Suzukiron
15-12-2004, 07:58 PM
Christmas Rant………..
Yup hot on the heels of my birthday non-rant, comes this…..So you know the drill by now, but just incase you don’t…Engage sense of humour, Sarcasm mode to maximum, Cynicism to the extreme…
Party hats on, roast yer chestnuts if you want, and take a drink in hand (Non alcoholic please if yer gonna be driving…be safe) We shall now begin……..Brace yer self’s……..
In the beginning, In the very beginning there was a pagan festival, celebrating the winter solstice, In these lands anyway. Through time this was taken over by the Christian religions, and became known as Christmas, and it remained like this for 100’s even a 1000 years, until in the 20th century it was taken over by the greatest god of all…commercialisation. What was a holy holiday, infact the origin of the word holiday is surely obvious to all it was a Holyday, a day when you did not go to work, you went to church, worshipped your God and spent time with your family. And it was just one day, not a bloody month (if yer lucky!)
Now, well to state the obvious, we have substituted shopkeepers for priests and ministers, and shopping malls for churches (I feckin hate the Americanisation of everything but that’s what they are! And I will have a rant on this in the New Year!)
What was a celebration of a child’s birth, and now you can correct me if I am wrong here, but even the longest labour only takes a day…maybe two, god help yea woman, has now become a 3 to 4 month commercial wind up. Imagine celebrating the birth of your own child in this manner…decorating your house inside and out 3 months before the actual arrival with lights n tinsel n all manner of gaudy tack?
Just seems daft to me, and inappropriate. I think even the most fervent Evangelists would have to agree that the decorations draped over homes nowadays have absolutely no relevance to the birth of a child and the Christian festival dedicated to celebrating the event.
Most of the symbolism we use at Christmas can trace its origins to pagan times, Santa or Saint Nicholas, or what ever you want to call him existed in one guise or another since the days of the Herne the Hunter. Kissing under the mistletoe, is a pagan tradition, n one I have to say I am very fond of !!. The Christmas tree is of course a Victorian invention, and indeed that’s where the rot set in to this holiday in my mind anyway.
What other religion advertises its festivals and holidays in such a manner 3 months before the event?? Non that I’m aware of. Most save the celebrations and fireworks for the actual day of celebration…and in some case’s at the most a week…NOT bloody 3 months! Now if I was a Muslim or a Hindu, or any other religion, there’s no doubt I would find these displays highly offensive.
I watched this year, because lets say I have had an eye opening time, and I have become more aware of what is going on around me, and believe it or not the first Christmas stock was in the shops in August! Selection box’s and Annuals were the first, then at the end of September the first specific “Christmas shops” appeared selling cheap tat n tacky decorations…ffs give us a break…The scary thing is there’s 2 of these shops on the high street where I live, n they were both jam packed with women back in October!
I would like to point out at this stage, I am not anti Christmas, more I guess anti commercialisation. I have in the past done the “Bah humbug thing” but this year I’m gonna be spending Christmas and Boxing Day surrounded by friends. And I am really looking forward to it, I’m gonna enjoy the time I have, like never before. The gripe I have if you can call it that is with the commercialisation of the whole thing. I’m old enough to remember my dad going for the Christmas tree, now non of this happened till about this time (a week before Christmas) and that’s when the excitement started to build.
We used to pick holly and mistletoe, in the hedgerows and orchards, we made decorations, and table centrepieces from fir cones picked up in the forest. Good old Blue Peter eh…I guess most remember the things that they made. How many houses now have home made or natural decorations? Not many, It seems like you have to be seen to have spent lots of money, and to my mind that’s wrong, and it takes away from the spirit of the occasion. And it makes it harder and harder for those that don’t have the disposable income available to celebrate. They feel they are letting there family down, they feel like they have nothing to celebrate because the true spirit of the occasion has been lost long ago to the shopkeepers, and the TV and advertising executives..
Now people have their decorations up in mid November, and not just in the inside of their houses! You know what’s coming next don’t yah…..Yes we have jumped on the Americanisation of the UK again with the decorating of the outside of our homes…and I hate to say folks, it’s as tacky as hell. This has only really caught on in the past 10/15 years…ummmm. I think satellite TV has a lot to answer for! Again the Americanisation of the globe is evident all around us thanks to the one eyed god / babysitter in the corner…..Gee thanks Uncle Sam!!…(I know I ride an American bike, n I would love a Hummer but what the hell they gotta have some good ideas, n I’m sure they were probably created by engineers of Scots dissent, so get of my case…no ones perfect!). :D :cool:
While on this thread I have noticed that, the poorer the areas, the more external decorations there are on the houses. Its as if the people there are trying to say “look I’m not poor I can afford to spend a fortune on electricity n tacky crap to cover my home” sorry your not conning anyone except yourselves. And you are highlighting the burned out cars and crack den across the road, with your gaudy display.
I like looking at the town centres lit up at night, its bright n festive, even these weren’t lit till the last weekend in November, which is still to early in my book. And remember folks, its you that’s paying for this display, and the electricity to power it with your council tax donations!
Here’s another question, how many of these people that decorate their houses in this gaudy, over the top manner actually bother to go to church at Christmas? I can speculate, and the number is not very big in my opinion (try zero!!) :rolleyes:
Ok I’m a cynical, sarcastic old git, I admit it, apparently its part of my charm. I can’t help the way I have turned out, life’s made me like this..so all I have left to say is
Merry Christmas everybody (or whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year!!) And a bountiful New Year!
Be happy, enjoy the feast,
Dance and make merry
Yo Bloody ho ho…
Later Days
Ron……..
