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How do other atheists/agnostics view the holidays?
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SteveG View Drop Down
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Points: 20617 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 04:28
I got a chuckle and a brief chill when I read the posts that mentioned both Christianity and Wicca. I grow up in a marginally religious family with only my mother as a practicing Christian, although she changed denominations 3 or 4 times over the years! Recently my formally atheist brother became a born again Christian while my younger sister has been Wiccan for years. He views her as going to hell, etc., etc. while she couldn't give damn about what he believes. Luckily, my brother holds his tongue at the holidays but I always sense the tension they have toward each other. Sad that this BS should almost ruin the holidays for them, but that's why I'm grateful to believe in nothing. LOL
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Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

While not quite chestnuts roasting around an open fire, I've already discovered that walnuts boiled for 5 minutes in sugar syrup and then deep fried are exceptionally good as are cashews roasted in Masala spices.



Now you mention - try boiling chestnuts with fennel seeds, simply delicious (don't forget to first cut the shell more or less half way thru, like you would do for roasting).
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Points: 37575 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 07:36
Sounds good - I do love the flavour of fennel. Approve
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I forgot about my disdain for 24 hour a day Christmas music that's played in every supermarket, pharmacy, and bloody bagel shop in America. Even if I was a Christian I would hate listening to this non stop drivel. Humbug!
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^ Breaking news: Chris Rea has just set off on his drive home...
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Points: 6049 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Snicolette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 14:57
Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

I forgot about my disdain for 24 hour a day Christmas music that's played in every supermarket, pharmacy, and bloody bagel shop in America. Even if I was a Christian I would hate listening to this non stop drivel. Humbug!
  
Imagine if you had to work in retail at this time of year.  I did, for 3 seasons, at a pre-Amazon Whole Foods.  Even worse than Christmas was the time that a really cheesy version of "Danny Boy," got stuck on repeat for about an hour on St Patrick's Day.  
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Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:


A bit like this with any luck:


Ah, but which one are you ?
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^ No spoilers
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Points: 65681 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 15:52
I think the reason Scrooge had such high ceilings was to accommodate the Spirit of Christmas Present's torch.   Luckily Victorian houses had ridiculously high ceilings.





Edited by Atavachron - December 04 2019 at 15:53
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

What I miss regarding the good ol' pagan Yule is trussing up a sacrifice, bashing him in the skull with a ceremonial club, then tossing the body in a bog to appease whatever deity is the god-of-the-moment. 
A bog isn't just for christmas.

Oh, for peat's sake.
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Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

What I miss regarding the good ol' pagan Yule is trussing up a sacrifice, bashing him in the skull with a ceremonial club, then tossing the body in a bog to appease whatever deity is the god-of-the-moment. 
A bog isn't just for christmas.


Oh, for peat's sake.
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Points: 24646 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 00:11
Many Christians celebrate Christmas and pay lip service to Easter. Speaking for myself, I care little for Christmas/Yule and I have a minor aversion against all the fuss that comes with it. 
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Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

^ Breaking news: Chris Rea has just set off on his drive home...


He'll beat the worst of the traffic if he sets off now. Luckily he doesn't believe in taking the train. South West Rail is completely shagged right now...
Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Points: 20617 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 04:41
Originally posted by Snicolette Snicolette wrote:

 Even worse than Christmas was the time that a really cheesy version of "Danny Boy," got stuck on repeat for about an hour on St Patrick's Day.  
Dead Good God.

Edited by SteveG - December 05 2019 at 04:41
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Points: 37575 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 08 2019 at 03:26
This year our local town council treated us all to the spectacular spectacle of an illuminated Christmas Skiing Alpine Marmot...

Image result for Christmas skiing marmot
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-50486724

Nice to see the old christian traditions are being kept alive.
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Being most likely the only person on the forum who not only was born and lived in the USSR till its very end, but also gladly shares his thoughts and recollections, I simply may say that in the USSR the main say it lighthearted (not associated with state, patriotism, wars, military, et al) feast was New Year (nOvyj god). Celebrated, well, on the night of Dec 31 - Jan 1. 

