One keeps it for ones parents !

No - you celebrate yuletide which was around long before Christmas - the Xians hi jacked Yule and made it their own

Yep.  It's a good excuse to get all the outlaws together under one roof; wine and dine them, earn a few gold stars and send them on their way.

I don't know how to celebrate yuletide. Did they have yuletide trees and some crazy pagan santa dude?

WTF I just refreshed this page and it took me to another site:  'Shagaholic.com hot flirting chatline'.....how the bliddy hell did that happen

  Yeah, you say that but...............

I refreshed and landed here.

Christmas to me is about the whole family getting together. This one is gonna be hard for me but lots of kids will take my mind off things 

I often work Christmas and New Years eve (shift worker for a 24/7 365 company) 

Kind of lost its magic for me over the years (and especially not looking forward to this year since losing my Mum at the beginning of the year)

Plan to spend Christmas with my Dad.

(saves shagaholic.com to favourites)

Honest m'lord

Cags

Same. My dad in May. 

I know people talk about the true meaning of Christmas but for me it's about the family getting together, spoiling my kids and having a good time. 

to you both.  It's good to be with people you love.

I'm an atheist, and I always feel a bit hypocritical for observing Christmas customs, becaue I DO have respect for other people's religions.  I think the real meaning of Christmas has been lost over the years, and it is now just an excuse for an obscene indulgence in gluttony and excess, with people trying to outdo each other with how much they spend on unnecessary presents for their children.  


I really loathe the way Christmas has become so over commercialised now and it never ceases to amaze me how people start the build up so early.  I don't understand the need for shops to start selling Christmas things in September or October, and would love to see all mention of the C word banned until at least mid December. 


It also saddens me that so many people are completely insensitive towards the feelings of others who are alone over Christmas, do not celebrate Christmas, or do not share their passion for overindulgence.  It can be a very, very lonely and sad time of year for many people.

SB

I tend to agree with growly. It's a difficult balancing act though.

The same could be said for Valentines day, Mothers day, Fathers day etc. I can't speak for everyone but having family spread all over the place I love the chance for us all to get together and Christmas is usually the only time everyone has time off work to do that in my family.

i know how it feels , i have lost a lot of loved ones , to me xmas is a sad time but i put a face on  , i hate it really , now my grandson is nearly 3 i thought i might look forward............ but i cant get that motivation, but my boiler has just burst and flooded my neighbours and their ceiling is bursrt wide ...... i feel terrible  knowing i'm  the cause of making that worse for them , i just feel terrible for them , but at the same time i want to cheer myself up 

Many thanks Super.

I can relate to that.
Apart from joining in with the forum Christmas name change, I don't 'do' Christmas until we're well into December.

That said, we are a widely spread family and I seem to be the one who can manage to get us all under one roof together.  I keep it simple purely because of the numbers involved, but it's the one time of the year when we do all guarantee to get together.
 
As an old git living with an older git, we're lucky that we have both sets of parents alive and well and in pretty good health.  We do it for their sakes;  a chance to see their kids and grandkids etc.

And besides, I'm the only one who can cook a decent turkey...!

That's not your fault 

Why not invite them to yours for Xmas? I know it doesn't replace what they've had damaged but it's a good gesture. What ceiling was it? Kitchen, living room?

My sincere sympathies to those who have recently lost loved ones and have to put a brave face on for xmas. This isn't really a bah humbug thread. Personally I am in fact that same hypothetical hypocritical atheist who will be celebrating xmas this year with someone I love very much so I probably shouldn't have even started the thread it just always seemed odd to me that people who don't subscribe to any religion join in the whole xmas shebang without ever thinking about what it really represents.

I shall sit at the back of the class with a pointy hat with a great big D written on it

It's an accident. 
Christmas will arrive no matter what chaos comes along to try and trip you up.
Spend it with your lovely grandson.  I'm sure he'd love his doting nanna to be there to watch him enjoy the fun. xxx

 

I am sure your neighbours will not blame you.

Yes I agree to an extent, but none of these days are given anything like the same prominence as Christmas Day, adn there is nothing like the same build up. 


I always feel such relief when it's finally New Year's Day, and the whole thing is over for another year.  Or should that be another nine months until the hysteria starts to build up again.

I will also be wearing the pointy hat!

but they  dont like me at the mo ............. at all

I do hope these pointy hats are a festive red colour...............

I will be too, but I always feel full of bah humbug because I loathe Christmas so much.  Although I'm not religious, I do have great respect for other people's religious beliefs, and I don't like feeling that I'm being hypocritical by following some Christmas traditions.

I won't tell anyone about you if you don't tell anyone about me 

It's the same as everything in life Prom. Some agree some don't. I won't apologise for celebrating Christmas the way I do but then I don't expect anyone to apologise for celebrating the true meaning of it either. 

I think losing a loved one has only made me want to make an extra special effort this year. Not for my sake but for my mums. So if it's superduper over indulgent then that's the way it's gonna be. From my point of view it's an opportunity to take my mind off things and get engrossed in something.

I still stand by what I said earlier though. It's one time of the year that most people get time off and therefore can spend time together

Probably because Valentines, Fathers day, Mothers day etc have a limited market. Fathers day this year was a few weeks after my dad died. I didn't celebrate it. Every other year I spoiled him. Christmas is for everyone....it's not limited to couples, mothers, fathers etc.

Aww, Growly, you don't have to follow the herd or succumb to the hype.
I think most people set their own 'traditions', and as long as everyone included in that is happy, then that's all that matters.

I think people in this country need to stop worrying about what other people are doing. All I see or hear is about what other people are doing or thinking. I know we have to be accommodating to everyone but it doesn't mean that our lives have to stop in the process. If it's life threatening then yeah....speak up but if it's just that you don't like it then to be quite blunt.....shut up. 

I do feel for those who hate xmas and they all have genuine reasons for not liking it at all but sometimes I feel everytime I get excited about it somoene bah humbugs it and I feel bad for being excited at a time when other people are full of dread.

But Xmas for me is simply about my kdis.....spoiling them and joining their excitement on xmas eve and then their wee faces on xmas morning is why I go all out and make it such a big day.  I suppose when they have grown up it will be a different story but until then...

I never said I didn't like it. I'm a bit confused as to why people who don't should just shut up though 

I had a big reply typed there. Lost it  I'll tell you why....IMO. 

They become preachy. Holier than thou as if those who don't accept that it's the birthday of Christ (allegedly) should never even utter the word. It makes me laugh actually