Christmas

The best day of the Year!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends here on Rateitall. Enjoy your time with your family.

UPDATED, 2011:  I want to wish you all a great Merry Christmas and I will bless you with this old Hunnic blessing:  "Gallia est omnis divisa en tres partes...."  (Ooops, that is the opening to Caesar's Gallic Wars--I lost my book of Hunnic Blessings.)ORIGINAL COMMENT:  I am more fervent celebrating Christmas now that it is becoming politically incorrect.

UPDATE: Merry Christmas to you and your Family! “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6: 24-27 God Bless! ORIGINAL MESSAGE: I would like to wish my family and friends a very merry Christmas. God has blessed me with a wonderful family and great friends. I pray that each of you will enjoy this our Lord's birthday and that you will reflect on the blessings you have received in 2007. To my friends who I have not met but who may find and read my postings, I pray that if you do not know the Lord as your personal savior that you will not hesitate to ask him into your heart. Jesus died so you can live. I am not worthy of his sacrifice and neither are you. He took your place on that cross because he loves you, no other reason. Give Christ the greatest gift on his birthday, your life. "He died for you, can't you live for him?"

I love Christmas but I wish it had much more to do with being with family. It seems as though many people including my children are in it for the gifts.

Great but I doubt I'd enjoy it as much if it weren't so commercialized.

Favorite things about Christmas, spending time with family and friends, doing special projects with my girls for the holidays, giving presents to the people I love, decorating the Christmas tree, and seeing the various houses with Christmas lights on them...

I'm quite enjoying a quiet Christmas at home in the bosom of my home with my loved ones. We usually travel at Chrismas to be with family in western Canada but it isn't happening this year due to a number of reasons. After a busy 2010 I'm actually really, really finding the quiet and freedom relaxing. Have a great holiday everyone. Keep a fire burning if its cold outside.

One of my favourite times of the year and I love everything about it. From the cheesy Christmas songs and carols, to the awful things on TV, to the food, it's just great. What makes Christmas so special is spending that extra time with your family and friends. No-one can deny the run-up to Christmas and how people feel and the lovely celebrations before. Christmas is the one time of the year you get to see everyone and do everything in such a short space of time and that's what I love the most.

Christmas is great because people really do go all out. Corners that may be cut at Thanksgiving ("can't make the trip this time...," "instant stuffing's just so easy to make," etc.) aren't cut at Christmas. They aren't even considered. Preparations begin months in advance. It's the wedding of holidays. Combine the enthusiasm people have with a little snow, a fire, some of the good champagne you'd never open absent the "right occasion," and some quiet Christmas music in the background, and you're reminded why there really is no equal in the world of holidays. Thanksgiving's a great, no-nonsense food event (happily undiluted by the distraction of gift-giving), but it withers in Christmas' awesome shadow.

This looks like the opportunity to wish all of you here a Merry Christmas, even those of you who aren't lapsed Irish Papists, which by my count is pretty much all of you with a couple of exceptions. Celebrate how you choose, and what you choose, or not at all, and may the wind be at your back, the road rise up to meet you, the cup be never empty, and may you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead.

Happy Christmas everyone! Merry Hannukwanzafest too!

Evil pagan holiday. Witless "secularists" celebrate it as well. All government offices are shut down this day. Separation of church and state my ass. The entire story is made up. Both Matthew and Luke originally began with chapter 3 (the Baptism of John) just like Mark & John's "gospels". Paul never mentions it. It's totally bogus. Enough with the idolatry already.

The evolution of Christmas - pagan holiday -- celebration of the birth of Christ -- Santa Claus is coming to town -- consumer-fest Merry Christmas!

Christmas=compulsory consumption.

I love the overall fun of holiday, opening presents, decorating the tree, being with friends and family, and everything else, that goes with it. The downside? Some Christmas songs, get put on the repeat loop on radio stations, line ups at malls, and finding a really great parking spot in the parking lot, before mass begins.

Many of the defining aspects of Christmas, such as the Christmas tree, are from pagan tradition, which is not a bad thing necessarily, but it's....interesting, and unknown by many people. I'm not a big fan of Christmas because I think it makes people act phony at that time of the year....specifically extended family members. It's also way too commercialized, and it makes little kids think that they should get umpteen presents just because they exist. Even though I'm only 19 and have yet to worry about the gift purchasing and wrapping, and the endless cooking and socializing, I'm always relieved when the holidays are over. Life can finally become "normal" again, and everything is much less complicated.

Seems like the commercials come earlier every year...Wal-Mart starts putting out X-mas junk in September for Christ sake! It's so over commcercialized...and more slanted towards the kids than adults.

"Christmas" has become a load of commercialized crap.I celebrate the much older Winter Solstace holy day known to the Celts as Yule.

Christmas is my favourite holiday period despite the fact that I am not Christian (even though I was Christened :P). On the lead up to Christmas and over the holiday people's attitudes always change - people try to make an effort to be kinder and more polite in the spirit of the holiday, but it also means that tempers can run thin as people are rushing around trying to get ready. I don't think the short tempers really make a difference to the enjoyment of the holiday, it's something that has become part of Christmas unintentionally. Traditionally on Christmas Day we'd have my Grandma and Granddad over for Christmas dinner at midday and then a buffet lunch in the evening and would then spend the evening playing Trivial Pursuits and watching Christmas television. Then on Boxing Day we'd then go over to theirs for a similar sort of day. Unfortunately since my Grandma died around 10 years ago we stopped doing this until last year when my Granddad came over to stop with us (though typicall... Read more

Worst holiday of the year. Has completely lost all meaning. Only exists to put people into credit card debt and depress those who can't afford to buy gifts for those around them. Worst of all it's the longest, it begins in October and ends in January.

I want to take this opportunity to wish everybody on RIA a Merry Xmas, or a Happy Hannukah, or whatever other holidays one celebrates around this time of year, and if you don't celebrate anything, have a great time anyway. I also want to  specifically wish McGowan a great Kwanzaa.

i guess it's alright. but when people say christmas spirit, why are people only generous around christmas?

In spite of the fact that Christmas has been smothered in commercialism I have decided to continue celebrating it with any and all of my Christian friends. From what I have observed over the last 20 years, or so, Cristmas seems to end abruptly after the presents have been opened. But, I know there is more to it than this.So, what I have decided to do this year is to switch Christmas and Halloween. I do all of my giving on Halloween. On Christmas, I build a blind on my roof and hose down all of the Carolers...

So many people are asleep when it comes to this pagan holiday. Jeremiah 10: 3-8, makes it clear about the tree. Santa, might as well be Satan. We are not to celebrate this pagan holiday, we are to glory in the cross, not the birth of Christ., and besides, people who claim to celebrate Christ birth, NONSENSE! They put up the tree, which is pagan practices, and run to the shopping malls like a heard of cattle. Celebrate the finish work of the cross, and the glorious ressurrection.

Used to be 5, but now a 4 for the annual whining and self-crucifixions of gay-for-Christ types who whine and moan about how (mysteriously) people are 'out to get' their holiday and destroy it. . .these people should drink more at their non-demoninational-winter-office-party

Merry CHRISTmas to you all, and happy HOLY-DAY!

It's rather hard to rate a holiday, so I will simply say... Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! :)

Christmas usually sucked for me. My mom always gave me the "love" excuse, so I usually didn't get presents. But I love this holiday, Charlie Brown, Rudolph the Red Nose Raindeer, the parades, Christmas trees, and Christmas lights. I always have Christmas dinner with my folks and that's always good. That time of year always makes me feel so giddy!

This celebration is a pegan holiday. Jesus was not born on Dec. 25. Christmas is a mix of pegan customs--from the sun/seasonal worship of the greeks, to the tree fanatics of Germany who brought over the tree and rituals (aka Santa Claus). While having a time set aside for being with family is important, it is a bad excuse to practice rituals, especially in the name of Jesus (phuh). I really don't see any excuse to celebrate Christmas and I am sure God doesn't either. Sadly, people are too consumed with traditions from their ancestors and not consumed enough with how to please God or make the world a better place.

The thing i most enjoy about Christmas, apart from the presents, is the sense of family togetherness. I love the way that, for once, me and my siblings are being friendly toward one another instead of deliberately winding each other up, and how, despite the fact that there's a lot to get done (such as getting the huuuuuge turkey ready for dinner time), the atmosphere is really relaxed. However, i do feel a bit weird about celebrating Christmas sometimes, as i'm not a Christian and therefore i don't celebrate the birth of Christ, which is really what it's all about. I think a lot of people (including myself ;) ) tend to forget that, due to the extensive advertising. The commercialisation of Christmas is another thing that i dislike; does anyone else remember the time when the Christmas hype began a week before the big day? Over in the UK, most shops, particularly the supermarkets, have begun stocking up for Christmas by September; that's BEFORE Halloween! I think that there is the d... Read more

Not a Christian, but I do love the festivities of togetherness, peace, and light at the darkest time of the year. And I find the more religous carols the most majestic and beautiful.

Christmas is NOT Jesus's birthday, anybody who would put 5 minutes of research into it would realize that. Constantine decided to declare December 25th the day to celebrate his chosen religious belief. Until then (312AD) it was a pagan celebration (winter solstice). In fact, until Constantine came to power it was illegal to practice Christianity. Nonetheless, the holiday is exciting.....for my children.

