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Why I don't say "Merry Christmas"

  • Thread starter angellous_evangellous
  • Start date
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Christmas is not a Christian holiday. There's nothing Christian about it, and pretending that there is makes me just a little sick. The association of Christ with Christmas prostitutes his Name out to retailers, corporate greed, and the general frustration, depression, and exhaustion of the holiday season.

I guess it's even worse when nativity scenes are paraded beside Christmas trees.

I'm not a purist, imagining that anything "Christian" is not "pagan" in its origin or current expression. I am honest, or at least try to be. The association with Christ and Christmas unites to completely opposite concepts.

Let's have Christmas and let's have Christ - but never shall the two meet. Ever.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Nah, this is nothing new. I've been going with Happy Holidays for at least 5 years or so, and I do go with Merry Christmas on Christmas Eve / Day with family.
 
Storm

Storm

ThrUU the Looking Glass
angellous_evangellous said:
Christmas is not a Christian holiday. There's nothing Christian about it, and pretending that there is makes me just a little sick. The association of Christ with Christmas prostitutes his Name out to retailers, corporate greed, and the general frustration, depression, and exhaustion of the holiday season.

I guess it's even worse when nativity scenes are paraded beside Christmas trees.

I'm not a purist, imagining that anything "Christian" is not "pagan" in its origin or current expression. I am honest, or at least try to be. The association with Christ and Christmas unites to completely opposite concepts.

Let's have Christmas and let's have Christ - but never shall the two meet. Ever.
Click to expand...
OK, makes sense to me... but what does that have to do with "merry Christmas?"
 
Splarnst

Splarnst

Active Member
I don't say it because I don't like the holiday and only exchange gifts with my family because it would be awkward otherwise. I'd prefer to skip it altogether.
 
Levite

Levite

Higher and Higher
angellous_evangellous said:
Christmas is not a Christian holiday. There's nothing Christian about it, and pretending that there is makes me just a little sick. The association of Christ with Christmas prostitutes his Name out to retailers, corporate greed, and the general frustration, depression, and exhaustion of the holiday season.

I guess it's even worse when nativity scenes are paraded beside Christmas trees.

I'm not a purist, imagining that anything "Christian" is not "pagan" in its origin or current expression. I am honest, or at least try to be. The association with Christ and Christmas unites to completely opposite concepts.

Let's have Christmas and let's have Christ - but never shall the two meet. Ever.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but Christmas is Christian. You might not like, as a Christian, how it gets (ab)used for commercial purposes (with which I sympathize), but it is Christian.

Christmas is Christ's Mass, and tons of people go to church on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to celebrate Jesus' birth (although I have read some rather convicing arguments that March 25 was the original "date" of Jesus' birth), most Christmas carols are about Jesus, and you can't go around an American city from mid-November to mid-January without tripping over nativity scenes as well as Santas and reindeer and whatnot. And while the Christmas tree may have been snagged from pagan festivities, all the Jesusy ornaments and the big cross or star-of-bethlehem on top of said trees are manifestly Christian.

As a non-Christian, I can tell you, Christmas is massively, invasively, aggressively Christian.

I don't say "Merry Christmas" because I am a Jew. And I don't celebrate Christian holidays, of which this manifestly is one.
 
Jainarayan

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
angellous_evangellous said:
Good point.

When does anyone ever say "merry"?
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It's original meaning was "peaceful".

"Merry Christmas" meant "Peaceful Christmas".
"God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen" is actually "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen", God give you peaceful rest. Notice the position of the commas.
 
Trey of Diamonds

Trey of Diamonds

Well-Known Member
TouchedbytheLord said:
It's original meaning was "peaceful".

"Merry Christmas" meant "Peaceful Christmas".
"God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen" is actually "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen", God give you peaceful rest. Notice the position of the commas.
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So, "eat, drink and be merry" meant "eat, drink and be peaceful"? That doesn't sound like it was as much fun.
 
Reverend Rick

Reverend Rick

Frubal Whore
Premium Member
Nate, I always knew you where a Communist. :slap:

Your logic however is 100% correct, the Christmas holiday has been perverted beyond recognition.

If Jesus was to come back at Christmas time, he would make his hissy fit in the temple small by comparison.
 
Jainarayan

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Trey of Diamonds said:
So, "eat, drink and be merry" meant "eat, drink and be peaceful"? That doesn't sound like it was as much fun.
Click to expand...

I think we can make an exception there. :p

Actually I don't know when the word changed meaning.
 
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