"Christmas is just for the kids really"

I love Christmas- with the exception of pantomime, even as a child I couldn't stand the annual visit. As an adult the joy of not having to go- it's behind me- oh yes it is!

Most religions are syncretic. That is they promulgate their essential truths by expressing them through forms and ceremonies familiar to their potential followers.

The Roman emperor, Constantine the Great decreed that Jesus' birthday should be celebrated on 25 December because it was very close to the midwinter solstice celebrations that are almost worldwide and these celebrations then became the festivities for celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Constantine would not have known the exact date of Jesus' birth, but he was brought up in the near east and at Petra, in Jordan and possibly elsewhere in the area, there was a religious festival on 25 December to celebrate the birth of a child. Presumably Constantine knew of this and it gave him the idea for Christianising the winter solstice celebrations.

It is not much different from the Queen having an official birthday.

Bluebelle, I think the date of Jesus's birth was nearer to September rather than December, according to some Theologians. We acknowledge but do not celebrate 25th Dec, but I do have grandchildren who love Christmas naturally, and I have to say I do put out a mince pie and glass of milk for Santa, so am not entirely miserable Saggi!

I do think Christmas is for kids, it holds nothing much for me since commercialisation overtook the simple enjoyment of a chance to make and do things together, be it cooking, making decorations/ cards, and keeping everything secret the build up used to be great but now it’s traumatic with the high priced items in shops all starting to vie for attention in August and over priced adverts starting in November so by December it’s so overdone that I just look forward to January
Billybob I spoke to a very religious lady yesterday and asked her if she and her family were looking forward to Christmas I was very surprised when she answered that they didn’t celebrate at all as Dec 25th is not the day Jesus was supposedly born I must admit I d never thought about that ?

Hi Grannyactivist, a community lunch sounds like a really lovely idea. If there was something like that here would be a nice thing to do. Sorry if i sounded grumpy, not usually just hadnt been out for a week after some problems then the snow & ice making walking a bit dodgy!

Yes, yes, yes Jalima1108!
But first of all I’m looking forward to Christmas, in spite of not having a “John Lewis” family!
I wish all of you happiness at Christmas, however you spend it.

January now. I’d Cancel that.
I'd quite like to hibernate in January and/or February - I mean properly hibernate, sleep and use up my stored fat.

Christmas is for everybody who’s NOT a misery.!!

I am a Christian and a churchgoer so Christmas for me has a very special meaning, as for the commercial aspect I find it all totally unnecessary, Christmas is not really about presents, eating, drinking, parties, overspending, etc., it is about celebrating the birth of our Lord.

I enjoyed Christmas when my children were younger but I enjoy it in a different much more relaxed and less stressful way now I feel I have the time to do lots more Christmas things in the run up Carol services Christmas baking things I found i had to fit in whilst dashing about shopping and lots of other chores I love to see my grandchildren on the day but it's lovely to see them go at the end of the day when I put my feet up with a glass of wine and watch Christmas tv undisturbed

I think Christmas is for everyone really. However how you choose to celebrate it or not depends. We all remember our own childhood Christmases and I think that influences how we still view it to a certain extent. As a child I remember things being full of special secrets, people actually making little presents and hiding them, lots of thought went into all presents whether home made or bought .....our expectations then were certainly nothing like they are now and for me Christmas and birthdays were about the only time you received any presents so the excitement really built up. We did not always get what we hoped for but never the less enjoyed ourselves. I think the amount of presents that are given and expected these days is far too much, and some children are completely overwhelmed by it all. Whether you celebrate it as Christmas or Yuletide could be enjoyed much more if things were simplified and less stressful, and I think it would be a step in the right direction to all the frantic spend, spend, spend, attitude that has taken over.

I think Christmas can be enjoyed at different levels.

When you reach your mature years, I love it for a time of slowing down for a few days, enjoying a good meal or two. Enjoying a good book. And if you are very lucky something worth watching on the television. Also the sun is heading back!!
I am not a Christian, but I can appreciate the timeless tradition of the crib and carols for those very few (apparently according to Justin welby) Christians left in this country.

Martin Lewis of the Martin’s Moneyfacts website did a poll recently where participants were asked whether, if they could, they would push a button to cancel Christmas. It was divided between men and women and into age groups. The only two groups where keeping Christmas was more popular than cancelling it were those of men and women who had younger children.

I, of course, would not ban Christmas as I love it:- the lights, the decorations and tree, the food and drinks, buying and wrapping presents, seeing friends and family - these are all wonderful.

January now. I’d Cancel that.

I think that Christmas is for families, not just children. I'm a childless widow and will spend the big day at my sister's (her DH and 2 lads still at home, cat and dog). At some point eldest son will come round with *daughter, stepson and wife - if she isn't working.
As usual I'll abuse my digestive system and if I'm too indulgent I'll burp (or worse) and be the embarrassing auntie. We'll enjoy ourselves.
*no longer believes in Santa.

I love Christmas, always have and always will and I have been fortunate that I have passed this enjoyment down to my children and their children. Christmas is what you choose to make it. If you let all the commercialisation 'get' to you, that is your choice.

Personally, I just ignore it. We had one year when money was tight and Christmas presents came from a charity shop combined with home made ingenuity. Our DC remember it as one of the best Christmases of their childhood. They were unaware of our financial problems and untroubled and incurious that their presents from us were not new. They got things they really wanted and that was all that mattered.

Christmas is what you make it, not what anybody else, or nearly everybody else make it..

enjoy Christmas as a time to get in touch with friends and family by sending cards or phoning. It lovely to catch up with everyone before the New Year comes in. Also to drink a toast to the memory of everyone who has died.

We do hype ourselves up , I remember a woman saying- I am nearly ready, cards posted, most shopping done , need to clean the windows and change the bed linen, no she wasn't having guests .

Oh now that's a great idea. Hope we wouldn't end up making four times the fuss though!

I sometimes think we would appreciate Christmas more if it just came around every four years like the Olympic games!

I am not a religious nutter but I believe Christmas is for celebrating the birth of Christ. So bring on the tree, the gifts and the festive food! Christ's birth is something worth celebrating.

Christmas can be a very miserable time for those who have no loving family to share it with. I used to volunteer with Samaritans, and believe me, we were extra busy over the festive season!
Christmas is not just for children, but they certainly add to the joy of it. Their innocence and simplicity is so heartwarming.
I’m sad to think that rather too many little ones won’t have the luxury of warmth, good food and extra toys this year, so I’m extra appreciative of my family’s good fortune, and proud that they share it with those who have nothing.
I’m not a religious person, but I like to think that ‘Peace on earth, goodwill to all men’ still has some meaning.

I went to a wonderful carol service last week, the only children to be seen - and heard - were in the choir.
Beautiful voices!

I am sure that we would still be celebrating in December even if the birth of Jesus hadn’t happened because it was an ancient festival long before Christianity. There is some debate about when Jesus was born but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t 25th December according to the experts, it was just linked with the ancient Druidic festival for convenience I believe

Christmas is about families which include the children. It's always given me joy to watch small children on Christmas morning. Why shouldn't GPs have their share of pleasure in the companionship of their DC and DGC? Of course the children turn into teenagers who often have their own agenda, but there's still pleasure for all ages in enjoying the Christmas meal together, pulling crackers and putting on funny hats. It isn't all about presents.

I love Christmas, it's definitely not just for children!

As I'm a non-religious person I always think of it as a mid-winter feast, with lots of decoration and festive food. November and December would be hard months without looking forward to Christmas.

However, as an adult, I don't feel the need for loads of presents of which most will end up in the charity shop come January!