How do other atheists/agnostics view the holidays?

Snicolette wrote: 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.

Atavachron wrote: ^ I'd like to think it was a joke in poor taste, as the Japanese seem pretty savvy about culture.   Friggin' hilarious though, especially the baby Jesus Claus... or maybe Kris Christ.

Yeah, the Santa Crucifix surely most have been a joke. Maybe, although I very much doubt it, as I have now read elsewhere, they misheard it as Santa Cross. Hey, I'd be cross if I were Santa and someone (perhaps one of my elves in a power play) crucified me.

It's funny in Japan how you would get biscuits and chocolates in wrappers with weird messages in off English -- sometimes rather Yoda-like, and I felt this might have been very deliberate. I love Japan, and there is so much weirdness and very strange humour there (commercials, TV shows and more).

mathman0806 wrote: Logan wrote: Speaking of Jesus and Santa Claus, when I was in Japan one of the malls had as a Christmas display Santa Claus on a Cross. Not sure if it was a joke in very poor taste or confusion. Bearded baby Santa Claus in a manger, okay, still weird, or had it been the Easter Bunny on a cross on Good Friday, then, okayyy.... Did it look like this? I had to Google "Santa Claus on a cross" and this is one of the images that came up.

No, that's looks too severe, it was much more kawaii (cute) than that. Think cuter, more anime, more refined wood and festive -- a content Santa with arms spread across the cross beam rather than hanging lifelessly there.

While I did not witness this in the Tokyo region, I decided to google Santa on a cross in Japan, and came across two stories that go back to the 90s about a department store in Tokyo that reportedly displayed Santa on a cross. It seems that was an urban legend and the following recreation is apparently a photo fake of that. Perhaps the display I saw was inspired by that, but then such stories, and I think events, go back to the early 70s.



https://www.seiyaku.com/customs/christmas-in-japan.html

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/31178/did-a-department-store-in-tokyo-crucify-santa-claus

Edited by Logan - December 23 2019 at 22:24

TCat wrote: Snicolette wrote: 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.     Only 3 seasons?   Wow aren't you lucky.  I just got to the point that it was all just background noise.

  I know what you mean, and generally, it did, except for when some great music came on and this particular time, as it was so annoying, it could not, would not, be ignored.

mathman0806 wrote: I had to Google "Santa Claus on a cross" and this is one of the images that came up.

Sad how the right wing fanatics have turned the FBI into the enemy of the American people. The FBI have thwarted innumerous planned foreign and domestic terrorist attacks with no fanfare and no thanks from the public that they have protected and will continue to protect. And with that, I wish the fanatics a Merry X-mas and that they get visited by three spirits of dead Democrats starting with JFK. 

Catcher10 wrote: I'm sure JFK will show up with a bottle of booze in one hand and a prostitute in the other.....such a good Catholic

Don't be silly Jose! JFK will show up with Marilyn Monroe! 

Ironically, Christmas Day was the one day in the year when I didn't meet anyone at all because all of the shops were shut.  

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 26 2019 at 11:39

I don't like people who get offended by Happy Holidays as if Christmas isn't a repurposing of Saturnalia.

Edited by Slartibartfast - December 27 2019 at 08:18

I don't get offended by people who say Happy Holidays......To me it is a cop out, as Thanksgiving is a Holiday as is Independence Day, Easter, Presidents Day and MLK Day, but we don't say Happy Holiday on those days??

I think we should just say what we want to say while we can and be appreciative that someone else said something to you in the first place that they meant to be a greeting of some sort, whether its happy holidays or merry Christmas or have a wonderful Yom Kippur.  The least you can do is say Thanks!

I second that applause.  Just be nice to other people!