Tis the season to be jolly....yeah whatever! (From The Argus)
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Tis the season to be jolly....yeah whatever!
6:02pm Monday 18th January 2010
By Steve Davies - Hovite with a bite »
I spend Christmas and New Year just like I always do - on my own.
Not deliberately, I just don't really make any plans. This is my choice, and I resent the fact that people seem to think that this is rather strange, almost like I am doing it to deliberately feel sorry for myself or to gain the sympathy vote! No!
Why is it strange to just want to do my own thing and let Christmas pass me by?
Well, I will explain. For a start, I am not a Christian, I'm a 'nothing', so why should I celebrate/recognise Christmas any more than I should Eid, or Hannuka, or Ramadam?
A Muslim wouldn't observe Christmas, neither would a Jew, so why should a non-Christian? Ok, we are a traditionally and culturally a Christian country, but how many of us celebrate and recognise Easter and Lent? (and I don't mean by eating chocolate eggs!).
For all those of you who do celebrate Christmas and don't believe in 'God', or those who are not 'practicing Christians', the very fact that you celebrate Christmas is surely an act of pure hypocrisy?
How many Western 'Christian' expats living in Dubai celebrate that country's Islamic traditions? Probably none. Why? - because they do not follow the Islamic faith, in the same way that I do not follow the Christian faith.
Christmas to me is a Christian festival and holiday that has no place in my life or mind-set. I see it as 'something that Christians celebrate' in the same way as I would any other religious festival whether it be Islamic, Jewish, or Hindu, in whichever country I may be living in at the time. The only thing I look forward to is having the time off work to sleep, rest, catch up on DVD box sets, deep clean my flat, be creative, write, ponder, contemplate, etc. I find the mass hysteria of people traipsing round town centres buying as many presents as possible irritating, uncouth, and somewhat worrying, especially when you consider how much debt many lesser-well-off parents are getting themselves into with their high interest sub-prime credit cards, just for the sake of keeping their kids happier than next door's.
Since entering adulthood (whenever that is could be the subject of another blog!) I haven't had any real interest in Christmas, its culture, or traditions. Granted, I enjoy the mince pies and the telly (anyone see Doctor Who and EastEnders? Wow!), but apart from that I don't give it a second thought. It is just another public holiday to me, no different to any other. I don't feel the need to have a special dinner to mark the occasion (dry Turkey, naff coloured paper hats, crackers, party poppers-yawn, yawn - what a cliché), sing carols, write Christmas cards, etc etc etc. The whole event is jaded, tiresome, and pointless (unless of course you are observing Christmas for religious reasons).
And why the obsession with getting together as a fahhhmily? Why succumb to highly inflated rail and plane fares, suffer delays, fight over getting time off from work, etc etc.Why does everyone feel that they HAVE to simply HAVE to be with their family on one particular day or period of the year? Why not go and spend time with your family at another time of the year? What is so special about struggling to fit it all in on the 25th December?
And as for New Year, what is the point? No seriously, what is the point? So it's the end of one calender year and the start of the next. SO WHAT? Why on earth anyone would want to endure standing around in the bitter cold, dodging the hoards of drunken revelers, paying £15 to get into your usually-free/to/get in bar/club etc? Get a life! I spent New Year as it should be, with a take away and a good film, with a quick look-in at midnight to laugh at all the shivering people standing on the Thames Embankment, thanking my warm totes-toasties that I wasn't there with them. For me, New Year is a time for quiet reflection on the previous year's achievements, failings, trials, and tribulations, and to establish my aims for the coming year. It is not for me to go out and get blind drunk whilst listening to banal chatter from equally-as-drunk compatriots.
I am not a man of great sentiment or tradition, and I baulk in the face of societal conformity and expectation (with the odd exception), with Christmas and New Year currently at the top of my list of things to send to Room 101. I'm thinking Facebook campaign. Mmm, what do you think?
Christmas and New Year? As our favourite 'Nan' would say...”what a load of old s***e!!”, but if you want to buy me a present...
Comments(4)
anubis
says...
8:53pm Tue 19 Jan 10
So you imagine people might be interested to know 'you don't celebrate Xmas' ... because you're 'not a Christian'. The festival that is celebrated by 95% of the people in this country has nothing to do with Christianity. For at least four centuries following the alleged birth of the mythical Jesus, the early church did NOT celebrate the 'birth of Christ' (in fact, those committed to literal guidance from the 'Bible' recognized 'birth dates' were NOT to be celebrated); anyway, nobody claimed to know when he was born, certainly NOT in December if you follow the seasonal clues in the nativity narratives. The date was suggested by the Roman emperor Constantine ... he chose the winter solstice, simply because that was the time when numerous older religions celebrated the 'birth of the sun god' (images of Jesus today often have a 'halo' around the head, symbol of the sun god!). The 'celebrations' of today are much more recent -- Xmas trees, giving presents etc., etc were imported from Germany just a couple of centuries ago. And THESE are the events that 95% of people associate with 'celebrating Xmas' -- events in which YOU ALSO participate (crunching mince pies and watching the special programmes on TV) -- so your nonsensical reportage demonstrates that its YOU (not the Christians!) who is the true hypocrite!
That it all passes you by indicates only you have yet to 'have a family' ... if the day comes that like most healthy individual you DO have kids in the home, you'll soon find it a terrible crime if your offspring are denied all the glamour of the parties, bright lights and the visits to Father Christmas --- THIS IS WHAT XMAS IS ALL ABOUT for the masses of people. Indeed, poor you if a sarcastic gloating before a TV is all you can imagine a New Year celebration is about. (Mind you, even here you belie your own words; after all, like everyone else, you 'reflect on the past year' -- possibly unconsciously realizing you've done nothing positive for anybody but yourself!)
So you feel the need to avoid the 'banal chatter'. Re-read what you have written, Steve -- take a look in the mirror and see what is looking at you!
Mister T
says...
3:54pm Wed 20 Jan 10
sdavies
says...
4:30pm Wed 20 Jan 10
Regarding the subject of my blog, I was simply pointing out how Christmas has become somewhat superficial and commercialised, and the sympathy that I feel for people who feel pressurised to get into mountains of debt, just to 'conform to the norm'.
I have no problem with other people celebrating Christmas/New Year, and I'm happy for you that you evidently enjoy the festive period. Just don't diss people like me who are happy not to want anything to do with it.
Happy New Year!
Steve
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Steve lives in Hove and plans to write about local and national issues, The blog will be written from his own right-leaning point of view as a direct contrast to the typical Brighton 'Guardian reader, bohemian, left-leaning' viewpoint that is so prevalent on a lot of the other blogs. He hopes his blog will fire up fierce debate and comments!
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andyboy999 says...
3:48pm Tue 19 Jan 10