Do You Celebrate Christmas?

[Fungrim]

Agreeing with what seems like the majority.

There's been partying going on for longer than X-ianity anyway, and where I live it is still called yule (swedish: "jul"), not christmas. An excuse to ligth candes, meet friends, give gifts and eat great food? Yeah, bring it on.

If I get a family at some point I think I might resurect the "julbock" ("yule goat") instead of santa. Basically the goat have been around swedish yule celebrations as long as we know, probably starting as a reference to the goats used by Thor to drive his wagon. Today goats of straw are used as decorations. In the 19th century a man dressed up as a goat was used playing the role santa later usurped. In my mind, a man dressed as a goat is far more funny than any bumbling santa claus...

 

[kmortis]

Agreeing with what seems like the majority.

There's been partying going on for longer than X-ianity anyway, and where I live it is still called yule (swedish: "jul"), not christmas. An excuse to ligth candes, meet friends, give gifts and eat great food? Yeah, bring it on.

If I get a family at some point I think I might resurect the "julbock" ("yule goat") instead of santa. Basically the goat have been around swedish yule celebrations as long as we know, probably starting as a reference to the goats used by Thor to drive his wagon. Today goats of straw are used as decorations. In the 19th century a man dressed up as a goat was used playing the role santa later usurped. In my mind, a man dressed as a goat is far more funny than any bumbling santa claus...

But "Bad Goat" conjures up WAY worse connotations than "Bad Santa" does.

 

[Jorghnassen]

Fungrim: Don't the swede have jultomten, a tomte (sort of gnome)-sized gift-giver instead of Santa (more of an ogre-sized dude)?

 

[Roadtoad]

Agreeing with what seems like the majority.

There's been partying going on for longer than X-ianity anyway, and where I live it is still called yule (swedish: "jul"), not christmas. An excuse to ligth candes, meet friends, give gifts and eat great food? Yeah, bring it on.

If I get a family at some point I think I might resurect the "julbock" ("yule goat") instead of santa. Basically the goat have been around swedish yule celebrations as long as we know, probably starting as a reference to the goats used by Thor to drive his wagon. Today goats of straw are used as decorations. In the 19th century a man dressed up as a goat was used playing the role santa later usurped. In my mind, a man dressed as a goat is far more funny than any bumbling santa claus...

I read about some of this. Peggy and I even went so far as to put together a Swedish Christmas one year, (a friend of ours is from a very Swedish family, and we've known her for next to forever), though my parents and siblings spent the whole time bitching about it. Needless to say, we haven't done it since, though I miss the cookies (which I can't eat anymore because of the sugar content...)

 

[Fungrim]

But "Bad Goat" conjures up WAY worse connotations than "Bad Santa" does.

Of course, that's half the fun. There's a very annoying christmas song here (dunno if you have it too) called "I saw mommy kissing santa claus". Now imagine what you can do with a song like that, with mommy kissing a strange goat?

 

[Fungrim]

Fungrim: Don't the swede have jultomten, a tomte (sort of gnome)-sized gift-giver instead of Santa (more of an ogre-sized dude)?

Erhm, no, I think. Tomte is indeed a gnome-like kreature (a nisse for any norwegian here). And jultomte is the swedish name for santa ("jul" == yule). But the traditional tomte myth has nothing to do with gifts. He is a small creature, varying in size from a hand height to a meter, with a terrible temper, and was traditionally attached to a farm or a home (and is also commonly referred to as hustomte, "hus" == house). Having a hustomte who liked you was a good thing and people tried to please him by giving him food and not annoying him. Being very strong he'd keep the trolls and other bad kreatures away and act as a kind of guardian angel in your houshold. But as far as I know he was never involved in gift-giving, you gave him gifts, not the opposite. Thinking about that, there's still a tradition in Sweden of putting out a bowl of porridge for the tomte at christmas, that sounds like a left over of the old tradition of giving the hustomte his share.

 

[Lisa]

I'm an atheist and gave a very good jewish friend of mine holiday cookies.
We're both fans of irony.

 

[Freakshow]

Of course, that's half the fun. There's a very annoying christmas song here (dunno if you have it too) called "I saw mommy kissing santa claus". Now imagine what you can do with a song like that, with mommy kissing a strange goat?

15 years of therapy to get over what I saw when I was 6, and you have to go and open up the wound. Thanks a lot...

 

[username]

As an atheist/agnostic, do you have any qualms with celebrating Christmas?

None whatsoever.

I don't teach my kids jebus nonsense nor do I teach them santa claus nonsense, but we still do the tree and presents thing. That is fun for all of us. On top of that, my employer gives me some paid time off work and there is no way I am passing that up.

If it were up to me, every day would be christmas.

If I had no kids then I would wish for every day to be New Year's Eve where we would party like it's 1999 and my employer gives me January 1 off so I can deal with the late bedtime and hangover.

Holidays kick ass and as far as I am concerned all stupid religions should push for holidays to be recognized so I can get more paid time off work. I don't care what the religion is, if I get paid time off work I am a believer.

My religion is holidayariast.