Many people today make the mistake when they hear the word Christmas. They don't think of Jesus and His miraculous birth. Instead, they think of family gatherings, festive meals, decorations, and gifts. To them, Christmas brings nostalgia and memories of childhood. Now, all this celebration isn't wrong. But if that's all that Christmas means to us, we are missing its true significance. The real meaning of this special day is summed up in the words of the angel to the shepherds on that night long ago: "I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). Christmas surely should not be good if you don't know Jesus Christ as you hope. Don't celebrate Christmas without inviting the Guest of honor.

Let's redo Christmas. Instead of buying diamond rings or earrings for your girlfriend/wife from Zales to "prove" you love her, why not save the money and buy someone in need a gift they need? Buy any kids you know something they like, so on and so forth. Christmas is not a time to give your equals or superiors presents, but should be a time to give back to the community. It's depressing to see a country brainwashed into thinking that buying unnecessary gifts and presents somehow proves something. Christmas is good for little kids, and that's it. Once you get older, if you are so immature that you still hold out your hands from your boyfriend/husband/parents for expensive toys for grownups, you are sad. Save that money you were going to use to buy that diamond ring or that electronics device from Best Buy for some idiot that has the money to buy his own or doesn't even deserve it, and go slip a few gas station guys and waitresses a hundred bucks, hand out gift certificates to restauran... Read more

Merry Mythmas everybody.

I don't see any reason why this shouldn't be the best holiday of the year for everyone regardless of religious views. For some it is a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus and what it has meant in their lives. For others, it's a time of cheerful decorations and the exchange of presents. Even my Jewish and atheist friends like Christmas because unless they are substituting for a Christian friend at work, it's a paid day off and a good day to go out and get some Chinese food. You don't need to have a religious connotation to use Christmas as a time to perhaps give some gifts to people that you love, or get together with the family for a big meal. That's the nice thing about Christmas...... you don't need to be a Christian to take part in the spirit of the holiday. Everyone likes to see a kid's face light up when they receive that unexpected present and it's a chance to be generous without embarrassment, maybe heal some wounds that were opened during the year, or just kick back for the d... Read more

There is validity in each comment here by different reviewers concerning the celebration of Christmas. Yes, it is a usurped pagan holiday that is has put the birth of Jesus Christ on the same day as one that was celebrated over a thousand years before His birth, that of a heathen sun god. Yes, many of the traditions that we use in the Christmas celebrations are not scriptural; the traditional nativity scene for one, the Magi, who were humble wise men seeking the truth, did not first visit Jesus in the manager of His birth, but in a house several days later. From the Yule log, the poisonous mistletoe to Santa Claus all of these have their roots in pagan worship, yet I do not notice anyone worshiping these things during the Christmas season. Why has the birth of Jesus been so corrupted and brought down to such a secular level and yes as mentioned, no longer the main reason for the season? I agree that the commercialism has long gotten out of hand with decorations already being sold in... Read more

Happy Birthday Jesus

Its fun but it seems to get less and less important to me every year that goes by...

First off, happy holidays everyone! Hope it brings everyone all the best. Overall this is probably my personal favorite time of year; getting together with friends and family and being thankful for the past years events are always a welcome reprive, no matter what you're religious or ethnic orientation may be. Times have become so polarized that we're even not beginning to talk about the secularization of Christmas. Reality is that Christmas has historically very little to do with Christianity from Biblical perspective. Christmas was actually the old Roman festival of Saturn, which celebrated the beginning the winter season. Santa and Christmas trees are both ancient Nordic tradtions also with no connections to Christianity. Christ wasn't even born on Christmas day, the Catholic church simply adopted this so it would overlap the traditional festival of Saturn. Nevertheless, the holiday does contain significant religious connotations that should be respected. The culture warriors are ... Read more

I love Christmas, as the embodiment of the Christian co-opting of the winter solstice, when the light starts to return. I love the smell of the people in Wal-Mart, waving at the guy who cut me off in traffic with just one finger, and greeting the woman who took my parking space with a cheery Hey, honey, who's gonna watch your car when your inside? Seems like an awful lot of cars are getting keyed this time of year. It warms the cockles of my heart (whatever those are). It's a great time to spend contemplating the coming winter, and remembering the Zocor was invented just so I can have another eggnog.

Jesus is the reason for the season. We celebrate the birth of Jesus who was born in Bethlehem as it was prophesied in the Old Testament he would in Micah 5:2. I say Savior's Greetings, Happy Holy-days, and Merry Christ-Mas.

Great Holiday but I say we should get rid of it since most people dont even know anymore the real meaning of Christmas is celebrating JESUS'S birth

The best Holiday ever. You get a whole lot of stuff you really want and time with your family and get to celebrate Jesus' birthday most of all. In fact, you all should know that christmas isn't about getting presents. It's about giving, joy, togetherness, and time with your family. And most of all. The birth of Jesus.