How Important is Christmas and New Year Resolutions?

[JackDaydream]

I am partly writing this because in another thread 3017Metaphysician queried whether atheists celebrate Christmas but, also, it may be that Christmas and New Year have various meanings for different people. I grew up with a father who didn't really like Christmas even though he was extremely religious, because before I was born his own father died on Christmas day. However, he made the best of it and my mother used to love Christmas in the religious sense and in its social aspects.

For some Christmas can be a religious festival but many who are not Christian celebrate it. Many who are not from a Christian background probably give and receive Christmas cards and people. Nevertheless, some of this can be shallow commercialism but others see it as a chance to catch up with family and friends. For some who are alone it can be a lonely time and it is known that many find it can trigger depression.

Christmas also rolls into the New Year, which can be not just an ending but a new beginning, as a time of making resolutions. Often, Christmas and New Year are of such significance, although, for some, Easter can be viewed as more important. I have always seen New Year as very important as a time for reflection and change. However, I find specific resolutions difficult to keep when the New Year becomes turbulent. So, what are your feelings and thoughts on Christmas, and the New Year in relation to the ongoing patterns and meanings in life? What can make Christmas significant and do you find that the practice of New Year resolutions important at all?

[ahaahoy]

So, what are your feelings and thoughts on Christmas, and the New Year in relation to the ongoing patterns and meanings in life? What can make Christmas significant and do you find that the practice of New Year resolutions important at all?

Tradition, rituals, symbolism = it is intrinsic part of human nature
Participate a bit on its practices

Resolution: at least for me: it has to be on a daily basis (not yearly) every morning when we wake up: a target, an objective, a sense of purpose.

thus if done yearly, it is more on assessment and future plan (big one) and the daily waking up should be focus on achieving it

[JackDaydream]

I hope that my topic is not seen as completely frivolous and it is not meant to be, and I don't mind if it is demoted to the lounge. To some extent, it is meant to question the nature of the frivolous itself, partly in how people go to complete extremes. For example, one of my friends who normally phones me about 2 to 3 times a day with all kinds of serious existential concerns is suddenly too busy to even speak to me in a whirlwind of family stocking wrapping. Another, tried phoning me at 3am and 5am, and left me a message about ongoing personal problems and I am just thinking it is the time of year to chill out. It was in this context that I wrote the thread.

So, I am just aware how Christmas and New Year is such a strange time. I neither love it or hate it. Last year, the forum became so quiet over Christmas and it is probable that family obligations came into play. I am neither accustomed to the most traditional and I can remember my mother once being rather taken aback by someone giving me, 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead'. I still think of philosophy at Christmas but I don't wish to be dreary. It may be that many will go missing from philosophy discussions here for a long time and a few never reappeared on the forum. So, I see Christmas and New Year as a strange time, but, if, nothing else I will wish all the fellow members a happy Christmas and the best wishes for the New Year, and I grateful to Scott and the moderators for keeping the site going 24/7 amidst life's ups and many downs
Jack x

[Ecurb]

I love Christmas -- and I like New Years, too. Christmas resonates for several reasons. First, the story of a baby born to bring love to the world, to save us from our sins, and to give us all eternal life resonates with every parent. We all think our own children's birth brought love into the world, saved us from our sins, and gave us eternal life. And we were right! The love and responsibility of caring for a helpless infant DID save us from our sins, and we pass on not only our DNA, but our love and our culture to our children.

In addition, the solstice is recapitiulated in the birth of Jesus, who is, after all, the light of the world. The light is reborn on Christmas.

The giving and receiving of gifts reminds us that God so loved the world that he gave us the most precious gift of all, his only begotten Son.

I suppose Easter is (or should be) the most important holiday of the Christian ritual year. But it's a little too bloody and problematic to fully enjoy. As Yeats wrote in his brilliant poem "The Magi", we all hope

"to find once more,
Being by Calvary's turbulence unsatisfied,
The uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor."

As an added bonus, here's G.K. Chesterton's poem "The House of Christmas", which I can't read aloud to my grandchildren without tearing up (despite my atheism):

The House Of Christmas | G.K. Chesterton


There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honor and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.

A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam,
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost – how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky’s dome.

This world is wild as an old wives’ tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

[Pattern-chaser]

I am partly writing this because in another thread 3017Metaphysician queried whether atheists celebrate Christmas but, also, it may be that Christmas and New Year have various meanings for different people.

There has been a Winter Festival of some sort in most civilisations, for as long as we have recorded history, and probably before. If nothing else, it's a way of keeping track of the seasons of the year.

[JackDaydream]

I am partly writing this because in another thread 3017Metaphysician queried whether atheists celebrate Christmas but, also, it may be that Christmas and New Year have various meanings for different people.

There has been a Winter Festival of some sort in most civilisations, for as long as we have recorded history, and probably before. If nothing else, it's a way of keeping track of the seasons of the year.

I understand that the idea of Christmas built upon the foundations of a pagan festival, with the likelihood of Jesus's birth probably being in late January. I heard this from Christian groups and don't know of the historical accuracy. There is also the winter solstice, December 21st, and, in that sense it is about seasonal cycles too.

