The War on Christmas...

[Mosasauria]

I'm annoyed at the music. One of my teachers has a singing hat, there is a house across the street that has lights timed to music, which plays loud all night, and mom is always playing it. It's annoying in other respects too. I've never been joyous and festive during the "season", but this year I am even less so.

Honestly, I think that Christmas is one occasion when the religious music (and I'm talking about the old choral stuff) can be appreciated regardless of one's religious inclinations.

Granted, old choral music is always totally kickass.

I acn agree to that.
Santa is pretty kickass as well.

[Sebytania]

I'm annoyed at the music. One of my teachers has a singing hat, there is a house across the street that has lights timed to music, which plays loud all night, and mom is always playing it. It's annoying in other respects too. I've never been joyous and festive during the "season", but this year I am even less so.

Honestly, I think that Christmas is one occasion when the religious music (and I'm talking about the old choral stuff) can be appreciated regardless of one's religious inclinations.

Granted, old choral music is always totally kickass.

I'll take hymns over those annoying jingles any day.

A good chorus singing in Latin is actually pretty enjoyable, especially in medieval churches. They sure knew how to do the acoustics right back then.

[The Floridian Coast]

I would say 90% of non-religious people like myself celebrate Christmas in a secular way, 9.99% ignore it altogether, and 0.01% actively try to "fight" Christmas because of its religious connotations.

[Azaca]

instead of arguing about whether or not there is a god cant we just celebrate the fact that people seem to always be happier and nicer to eachother

[Auremena]

I'm annoyed at the music. One of my teachers has a singing hat, there is a house across the street that has lights timed to music, which plays loud all night, and mom is always playing it. It's annoying in other respects too. I've never been joyous and festive during the "season", but this year I am even less so.

Honestly, I think that Christmas is one occasion when the religious music (and I'm talking about the old choral stuff) can be appreciated regardless of one's religious inclinations.
Granted, old choral music is always totally kickass.

The hokey music annoys me, especially when a country artist sings it.

[Sebytania]

instead of arguing about whether or not there is a god cant we just celebrate the fact that people seem to always be happier and nicer to eachother

Assuming you meant that applies during Christmastime: If you count people buying buying loads of useless stuff as being happier and nicer to each other, yeah I guess you're right. At least they're nice to the companies.

And I don't think anyone was arguing whether there is a god or not, but rather the fact that Christmas predates Christianity, and the Jesus stuff associated to it make no sense.

[Auremena]

instead of arguing about whether or not there is a god cant we just celebrate the fact that people seem to always be happier and nicer to eachother

Assuming you meant that applies during Christmastime: If you count people buying buying loads of useless stuff as being happier and nicer to each other, yeah I guess you're right. At least they're nice to the companies.
And I don't think anyone was arguing whether there is a god or not, but rather the fact that Christmas predates Christianity, and the Jesus stuff associated to it make no sense.

And that Jesus, according to the current calendar, would have been sometime in March of 4 BCE.

[Muravyets]

And a happy nondenominational and personal traditionally specific holiday to you too!

*hisses* Political Correctness is Verbal Fascism.

Merry Christmas! And remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Actually no, the reason for the season has something to do with Earth's orbit around the sun. I think you mean that Jesus is the Reason for this particular Christian holiday. We don't have winter just to provide a backdrop for Christmas cards, you know.

[Imsogone]

*hisses* Political Correctness is Verbal Fascism.

Merry Christmas! And remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Actually no, the reason for the season has something to do with Earth's orbit around the sun. I think you mean that Jesus is the Reason for this particular Christian holiday. We don't have winter just to provide a backdrop for Christmas cards, you know.

Damn those people and their attempted alliterations. Trying to lure us in with with pretty sounds.

My personal favorite is Merry Winter Solstice and Happy Gross National Product Day.

[Geniasis]

My personal favorite is Merry Winter Solstice and Happy Gross National Product Day.

Wouldn't alliteration be something more like: Christian champion Christ causes Christmas, contrary to challenger's claims?

On a related note: if you do that with vowels, is that still alliteration? They taught us that it only works with consonants in school.

[Scientific socks]

to me it is just a time to meet the family. Wether that is a good idea for many could be debated. There is no mention of Jesus, santa or anything else now. i would guess there is a 50% chance my parents have put up a christmas tree. I certainly havnt.

We will exchange small gifts, have a big meal or two, catch up on what everyone is doing and bugger off our seperate ways again.

I am not too sure we really celebrate Christmas. It is more of a get together and gift exchange over a few days whic hthe comercial sector has many ideas about. Most I will ignore due to the price.

[Imsogone]

My personal favorite is Merry Winter Solstice and Happy Gross National Product Day.

Wouldn't alliteration be something more like: Christian champion Christ causes Christmas, contrary to challenger's claims?

On a related note: if you do that with vowels, is that still alliteration? They taught us that it only works with consonants in school.

The quote you took from my post was intended as an example of my favorite seasonal greeting, not an example of alliteration or any other verbal play.

I suppose the Season/reason thing isn't alliteration, but simple rhyme, I just find it a bit precious (not in the good way).

