The No Christmas Thread

The christ was not born on December 25, that is the winter solstice day! Why a christmas tree in every house? Seems wierd to me for the populace to chop down a perfectly good tree, basically killing it and then putting it in thier house like a shrine. What about Santa? Why do we lie to our kids that he is real? Mysterious holiday to me. I got my eye on you

 

Trees used to be decorated outside in the woods for Yule... They were later decorated inside out of fear of death when Catholicism took over.

 

You can burn the tree for fuel so it's not a total waste.

 

It's all to do with astro-theology and the Babylonian sun religions. "Christ" is really the sun, which rises from its lowest point in the sky on the 25th. It's nothing more than pagan sun worship disguised as something Christian.

 

to be fair, i think most people just stick a piece of green plastic in the corner each year, then pack it away on december 26th and reuse it the following year.

 

^^^ Death star.... Oh Nooos

 

if you take away the christers and the retail feeding frenzy, you are left with what the midwinter's eve season had always meant to me growing up, and still does. that white fluffy stuff that falls out of the sky and makes the world all magical (except in cities, and being one more reason cars don't belong in them), the smell of pine needles, granted mostly from humans needless murdering trees, but primarily, people taking a one week break, or at least that was the idea i grew up with, from beating each other over the head.

i don't expect to give or receive much materially. i sort of think of that as mostly being for toys for children anyway. i have nothing against it. but i don't see the retail feeding frenzy, and all the anxiety that people give themselves to go with it, as an essential, or even rational aspect.

midwinter's would also be a more logical time of year for pyrotechnics then mid summer. at any rate a second thanks giving feast, or even third samhain (sow-en nee all hallow's) feast, however you want to look at it, isn't a bad thing either.

i won't distain invitations to paricipate in feasting and other festivities, though in my own mind i continue to keep the recognition that it is the passing of the winter solsitce that indeed is truly at the root of all this celebrating.

the celts started the thing with decorating trees. although i've been told, and not entirely believe, considering the source of such tails, that they were origionally decorated with burning corpses. not those of ordianry paupers, but of former princes and kings.

this evolved, long before christianity came on the scene, into the somewhat more civilized practice of burning a yule log. and i do believe in many places, before it was called christ mass, it was better known as yule.

as for that guy the roman empire exicuted for leading an insurgency against its colonial occupation of what had been and again is israel, three years after he started preaching peace instead,
the 25th day of what was then the tenth month, that now being our october, makes a much more reasonable and probable day to celibrate his birth.

meaning no ill will toward those who do. any excuse for NOT beating anyone over the head is a good enough one for me.

i almost forgot the jolly fat guy, didn't i. the image looks a lot like a certain russian prince, by the name of cropotkin, though the name of nicle nose, a certain russian tzar who was sainted variously for bailing out a prostitute or her children, being more often associated with him. this being somewhat odd, as old nick was supposed to have been rather skinny as monarchs go.

all of that is of course attributed to a political cartoonist named nast. i'm not sure where the name kringle came in, except from a movie that may have been about a lot of things.

 

Technically the winter solstice is on December 21st and while we used to buy a tree every year, we've settled on an artificial tree which looks better - although I miss dragging the old dried out tree into the snow and setting it on fire.

Hotwater

 

What year was that?

True. There does need to be more christmas tree bonfires

But look at the percent of the population that celebrates it. Here in america i would say 99 percent.
Everyone does. Christian or not

They had 6 foot fake Christmas trees at the 99 cent store for of course 99 cents

Whoa!

Yes

 

A lost bit of history about the Yule log....


A log was harvested the year before that was as large as the hearth would hold and was seasoned for one year off the ground. (the term "seasoned wood" probably comes from this) This was to become next years Yule log. The hearth was cleaned spotless the day before yule so as to have a fresh start for the ritual. The present years log was set on the hot coals of this new Yule day's fire and was left to burn all night. The ash was gathered in the morning and any charcoals were set aside. The ashes would be spread in the garden for a blessing for next years crops and the charcoals kept in a metal or hardwood box for starting next years Yule fire.


As an aside... The Yule feast was a gathering of all, friend or enemy and any traveler that may come along. All were welcomed as family and no weapons were brought, as you never brought weapons among family. The best foods were served, children and the aged were served first, then the guests... The home owners ate last as this food was for the guests. Spiced hot cider and or wine was in a kettle over the fire, this was called "wassail". The party would then go out to the tree in the woods that was decorated for the season, light the candles and sing. As they went back home by a round about way they would stop at the other local farmers homes and sing for/with them. Wassailing was the name for this because the local farmers would offer their cider as a gift for the songs.

I gave my hand written Wassail recipe to a certain friend a few years back when I gave her a journal I had started but can make a wicked hot spiced cider from memory... Nutmeg is a main ingredient, cinnamon is second along with several other spices.

 

Lol, maybe after you leave it in your yard a coupla years it'll be dry enough.

 

The sun, it is!

 

Well, if the earth was a molten ball of fire to begin with---everything here came from somewhere else. Anyway---the history of xmas doesn't interest me much. What does

interest me is seeing the bright, shining eyes of the little ones that get to think that maybe they've been born into a wondrous, magical world. Just for a while, of course. Before

they learn the truth of it all. I needn't go into all that; Anyone and everyone learns soon enough.

 

Man can always make the world a better magical place through kindness, art, etc.....It need not be the hell hole it can be.....It is up to us.

 

Ever notice...there is such power in kindness for the sake of kindness alone.....

and only sadness, destruction and chaos in the alternative.

 

I have my son's from last year. It's getting all crispy.

 

lying to my son about Santa is the most fun I've had in years. He's only 2 so he doesn't quite get it but he's catching on.

I also like the pagan aspects of Christmas. I always try to do something on the winter solstice to honor nature, even if its just meditating outside by a fire for a while