Apart from Christian ideas there are probably so many stories embodied in the idea of Christmas, especially the story of Father Christmas. I never really believed in Father Christmas, because I knew that the chimney where I lived was blocked off, and it made no sense to think that Father Christmas visited every home on Christmas eve. Also, I don't think my parents were that keen on the idea of Father Christmas, as it may become blurred with the idea of the birth of Jesus. There is a lot which children may take in and try to disentangle, which is the reason why I raise the topic as a philosophy thread.

People approach Christmas from.various narrative perspectives, and may get so caught up in the commercial aspects and social celebrations. I remember when I was at primary school some of my classmates were startled that I went to church at Christmas. However, they took part in making Christmas cards and making clay models to surround baby Jesus in a manger and all the Christmas festivities. Christmas comes as a seasonal transition with various religious and cultural meanings..

[JackDaydream]

I love Christmas -- and I like New Years, too. Christmas resonates for several reasons. First, the story of a baby born to bring love to the world, to save us from our sins, and to give us all eternal life resonates with every parent. We all think our own children's birth brought love into the world, saved us from our sins, and gave us eternal life. And we were right! The love and responsibility of caring for a helpless infant DID save us from our sins, and we pass on not only our DNA, but our love and our culture to our children.

In addition, the solstice is recapitiulated in the birth of Jesus, who is, after all, the light of the world. The light is reborn on Christmas.

The giving and receiving of gifts reminds us that God so loved the world that he gave us the most precious gift of all, his only begotten Son.

I suppose Easter is (or should be) the most important holiday of the Christian ritual year. But it's a little too bloody and problematic to fully enjoy. As Yeats wrote in his brilliant poem "The Magi", we all hope

"to find once more,
Being by Calvary's turbulence unsatisfied,
The uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor."

As an added bonus, here's G.K. Chesterton's poem "The House of Christmas", which I can't read aloud to my grandchildren without tearing up (despite my atheism):

The House Of Christmas | G.K. Chesterton


There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honor and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.

A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam,
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost – how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky’s dome.

This world is wild as an old wives’ tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

I like the Chesterton poem. It is probably a good thing to enjoy Christmas. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I used to work on Christmas day in psychiatric hospital and I had some terrible shifts but some fun as well. I guess that there can be such a mixture of pain and pleasure of Christmas beyond the superficial aspects of celebrations.

As comparison between Christmas and Easter it may vary so much in associations. It is bloody in the way of being about the crucifixion and the dark time of Good Friday, as well as lent as a time of repentance. This is counterbalanced by the idea of resurrection. It may also be related to the idea of spring, although this may vary according to locations throughout the world. Generally, Christmas and Easter have varying religious, symbolic and cultural meanings, with New Year being more neutral in the idea of endings and new beginnings.

[Count Lucanor]

Always loved the Christmas season, since I was a child. Very little or none of it had to with any commitment to religious practice, it was all about the general spirit of celebration, the decorated streets, the tree, the gifts, the music, the food, etc., and since it was close to the year end, it was a way to look back to all that happened in that year of one's life.

[JackDaydream]

Always loved the Christmas season, since I was a child. Very little or none of it had to with any commitment to religious practice, it was all about the general spirit of celebration, the decorated streets, the tree, the gifts, the music, the food, etc., and since it was close to the year end, it was a way to look back to all that happened in that year of one's life.

Perhaps I am a subconscious misery because I often used to get sick with a fever at Christmas as a child and end up in bed. Even now, I broke a tooth eating a toastie and have to wait until after Christmas to have it taken out properly. At least, it may stop me from overeating. But, I do plan to enjoy Christmas as much as possible. The whole Christmas and New Year is a time for reflection, which is probably more important than party games and paper hats.

In England, it will be the first year without the Queen's speech, which was often an important ritual alongside most of the more religious ones, which used to come straight after 'Top of the Pops'. This music television used to come on every week, but only comes on once a year on Christmas day. It had a long history which goes back a long way to the Christmas hits which come on over and over again like, ','Merry Christmas Everybody', by Slade, as well as 'Feed the World', by Band Aid, the charity song for African aid and many other Christmas records. I would imagine that people in many countries listen to these songs although they may have others of their own as well.

[Count Lucanor]

Always loved the Christmas season, since I was a child. Very little or none of it had to with any commitment to religious practice, it was all about the general spirit of celebration, the decorated streets, the tree, the gifts, the music, the food, etc., and since it was close to the year end, it was a way to look back to all that happened in that year of one's life.

Perhaps I am a subconscious misery because I often used to get sick with a fever at Christmas as a child and end up in bed. Even now, I broke a tooth eating a toastie and have to wait until after Christmas to have it taken out properly. At least, it may stop me from overeating. But, I do plan to enjoy Christmas as much as possible. The whole Christmas and New Year is a time for reflection, which is probably more important than party games and paper hats.

In England, it will be the first year without the Queen's speech, which was often an important ritual alongside most of the more religious ones, which used to come straight after 'Top of the Pops'. This music television used to come on every week, but only comes on once a year on Christmas day. It had a long history which goes back a long way to the Christmas hits which come on over and over again like, ','Merry Christmas Everybody', by Slade, as well as 'