What does Christmas mean to you?

Babygirl

I just thought it would be interesting to see how people perceive Christmas and what it means to them. Is it a season of crass commercialism, an incredibly special time of giving when families bond and 'love is all around', or simply an excuse to go out and get pissed an awful lot? What do you think?

Squeee

Don't you see? It is a season for all of these things! If you're easily distracted by shiny, I know I am, it's great. I love cold, dark, winter weather. It's annoyingly expensive and commercial, but that said, if it wasn't for the commercialism of it I probably wouldn't get so much money! It's really endearing the way my parents "let" me drink, as if this is some sort of unusual novelty for me. THE FOOD! Above all else, all I want for Christamas is the munchies.....mmm eating Christmas dinner like that....I just had to reply to this post, it was so very lonely.

stevanavich

christmas is great! free stuff, time off school, though i would prefer it if it involved more of the stereotypical "white christmas"ness. and evil snowmen. i want more evil snowmen, but not in febuary! at christmas! when they should be around. whats with snow in febuary? (well, i always do enjoy snow even at febuary) but still, it should come at christmas, when we have time to enjoy it. but anyhoo, christmas is a fun time for me, its great. also, as an added bonus, its the time of year that those annoying stabbing hobos die off, leaving a space of about a few weeks before the new year's breed to swarm into dublin, nyarr. i did waffle too much

Havelock

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Charity

Click here for more info (And a warm fuzzy feeling of goodness)

Spenguin

ooo, I love christmas! Its the time of year when you feel most loved by everyone. And you know that feeling when you buy yourself something, and you feel really happy because you have something brand new? It's like, twenty times as good as that feeling on christmas morning. I like the presents, and the food, but I like how everyone is in such a good mood and no one argues and its just great the most. I also love all the cheesy christmassy movies that go on tv about this time. They remind me of good times. Aww, now i feel like hugging everyone.

theymademedoit

ahh yes, christmas time. mistletoe. and wine. (oh god, someone stop/kill/slap me now...)

anyway, i think that christmas is all good. it can be horrible for some people, but thankfully, its great for me. i always get too may presents though. im gonna try and give some away this year. anyone want some stuff after xmas? maybe not...

ll=llannah

shiny things?! whee!

i like having trees inside. and i like candy canes cause they're all stripey and hypnotising and minty.
and yeah i guess i like all the present stuff as well.
eggnog is nasty, though.

theymademedoit

i aint never had eggnog. dont sound too good. why havent you been sending me the weekly alias report hannah ?

vikki

i am one of those wierd people who doest really like christmas all that much! I percieve it as a shallow affair where people give presents in anticipation of recieving a gift! i was horrified last week when a friend of mine said she would dispose of a gift if it was "too cheap" i thought that it was a shallow and disrespectful... after all a gift is given as a token of love/gratitude or whatever. I dislike christmas because it is commercialised and i dont care about presents or decorations! and i dont expect anyone to agree with me

Vikki*

Aliminator

sshhhh vikki. commercialism is good. for those of us who will work this holiday (every day) we'll get **** loads of money.

Squeee

That is one crappy thing about Christmas though. You end up feeling like you have to get something for people and so you might end up getting them comething they would like, but you might just end up giving them crap. Same goes for Birthdays. I'd much prefer it if people didn't feel obligated to give presents on these occassions, I'd prefer only to get someone a present if I saw something and thought "Oh wow! so-and-so would love that!" That way people wouldn't waste (and I do mean waste) so much money on commercialism and people wouldn't have to pretend to be thrilled and end up throwing stuff out. On the other hand, I have 5 more fingers (I'm so very sorry). No, on the other hand you'd get bums contantly pointing things out every day of the god-damned year and expecting people to just buy it for them. But still, whatever it is that I was saying, Christmas is a really cute holiday. Every year "Home Alone" is played which is something I have to watch every year for last years' sake. It's not Christmas without Kevin and his Macaroni and Cheese dinner, which he never even got to taste.. (I think that what it was)
"....and I washed in between my toes and in my bellie-button, which I sort-of enjoyed....<slap, slap> ARRRRRRRRGH!"

tibilt

christmas used to be a time of magic. now the magic has been taken away. remember santa?

the_only_Ali

Yeah, Christmas was ruined when I found out Santa wasn't real. Its taken me several years to get over the shock but I think I'm ok now... just about. I had to pretend for ages though coz I have a little sister. I love Christmas because people aren't as cynical around this time. You can buy things for people and give things to people (and get things) and even though its commercialized it hasn't been ruined quite yet. Today I spent 2 and a half hours standing on Dawsons Street bawling out christmas carols for the Barretstown Gang with a load of girls from my school who I never really talk to. It was really quite fun. I got to bawl out songhs that I don't know in the middle of the street which is generally frowned upon, and I got to help terminally ill children, and I got to spend time with friends, all at the same time. But that whole snow in February thing does annoy me. But I'm trying my hardest to stay in the spirit because I dont want to be one of those people who hates things because other people like them. Wow. That all makes so little sense.