Yup hot on the heels of my birthday non-rant, comes this…..So you know the drill by now, but just incase you don’t…Engage sense of humour, Sarcasm mode to maximum, Cynicism to the extreme…
Party hats on, roast yer chestnuts if you want, and take a drink in hand (Non alcoholic please if yer gonna be driving…be safe) We shall now begin……..Brace yer self’s……..
In the beginning, In the very beginning there was a pagan festival, celebrating the winter solstice, In these lands anyway. Through time this was taken over by the Christian religions, and became known as Christmas, and it remained like this for 100’s even a 1000 years, until in the 20th century it was taken over by the greatest god of all…commercialisation. What was a holy holiday, infact the origin of the word holiday is surely obvious to all it was a Holyday, a day when you did not go to work, you went to church, worshipped your God and spent time with your family. And it was just one day, not a bloody month (if yer lucky!)
Now, well to state the obvious, we have substituted shopkeepers for priests and ministers, and shopping malls for churches (I feckin hate the Americanisation of everything but that’s what they are! And I will have a rant on this in the New Year!)
What was a celebration of a child’s birth, and now you can correct me if I am wrong here, but even the longest labour only takes a day…maybe two, god help yea woman, has now become a 3 to 4 month commercial wind up. Imagine celebrating the birth of your own child in this manner…decorating your house inside and out 3 months before the actual arrival with lights n tinsel n all manner of gaudy tack?
Just seems daft to me, and inappropriate. I think even the most fervent Evangelists would have to agree that the decorations draped over homes nowadays have absolutely no relevance to the birth of a child and the Christian festival dedicated to celebrating the event.
Most of the symbolism we use at Christmas can trace its origins to pagan times, Santa or Saint Nicholas, or what ever you want to call him existed in one guise or another since the days of the Herne the Hunter. Kissing under the mistletoe, is a pagan tradition, n one I have to say I am very fond of !!. The Christmas tree is of course a Victorian invention, and indeed that’s where the rot set in to this holiday in my mind anyway.
What other religion advertises its festivals and holidays in such a manner 3 months before the event?? Non that I’m aware of. Most save the celebrations and fireworks for the actual day of celebration…and in some case’s at the most a week…NOT bloody 3 months! Now if I was a Muslim or a Hindu, or any other religion, there’s no doubt I would find these displays highly offensive.
I watched this year, because lets say I have had an eye opening time, and I have become more aware of what is going on around me, and believe it or not the first Christmas stock was in the shops in August! Selection box’s and Annuals were the first, then at the end of September the first specific “Christmas shops” appeared selling cheap tat n tacky decorations…ffs give us a break…The scary thing is there’s 2 of these shops on the high street where I live, n they were both jam packed with women back in October!
I would like to point out at this stage, I am not anti Christmas, more I guess anti commercialisation. I have in the past done the “Bah humbug thing” but this year I’m gonna be spending Christmas and Boxing Day surrounded by friends. And I am really looking forward to it, I’m gonna enjoy the time I have, like never before. The gripe I have if you can call it that is with the commercialisation of the whole thing. I’m old enough to remember my dad going for the Christmas tree, now non of this happened till about this time (a week before Christmas) and that’s when the excitement started to build.
We used to pick holly and mistletoe, in the hedgerows and orchards, we made decorations, and table centrepieces from fir cones picked up in the forest. Good old Blue Peter eh…I guess most remember the things that they made. How many houses now have home made or natural decorations? Not many, It seems like you have to be seen to have spent lots of money, and to my mind that’s wrong, and it takes away from the spirit of the occasion. And it makes it harder and harder for those that don’t have the disposable income available to celebrate. They feel they are letting there family down, they feel like they have nothing to celebrate because the true spirit of the occasion has been lost long ago to the shopkeepers, and the TV and advertising executives..
Now people have their decorations up in mid November, and not just in the inside of their houses! You know what’s coming next don’t yah…..Yes we have jumped on the Americanisation of the UK again with the decorating of the outside of our homes…and I hate to say folks, it’s as tacky as hell. This has only really caught on in the past 10/15 years…ummmm. I think satellite TV has a lot to answer for! Again the Americanisation of the globe is evident all around us thanks to the one eyed god / babysitter in the corner…..Gee thanks Uncle Sam!!…(I know I ride an American bike, n I would love a Hummer but what the hell they gotta have some good ideas, n I’m sure they were probably created by engineers of Scots dissent, so get of my case…no ones perfect!). :D :cool:
While on this thread I have noticed that, the poorer the areas, the more external decorations there are on the houses. Its as if the people there are trying to say “look I’m not poor I can afford to spend a fortune on electricity n tacky crap to cover my home” sorry your not conning anyone except yourselves. And you are highlighting the burned out cars and crack den across the road, with your gaudy display.
I like looking at the town centres lit up at night, its bright n festive, even these weren’t lit till the last weekend in November, which is still to early in my book. And remember folks, its you that’s paying for this display, and the electricity to power it with your council tax donations!
Here’s another question, how many of these people that decorate their houses in this gaudy, over the top manner actually bother to go to church at Christmas? I can speculate, and the number is not very big in my opinion (try zero!!) :rolleyes:
Ok I’m a cynical, sarcastic old git, I admit it, apparently its part of my charm. I can’t help the way I have turned out, life’s made me like this..so all I have left to say is
Merry Christmas everybody (or whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year!!) And a bountiful New Year!
Be happy, enjoy the feast,
Dance and make merry
Yo Bloody ho ho…
Later Days
Ron……..