The real meaning of Christmas

[BurtWorm]

Or any winter solstice celebration, for that matter, it seems to me, is all about taking stock of the year that has passed, acknowledging one's most meaningful relationships (or cementing social bonds, to be sociobiological about it) with tokens of affiliation (ie, presents), and creating a circle of light in the midst of seasonal darkness.

This seems to be the original meaning of the pagan holiday, at any rate, and it's probably why gift-giving and getting, which I confess to be oppressed by more and more with each passing year, are becoming more and more central, as our memories get shorter and our distance from nature increases.

Just a thought.

[Maple]

1. Well that and the fact

it's cold and dark outside, being the shortest days of the year, and not much else can be done. So why not hold a party?

[rkc3]

2. Every year I get more cynical about this holiday.

Having kids makes it worse. I'd love to see some magic in the holidays, but I think it's long since dead.

[BurtWorm]

4. I thought having a daughter might rekindle something in me

and sometimes I wonder if I'm doing a disservice to her by not giving the season anything but negative or (at best) perfunctory acknowledgment. Of course being an atheist has a lot to do with my negative feelings toward the holiday--or is it the other way around?

In any case, I have been wondering what the holiday really means, to see if I can adapt it or adapt to it. I am not at all interested in celebrating the birth of Jesus, because a) I'm not Christian and b) it's not Jesus's birthday and c) I doubt there was a Jesus anyway. But I do recognize, reluctantly, that there is a use for a year-end, winter solstice party, which is why most cultures, especially in the northern latitudes, have them. There's probably a counterpart in southern hemisphere cultures as well in summer.

[Branjor]

3. Dumb question....

Is Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25 in Australia? If so, it is their summer solstice.

[BurtWorm]

5. Yes, you're right.

It does seem weird, doesn't it?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. According to my Australian ex, yes they do celebrate on Dec. 25

After all, for a long time, most Australians were immigrants (or convicts :-) ) from the British Isles, so it was only natural that they should keep the same date.

My former gentleman friend told me that his family celebrates with a barbecue and that it's common to have fireworks on New Year's Eve and go to the beach on New Year's Day.

Actually, I don't find it that odd to have hot weather for Christmas. After all, people in Florida, southern California, and Hawaii usually do as well.

What I find bizarre is the idea of having June, July, and August be winter months.