Spenguin

Santa isn't real?

tibilt

he's as real as you want him to be spenguin. but it's not much use him being real if your stealing his presents now is it?

s0l

Christmas for me means shouting, family arguments, akward moments and old people who aren't related ot me.

s0l

Oops.

tibilt

true for a lot of us i imagine. where did the tree's come from?

ll=llannah

do you mean the tradition of having trees inside?

/is ready to start pre-christian winter solstice spiel

ll=llannah

i kind of like seeing all of my relatives. its interesting to see what ecclectic combonation i am of so many different people, and to think about all the infinite other combinations i could have been.

and i want to know santa. and buy some of his elves. i want the elves. nevermind he isn't real to other people. i think he's damned cool. i mean, how can you doubt the existence of a jolly man clad in red velvet who always eats cookies and is generous and has a freaking toy factory? i mean, come on people, dwell in possibility.

Zukustious

The most christmassy thing in my life, would have to be the muppet Christmas Carrol. It's got Michael Caine, and Kermit the frog, and gonzo the... blue thing, and fozzie bear, and rizzo the rat, and the ghost of christmas present and past, and the scary one of the future. There's also christmas penguins, tiny tim, christmas snow, christmas muppet homeless people in the streets while Scrooge goes around with all his money and cane.

I've watched that movie every christmas for the last 12 years! Even though Home Alone is a christmassy movie, it's not the right one to me because the one christmas movie that actually is the essence of christmas to me is The Muppet Christmas Carrol. I'm aware I sound like an ad here, but I think everyone needs to see that movie. GO MUPPETS!

Havelock

My Christmas movies, would be the Muppets Christmas Carol (because the Muppets Rock!) and The Great Escape.

Spenguin

Yeah, the muppet christmas carol is the chrismas movie to see, but when I was more small than I am now, it was tied with miracle on 34th street and home alone, and i'll think of more later. YAY!! Oh, my christmas exams are soon. They're like the punishment for having so much joy on christmas. The way I see it, I'm one of the people who appreciate christmas most. I mean sure, you guys like the love, trees warmth, movies and food, whereas I love all those and more! Like the presents and... commercialism... and the food... and stuff.

Happy CTYI guy

What about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Havelock

Is it just me, or is there some weird and wacky stuff in the Tunnelin that film. (Like giant spiders, women covered in gore etc)

Happy CTYI guy

No, there was definitely some screwed up stuff. The people in the boat were freaked out for a reason.

Spenguin

Charlie and the chocolate factory wasn't that christmassy, it had its moments but not really. it was more about poor people who like to eat chocolate. And willie wonka. Now what was it that I came here to say... oh yeah. No wait... umm, well christmas songs are great, especially all the ones they made in the eighties to the nineties like the ones by wizard and bob geldof and those other bands. Aww, I love christmas.

tibilt

oh but charlie and the chocolate factory is one of those movies you associate with being on around christmas when you've got your entire movie-watching calender planned out in the rte guide

mr_bojangles

its means diddlysquat to anyone: its just an excuse for mr.corporate to squeeze yet more money from the common man

tibilt

although its true that christmas is commercialism to the extreme, i think it unfair to say it means nothing to anyone. the magic of christmas is an important part of the childhood of anyone exposed to it. christmas as a child is about the only time of our lives that happiness is a pre-requisite.

oq4v3ht0u76kf2

Christmas is there to let everyone take things easy for six weeks or so. Y'see, as soon as December begins people can legitimately put off "big" jobs like putting up some shelves or whatever until "after Christmas". This post Christmas timezone is some black hole where countless jobs get put into never to be heard of again. It is also there to allow us all to indulge a little because after all, w'll be giving up in the new year!

If this sounds cynical, it's not meant to be - I love Christmas, everything from the general happiness of folk to the giving / recieving of oral se... ahem... presents. Christmas is my favourite time of year because it is in winter (the best season). Cold = good, happiness = good.

Seriously though, people all over Ireland, from single mothers to low income families are going to be worried to death over the next few weeks about bills and stuff so if you are shopping for presents or whatever, try and find some way to make someone else's Christmas better (the Santa Strike Force being a prime example). Give some money to charity, drop presents into less well off neighbours... whatever. I can't bear people to be unhappy at Christmas.

Merry Christmas and here's hoping to a happy New Year for you and your loved ones,
Bob.