I enjoyed making a Christmas experience for my kids when they were little, but now that they are grown, it just seems like a big, flashy ordeal which gets worse with each passing year.

[PamNY]

This is not really on topic, but I'm sharing it anyway. This is a GoPro video of Christmas lights in Brooklyn. The neighborhood is well-known for elaborate decorations and draws quite a crowd. I wonder what happens if you live there and don't want to decorate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROgABL7F4F8

[OakLeaf]

If that "rant against the holidays" was directed at me, I guess that's EXACTLY what I mean.

Going back and reading through what I wrote, I'm at a loss to see how I said anything bashing the holidays. By saying how much I miss the ritual, I thought I was embracing the idea of the holidays and feeling a bit of envy for those who still believe.

What does put me off is the idea that if I don't participate in someone else's holiday, I've somehow ruined it for them. If someone requires a piece of me for their holiday to be complete, well, I do bash that idea, I seriously and truly don't have enough pieces left for everyone, but I also don't think that that's what the holidays are about.

Eden, I enjoy participating in other cultures' traditions too, but it's not always so easy to know when I'm welcome and when I'm not, even in religions that have a lot of local adherents. The church I was raised in, all baptized people are welcome to take Holy Communion, and it never occurred to me that the same is not true in all Christian denominations. I still feel kind of bad about the time I took Communion in a Roman Catholic church, not knowing any better. Another time, when a child handed me a candle they were passing around to light the menorah at a Hanukkah party, I was honored to light a candle, but not being Jewish, I really didn't know if I should. It was such a spur of the moment thing that the best I could do was raise an eyebrow at our hostess and get a smile back.

[smilingcat]

Culturally speaking, Japanese are wierd bunch. They get married in Shinto ceremony and funeral in Budhist ceremony. And big to do children's religious thing called 7,5,3 (shichi, go, san) is to take your child(ren) to shinto shrine to say that your 7 or 3 yo daughter is growing healthy, and for your 5 yo son the same. But its seen not as some religious thing. It was party time for my family. And for the kids, it was time for some sweet confection. Religion didn't even register in my family as something to be concerned with. If its important to you great. if not thats great too.

I do like Christmas for the simple fact that people tend to be more mindful of "peace and good will toward other men." Rest of the year, that sometimes gets lost. And having this holiday to remind us of it is very nice. I did get really mad one year when my ex dragged me to a Christmas church service and some *(&^ nearly caused an accident in the parking lot to butt his way into a parking space that we were patiently waiting. He also flipped us the bird.

So with all the craziness of modern world and the cupcake generation (self centered generation and refuses to share a common cake because they want their own decorated the way they want), this time is nice to remind ourselves that it is about caring for your fellow human being. I also love the tranquail and pastoral music to sooth my worn down and frayed nerve. Thank goodness too for internet buying for the bargain. I would never stand in line at a store or ask a person to work on the holiday. It's a time to spend with our family and friends etc.

Peace be with you,

[Trek420]

Seemed appropriate here. Enjoy;

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3SgVuTSPpWw

[Crankin]

I've seen this before.
Hysterical, and says exactly what I feel.
Oak, I don't think the rant was directed at you. I don't think it was directed at me, either. Like this video says in a very funny way, people just don't understand.

[PamNY]

Funny video.

[malkin]

She's funny!

[PamNY]

History of the Christmas tree:

http://www.history.com/topics/christ...as-trees/print