Are we seeing the demise of Christmas?

I was going to say, isn't that old news about the Red Cross? They were selling cards with 'Season's Greetings' on them at one time but I have had a couple of Red Cross ones this year which have the message 'Merry Christmas' inside.

Well, you're certainly clutching at straws!

The first article's dated 10th March 2012 and the second one's from 2002...

Couldn't you find any more recent evidence?

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9136191/Christians-have-no-right-to-wear-cross-at-work-says-Government.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1416814/Church-attacks-Red-Cross-for-banning-Christmas-in-its-shops.html

Just making a point. I don't make things up.

Wow you're really labourers a point Yorkshiregal I m sure you can get anything if you look hard enough but we were all talking about mainstream cards /wishes etc judging by all the posts on here you are in a minority of maybe two maybe one You are looking very hard to make a point that doesn't need making, enjoy you're life in whatever way you want but don't be provocative about our native customs I never actually met anyone from any other walk of life who is trying to change our ways, everyone I ve met has been happy to fit in and enjoy their own and our customs
Live and love, Happy Christmas

Good post Monica

A festival close to the winter solstice has been celebrated, quite literally, from time immemorial. At a time when humanity was entirely dependent on the seasonal cycle for every item of life and with no understanding of the science, the disappearance of the sun and its life-giving properties and then its return was not a certainty and a celebration that was both a welcoming and a celebration of return makes absolute sense. The mid winter celebration was symbolic then remains so.

Why do christians celebrate the birth of Christ on 25th December? For the same reason that our pre-historic ancestors celebrated the return of the sun. It commemorates that when the world was in the darkness of ignorance of God and his goodness, a child was born in the humblest of circumstances to bring light and the promise of a new spring to the world. Not everyone shares that religious belief but its symbolic rationale is obvious.

You do not need to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas. I spent part of my childhood in south east Asia and in all the countries we lived in we joyously celebrated everybody's festivals. Chinese New Year, Diwali, Christmas, all the Muslim festivals, that had different names in different countries, were all celebrated by Christian, Hindu, Muslim and every other religion. I loved it.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/12/24/we-need-to-believe/

Looks like you can get them at Amazon too:

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_gnr_fkmr0?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awinterfest&keywords=winterfest&ie=UTF8&qid=1482572135

Just found this on Google:

Rebranding Christmas: More public bodies are refusing to give festival ...
www.independent.co.uk › News › UK › Home News

13 Dec 2014 - Have yourself a merry little Winterfest. ... A survey of festive cards sent out by local authorities across Britain found only one ... Nearly half of the cards ignored Christmas, preferring phrases such as Season's Greetings or Happy Holidays. ... Some people end up in court, but others find surprising answers.

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Paddy you can even get cards now with 'Happy Holiday' written on them, I saw some yesterday in town.

I don't understand why people who are not Christians get the Christmas/Easter holidays off. We do not get Ramadan off do we? Or the Jewish holiday hannukka for example. There are others:

Sukkot October 17-23, 2016

Shemini Atzeret October 24, 2016; October 12, 2017

Simkhat Torah October 25, 2016; October 13, 2017

Chanukah Dec. 25, 2016 - Jan.1, 2017; December 13-20, 2017

Wouldn't it be great if everyone could celebrate everyone else' holidays!

Will never happen of course.

'If you are not a Christian what exactly are you celebrating at Christmas then? Same for Easter - I don't understand why you would celebrate something you don't believe in. Find your own celebrations.'

Hooty McOwlface said this, and then disappeared. Hence saying that they were our celebrations first, Annie, which they were. As everyone knows, nowhere near the birth of Christ.
Why do Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on 25th December? Seems daft to me.

It is Jalima ,I benefit from it ,it's gentle, calming and relaxing

just googled it, it sounds lovely

is Shistu a dog?

or Shitzu?

Gosh, Shiatsu sounds energetic

Oops, meant Shiatsu

My Shistsu practicioner is Pagan, I enjoy their spring festival, like tying ribbons to the trees which grow around a well just outside town

Surely the exact date of any old traditions doesn't matter, it's the celebration (or not) of it that matters.

Someone may be interested:
biblelight.net/sukkoth.htm

it probably works out to September as mentioned many times

But - is anyone interested in changing it?

Well, if they weren't sure of the exact date anyway, they might as well pick on one that pagans were celebrating anyway, in the depths of the miserable winter and to cheer everyone up.

Easter too.

The Annunciation is supposedly 6 months after the conception of John the Baptist so if we know the date of his birth it can be worked out by scholars but not by me this evening.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7aivTkmH8g

Happy Holiday!

That is the title of the song, not my wish to you

Maggiemaybe I bought a couple of tea towels two years ago and one says 'Happy Holidays'; the other has a picture of Father Christmas on it and the Christmas tree pot is sitting on that one. The Happy Holidays one is in the drawer, relegated to wiping the pots.

Oh dear, did I miss a post by a pagan, have been out a lot; no, our neighbours had a Winter Solstice party one year, I don't know if they are pagan or not but they are very nice normal people who are very in tune with nature and the environment.

As I thought Jalima, so the claim by the poster who is pagan that they were told to find
Their own festivals is wrong , in my opinion

So the winter solstice is not on 21st December , it on the 25th December ?

Perhaps they celebrated from about the 20th December until the 1st January and the Christians chose a date in the middle.

Ah, googled Saturnalia:
Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival in honour of deity Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. although I also read that it concluded on the 25th.

Yuletide (Germanic) is 21st December and feasting was around then.
And 25th December:
It was the birthday of pagan sun gods including Nimrod, Tammuz and Mithra. Further, the Roman church, to attract the pagans into their fold, embraced December 25, in 350, as the date of birth of the Son of God, as a counterfeit to the birthday of the aforementioned sun gods worshipped by the pagans.

Something to cheer up ancient peoples in the dark months of winter.

So the winter solstice is not on 21st December , it on the 25th December ?