Christmas on a 1-10 Scale of Dumbness

Byrnzie
Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
edited December 2012 in A Moving Train
I was thinking about this on the way to work this morning. Where does Christmas fall on the scale of dumbness, with 1 being completely dumb and pointless, and 10 being smart and meaningful?
I mean, I'm not completely adverse to Christmas and thought cincybearcat made a pretty good case for it in this post: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=177410&start=195#p4144310, but the way I see it, it's mostly just a Capitalist greed-fest that has nothing to do with Christ at all. Apart from it being a good time for the kids, It's basically just a corporate, glutinous gang-bang, that pours money into coffers of the fat-bellies.

If Christmas had more to do with it's pagan roots, and involved some respect for the Earth, then I'd be all for it. But instead, it's the opposite. We stuff our greedy faces, buy a ton of shit that we don't need, and plunder the Earth in the process.

On the scale of dumbness I give it 1½.
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Comments

  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    By the way, I'll be dressing up as Father Christmas on Friday evening to help out at my friends school.

    I did the same last year too, and have photo's to prove it. :P


    Ho, ho, ho!
  • unsung
    unsung I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
    3


    Only because I see family that I normally don't. Otherwise it's just become commercialized.
  • peacefrompaul
    peacefrompaul Posts: 25,293
    Yeah, for sure... you can say all that... and I agree. It's a time corporations can make some big money...

    And...

    It's also a time I get to see my parents where, unless my dad is out flying, we are all together. It's a nice break from the University and a time to relax and get ready for the next semester.

    It's a time where I get to make some extra money at work...

    I give it a 4
  • peacefrompaul
    peacefrompaul Posts: 25,293
    Byrnzie wrote:
    By the way, I'll be dressing up as Father Christmas on Friday evening to help out at my friends school.

    I did the same last year too, and have photo's to prove it. :P


    Ho, ho, ho!

    Post them :lol:
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    peacefrompaul wrote:
    Yeah, for sure... you can say all that... and I agree. It's a time corporations can make some big money...

    And...

    It's also a time I get to see my parents where, unless my dad is out flying, we are all together. It's a nice break from the University and a time to relax and get ready for the next semester.

    It's a time where I get to make some extra money at work...

    I give it a 4

    Yeah, I'm all for holidays that involve time off work. I also like eating nice food, and drinking beer, wine, and baileys - not always in that order. It's also good to give the kids a time to get excited and have fun. But the rest of it I find pretty irritating, and dumb.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    peacefrompaul wrote:
    Byrnzie wrote:
    By the way, I'll be dressing up as Father Christmas on Friday evening to help out at my friends school.

    I did the same last year too, and have photo's to prove it. :P


    Ho, ho, ho!

    Post them :lol:

    I look like a lanky Santa who's been laying off the pies. I may have to stuff a pillow under my top this year for some added authenticity.
  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,470
    Byrnzie wrote:
    peacefrompaul wrote:
    Byrnzie wrote:
    By the way, I'll be dressing up as Father Christmas on Friday evening to help out at my friends school.

    I did the same last year too, and have photo's to prove it. :P


    Ho, ho, ho!

    Post them :lol:

    I look like a lanky Santa who's been laying off the pies. I may have to stuff a pillow under my top this year for some added authenticity.
    or just start "training" for it in march with a diet heavy on fat, protein, carbs, and beer.....a shit ton of beer....
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Prince Of Dorkness
    Prince Of Dorkness Posts: 3,763
    I'll be spending Christmas laying naked by a pool in Key West at an all men's resort with a book in one hand and a beer in the other.

    Because Christmas sucks.
    I can't drive without Pearl Jam
  • peacefrompaul
    peacefrompaul Posts: 25,293
    Byrnzie wrote:
    peacefrompaul wrote:
    Byrnzie wrote:
    By the way, I'll be dressing up as Father Christmas on Friday evening to help out at my friends school.

    I did the same last year too, and have photo's to prove it. :P


    Ho, ho, ho!

