What does Christmas mean to you?

[Xmara]

When I was a kid it was always exciting. But when my grandma died just a week before Christmas in 2014, all of that excitement has kinda faded away. I still buy gifts. I still decorate. I guess I’ll be going to my other grandma’s house this year idk. Mom said we will be having a small gathering there, but I’m not looking forward to it.

[Plzen]

To me it has no spiritual or cultural significance (now, that is; when I was younger I decorated trees with family), but it's a national holiday and those are welcome without exception.

[Esternial]

It doesn't mean a lot to me. Usually it's just a nice time with the entire family, and I have to admit I won't miss seeing them all that much.

The Christmas holiday period is mostly a time when I can get some actual work done, maybe even refactor some code, without getting pulled out of my focus by meetings and people asking me for help.

Usually New Years is more impactful. My close friends and I spend it together, all contributing to a nice meal, usually trying to be extra fancy. I'm still proud of my beef Wellington...

Won't be able to do a big feast this year, but instead I reckon I'll throw a small dinner for my girlfriend and her sister. They have a proper Christmas celebration with their family and - since they can't fly back home to Italy this year - I'm hoping I'll be able to re-create some of that magic for them.

I suppose for me the holiday periods are the time for me to show the people I care for how much I do. I'm not that invested in Christmas at all, but instead the people I celebrate it with.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Normally, a time to be with my family and close friends. This year? It doesn’t mean much since I won’t be able to be with my family and close friends due to the pandemic. But there will be a next Christmas in which I’ll be with them without the risk of a pandemic present, so I can think of that atm and feel assured.

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

It serves as a constant reminder that religious holidays can be forcefully appropriated, secularized, and monetized by corporate greed and no one will care.

[Neutraligon]

Nothing. I was raised Jewish and Chanukah is not that big a holiday. Traditionally it is not a gift-giving holiday, so no gifts. Most of my friends were Jewish so it didn't mean all that much to them either. At best it meant that my family would go out to eat at an Asian restaurant.

[Neanderthaland]

Nothing. I was raised Jewish and Chanukah is not that big a holiday. Traditionally it is not a gift-giving holiday, so no gifts. Most of my friends were Jewish so it didn't mean all that much to them either. At best it meant that my family would go out to eat at an Asian restaurant.

The Chinese food was my favorite part of the Christmas holiday until I moved to a community with a large Orthodox Jewish population.

Now it's a mad rush to the counter fighting my way through a stampede of a thousand bearded men in black. Fortune cookies, blood, and shtreimels littering the floor.

[Turelisa-]

A commercialized holiday where big business begins selling merchandise in July and by December it's like Black Friday every day.

Keep on consuming. Keep buying things you don't need while being one of the 83% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck and worrying that you'll be living in a box someday under the 110.

This.

It's the time of year when I have to force myself to smile so much that by New Year's Day my facial muscles, not used to the exercise, are hurting.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Nothing. I was raised Jewish and Chanukah is not that big a holiday. Traditionally it is not a gift-giving holiday, so no gifts. Most of my friends were Jewish so it didn't mean all that much to them either. At best it meant that my family would go out to eat at an Asian restaurant.

The Chinese food was my favorite part of the Christmas holiday until I moved to a community with a large Orthodox Jewish population.

Now it's a mad rush to the counter fighting my way through a thousand bearded men in black. Fortune cookies, blood, and shtreimels littering the floor.

Mmmm, Chinese food.

[Neanderthaland]

The Chinese food was my favorite part of the Christmas holiday until I moved to a community with a large Orthodox Jewish population.

Now it's a mad rush to the counter fighting my way through a thousand bearded men in black. Fortune cookies, blood, and shtreimels littering the floor.

Mmmm, Chinese food.

I mean... it's worth it of course.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Mmmm, Chinese food.

I mean... it's worth it of course.

Now I want crab rangoon and cashew chicken. ;-;

[Neutraligon]

Mmmm, Chinese food.

I mean... it's worth it of course.

So worth it, though for some reason the Chinese restaurants my family frequented were crowded...with Asians. Might have to do with it being authentic Chinese and so very different from what most people eat. So good though and completely worth the fight for a table. Lately though since my family lives far away I have been cooking Thai food pretty regularly. It is surprisingly easy to do.

[Kowani]

It serves as a constant reminder that religious holidays can be forcefully appropriated, secularized, and monetized by corporate greed and no one will care.

The atheists are coming, and we bring candy.

[Ethics Committee of the SCPF]

Christmas doesn’t really mean that much to me anymore besides from a small gathering and the exchange of presents. It used to be so cool but as I got older all the magic of it died.

[Sundiata]

Christmas doesn’t really mean that much to me anymore besides from a small gathering and the exchange of presents. It used to be so cool but as I got older all the magic of it died.

[Neutraligon]

It serves as a constant reminder that religious holidays can be forcefully appropriated, secularized, and monetized by corporate greed and no one will care.

The atheists are coming, and we bring candy.

and Chinese food.

[Geneviev]

It serves as a constant reminder that religious holidays can be forcefully appropriated, secularized, and monetized by corporate greed and no one will care.

The atheists are coming, and we bring candy.

I forgot. Christmas also means candy to me. Chocolate, especially.

[Xmara]

Nothing. I was raised Jewish and Chanukah is not that big a holiday. Traditionally it is not a gift-giving holiday, so no gifts. Most of my friends were Jewish so it didn't mean all that much to them either. At best it meant that my family would go out to eat at an Asian restaurant.

The Chinese food was my favorite part of the Christmas holiday until I moved to a community with a large Orthodox Jewish population.

Now it's a mad rush to the counter fighting my way through a stampede of a thousand bearded men in black. Fortune cookies, blood, and shtreimels littering the floor.

Now I’ve got a mental picture of you fighting a Rabbi over the last fortune cookie

[Kowani]

The atheists are coming, and we bring candy.

and Chinese food.

No reason we can’t bring Chinese candy.

The atheists are coming, and we bring candy.

I forgot. Christmas also means candy to me. Chocolate, especially.

Exhibit a

[The Black Forrest]

Ads about buying garbage I don’t need.

Having to find the “right” gift for certain people.

Getting a few cool things......

[Forsher]

Presents, food and sun.

Traditionally we also did Christmas trees... a lot Christmas trees (all artificial, of course... real trees are for n00bs)... and family visiting but these days the latter have lapsed substantially (ever since my uncle moved to Nelson, ish... he lives behind Nelson in a pretty rural area... leaving my just my aunt and my annoying cousin, of course there are second cousins and so on but they were never really involved and it's all very family politics/drama, especially these days).

[Saiwania]

It is commercialist claptrap. I hate it. I'm with the Grinch on wanting to stop Christmas from coming.

[Neanderthaland]

The Chinese food was my favorite part of the Christmas holiday until I moved to a community with a large Orthodox Jewish population.

Now it's a mad rush to the counter fighting my way through a stampede of a thousand bearded men in black. Fortune cookies, blood, and shtreimels littering the floor.

Now I’ve got a mental picture of you fighting a Rabbi over the last fortune cookie

"As it says in the Talmud, "fuck off and give me that sizzling duck!""

[Geneviev]

It is commercialist claptrap. I hate it. I'm with the Grinch on wanting to stop Christmas from coming.

It's also a Christian holiday. Christmas doesn't need to be commercial.

[Xmara]

One thing I definitely have to look for is that this is my first Christmas with my cats Sterling and Pippa.