There was a masterpiece plasticine cartoon dedicated to it, with nice music, and funny absurdism galore (Eng subs): 


There was a melodrama with slight bits of comedy, titled "Irony Of Fate, Or Enjoy Your Bath!", also exactly about it all: 


In the USSR, thus, the Christmas season rather started circa Dec 30... 
Concerning religions. Sure, the overwhelming majority of the Soviet people... at least, had Orthodox Christian forefathers, but many if not most were also baptised as Orthodox Christians (often, secretly, like e.g., Putin was baptised secretly from his father). Some Soviet people celebrated Christmas, at home, not quite exposing their celebration in public, you know. So, gradually, the once public state-wide state-wise Orthodox Christmas feast in the times of monarchist Russia (Middle Ages to 1917, that is) became a purely religious one for purely fearlessly religious believers. Russian Orthodox Church along with several others retained the Julian calendar. They retained it in the Soviet times and still do. So, they celebrated Christmas on December 25 by Julian calendar, which corresponds to January 7. 

All in all, everything usually attributed to Christmas in the West (the same was in pre-1917 Russia) including family gathering, gifts, fir-trees, and so on, shifted to New Year's night in the Soviet and modern day Russia. Christmas is still a religious holiday here, thus. 

Speaking of the main feasts for people like me, it must be Orthodox Christian Easter and Victory Day (May 9). Both happen in spring, usually not far away from each other in terms of time interval. 

Certainly, the Soviet people knew no Thanksgiving Day, Halloween, whatever else of the kind. 
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SteveG View Drop Down
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Points: 20617 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 11 2019 at 05:58
Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

This year our local town council treated us all to the spectacular spectacle of an illuminated Christmas Skiing Alpine Marmot...

Image result for Christmas skiing marmot
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-50486724

Nice to see the old christian traditions are being kept alive.


yeah, I'm not sure how this is supposed to put one into the holiday spirit! LOL
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SteveG View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Woon Deadn Woon Deadn wrote:

Being most likely the only person on the forum who not only was born and lived in the USSR till its very end, but also gladly shares his thoughts and recollections, I simply may say that in the USSR the main say it lighthearted (not associated with state, patriotism, wars, military, et al) feast was New Year (nOvyj god). Celebrated, well, on the night of Dec 31 - Jan 1. 

There was a masterpiece plasticine cartoon dedicated to it, with nice music, and funny absurdism galore (Eng subs): 

 

There was a melodrama with slight bits of comedy, titled "Irony Of Fate, Or Enjoy Your Bath!", also exactly about it all: 

 

In the USSR, thus, the Christmas season rather started circa Dec 30... 
Concerning religions. Sure, the overwhelming majority of the Soviet people... at least, had Orthodox Christian forefathers, but many if not most were also baptised as Orthodox Christians (often, secretly, like e.g., Putin was baptised secretly from his father). Some Soviet people celebrated Christmas, at home, not quite exposing their celebration in public, you know. So, gradually, the once public state-wide state-wise Orthodox Christmas feast in the times of monarchist Russia (Middle Ages to 1917, that is) became a purely religious one for purely fearlessly religious believers. Russian Orthodox Church along with several others retained the Julian calendar. They retained it in the Soviet times and still do. So, they celebrated Christmas on December 25 by Julian calendar, which corresponds to January 7. 

All in all, everything usually attributed to Christmas in the West (the same was in pre-1917 Russia) including family gathering, gifts, fir-trees, and so on, shifted to New Year's night in the Soviet and modern day Russia. Christmas is still a religious holiday here, thus. 

Speaking of the main feasts for people like me, it must be Orthodox Christian Easter and Victory Day (May 9). Both happen in spring, usually not far away from each other in terms of time interval. 

Certainly, the Soviet people knew no Thanksgiving Day, Halloween, whatever else of the kind. 
Interesting and cool. Thanks for the vids. Btw, the West will never experience anything as awesome as a May Day parade.
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Our family has always celebrated the holidays though none of us are particularly religious. No one attends any Church services anymore though most of them are 'believers'. I'm agnostic though I have leaned toward the 'theist' side the last year or so but again I dont' formally attend any church.
So the religious aspect of the holidays never really comes up much.
One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
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Being from Macclesfield, I spend most of my time helping the other villagers build the enormous Wicker Man we use to deter tourists with. 

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