    Post them :lol:

    I look like a lanky Santa who's been laying off the pies. I may have to stuff a pillow under my top this year for some added authenticity.

    :lol:

    Outstanding
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    gimmesometruth27 wrote:
    or just start "training" for it in march with a diet heavy on fat, protein, carbs, and beer.....a shit ton of beer....

    You may be on to something here.
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    Christmas is a 10 for me for what I believe it stands for - recognizing/celebrating the earthly birth of Jesus.

    I see family and go to church and don't get caught up in the commercialization and hijacking of this holiday by the non-religious. I exchange a few small token presents and we try to volunteer and give money to charity. We don't even have a tree up in our house.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    I get to spend time with friends and family (some who are only around for xmas time)

    So, 10!
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • pandora
    pandora Posts: 21,855
    Byrnzie wrote:
    10 being smart and meaningful?
    A holiday doesn't get any smarter or more meaningful.
    A holiday centered around kindness and giving....
    Who wouldn't think that was meaningful? Christmas is what your heart makes it santa.gif
    or not...
  • satansbed
    satansbed Posts: 2,139
    i don't believe in god or anything but to me christmas is a really special time, i get to see friends and family and relax and get drunk. ive never found christmas that comercialised tbh, but maybe thats cause im irish
  • EdsonNascimento
    EdsonNascimento Posts: 5,531
    I give it a 10. I'm not Catholic/Christian or whatever, but the true meaning and intent of the season is extremely intelligent. Yes, we should give of ourselves all year 'round. But, if this time of year brings it out all the more so, then great.

    Giving feels so good.... You haters should try it some time instead of spouting off like you're the "smartest guys in the room." (You know what happens to THAT group).
    Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    pandora wrote:
    A holiday centered around kindness and giving....

    Tell that to a turkey.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    edited December 2012
    EdsonNascimento wrote:
    I give it a 10. I'm not Catholic/Christian or whatever, but the true meaning and intent of the season is extremely intelligent. Yes, we should give of ourselves all year 'round. But, if this time of year brings it out all the more so, then great.

    Giving feels so good.... You haters should try it some time instead of spouting off like you're the "smartest guys in the room." (You know what happens to THAT group).

    Who's a hater? To hate something means to allow it to occupy your thoughts and to inspire feelings of anger and bitterness. I don't feel any of these things. I just think Christmas is mostly dumb commercialism, and shameless gluttony. Though I do appreciate there are positives, as I pointed out in my OP. But I think there could be a better way to encourage good-will among mankind than forcing people into thinking they need to spend a shit-load of money on crap they don't need, in the name of a redundant Middle-Eastern cult.
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    EdsonNascimento wrote:
    Giving feels so good.... You haters should try it some time instead of spouting off like you're the "smartest guys in the room." (You know what happens to THAT group).

    did you just insult some people in this thread while at the same time showing you don't really understand what they are saying!? ... :lol:

    anyways ... i think the notion of christmas has definitely evolved ... i am not christian and do not celebrate any of the religious aspects ... i do feel that as a society we should have periods of time in the year where work is not the most important thing and we all can spend time with whomever we please ... so, if it has to be done under the guise of religious significance and the turn of the calendar - i'm all for it ...

    like every other trap of excess and consumerism - one ultimately should have the free will to participate or not ... i am anti-consumerism and so, i'm not a full fledged participant although we do do a secret santa at work and i do buy from my significant other (which in this particular year - i made the gift) ...

    soo ... to answer the question - i would put participating in the pressure to buy stuff and getting stuff is a 1 on the scale but spending quality time with friends and family a 10 ...
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    polaris_x wrote:
    ... to answer the question - i would put participating in the pressure to buy stuff and getting stuff is a 1 on the scale but spending quality time with friends and family a 10 ...

    We have us a winner.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    I like Chinese New Year. Two weeks off work. No buying tons of stuff that people don't need, and which leans harder on the environment than usual...lot's of drinking, eating...and in any corner of the country on Chinese New Years Eve you get to see the best fireworks display you'll ever see in your life.

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