I don't know the rules, but I would think you should be able to stretch it to vowels. But since, out of 26 letters in the English alphabet, only 5 are actual vowels (6 if you really want to include y), I would guess that the consonant rule has more to do with the number of words actually starting with consonants than anything else.

[The Nuclear Fist]

As a Jew, I believe that (if there was such a thing), it would most likely be a war on Hanukkah. Going with historical evidance at least.

However, I don't particularly care about one's religious beliefs.

[Menschenverstand]

Christmas is a holiday celebrated in honor of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Why anyone would want to fight that is beyond me. It's a part of the whole religious freedom deal. If you're against freedom of religion and believe that you are the only person on Earth who could possibly be right, you have some overlooking of your life to get to.

[Mosasauria]

instead of arguing about whether or not there is a god cant we just celebrate the fact that people seem to always be happier and nicer to eachother

Exactly!

[SaintB]

*hisses* Political Correctness is Verbal Fascism.

Merry Christmas! And remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Actually no, the reason for the season has something to do with Earth's orbit around the sun. I think you mean that Jesus is the Reason for this particular Christian holiday. We don't have winter just to provide a backdrop for Christmas cards, you know.

Pfffftttt forget you and your SCIENCE we are talking about teh babi jeesis.

[SaintB]

Christmas is a holiday celebrated in honor of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Why anyone would want to fight that is beyond me. It's a part of the whole religious freedom deal. If you're against freedom of religion and believe that you are the only person on Earth who could possibly be right, you have some overlooking of your life to get to.

people are fighting having someone else's opinion and beliefs shoved down their throat, they are fighting being looked down on when they say happy Hanukkah, they are fighting being treated unfairly because their own holidays aren't Christmas.

They aren't fighting Christmas.

[Mirkana]

As a Jew, I believe that (if there was such a thing), it would most likely be a war on Hanukkah. Going with historical evidance at least.

However, I don't particularly care about one's religious beliefs.

Fortunately, using javelins, slings, and knives to defend our beliefs WOULD be in the spirit of Hanukkah.

[Imsogone]

Christmas is a holiday celebrated in honor of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Why anyone would want to fight that is beyond me. It's a part of the whole religious freedom deal. If you're against freedom of religion and believe that you are the only person on Earth who could possibly be right, you have some overlooking of your life to get to.

I'm all for freedom of religion. I'm also all for freedom from religion. As has been stated many, many, many times throught the course of this thread and many others, it's not about whether or not Christians get to do their thing, it's about whether or not Christians object to others doing their thing. Christians do spend an inordinate amount of time trying to prevent Pagans, Muslilms, Jews, atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and on down the line from having the same freedoms that they claim they're being denied. When I can put my Solstice tree next to your creche and cross and opposite a Menorah on public land without Christians screaming that they're being persecuted because of it, this mock war will be over.

[The Nuclear Fist]

Fortunately, using javelins, slings, and knives to defend our beliefs WOULD be in the spirit of Hanukkah.

More of a modern history kind of guy.

So I say we defend Hanukkah with Uzis and various other things.

[Herrebrugh]

Sinterklaasje kom maar binnen met je knecht
Want we zitten allemaal even recht
Misschien heeft u nog even tijd
Voordat u weer naar Spanje rijdt
Kom dan maar even bij ons aan
En laat uw paardje maar buiten staan
En we zingen en we springen en we zijn zo blij
Want er zijn geen stoute kind'ren bij
En we zingen en we springen en we zijn zo blij
Want er zijn geen stoute kind'ren bij

[Esternial]

Sinterklaasje kom maar binnen met je knecht
Want we zitten allemaal even recht
Misschien heeft u nog even tijd
Voordat u weer naar Spanje rijdt
Kom dan maar even bij ons aan
En laat uw paardje maar buiten staan
En we zingen en we springen en we zijn zo blij
Want er zijn geen stoute kind'ren bij
En we zingen en we springen en we zijn zo blij
Want er zijn geen stoute kind'ren bij

He's back in Spain, mate. 6 December has long passed.

[Herrebrugh]

Sinterklaasje kom maar binnen met je knecht
Want we zitten allemaal even recht
Misschien heeft u nog even tijd
Voordat u weer naar Spanje rijdt
Kom dan maar even bij ons aan
En laat uw paardje maar buiten staan
En we zingen en we springen en we zijn zo blij
Want er zijn geen stoute kind'ren bij
En we zingen en we springen en we zijn zo blij
Want er zijn geen stoute kind'ren bij

He's back in Spain, mate. 6 December has long passed.

I'm still in the mood!

[Esternial]

I'm still in the mood!

We get gifts twice, got all reason to!

[Ashmoria]

did you get to the part where he suggests that dutch parents must warn their kids to pack some stuff because santa is coming and maybe he'll leave them presents, maybe he'll kidnap them to spain or maybe he'll just pretend to beat them?

? I think you understood that i'm Dutch and when I was a kid my dad never told me to pack my stuff. I don't think parents ever do this here.

noooo no one thinks that that is what happens in the netherlands.

it just seems like good advice to an outsider who is unfamiliar with dutch traditions. i mean really, if there is a chance you might end up in spain you might want to put an extra pair of undies and a candy bar into your backpack.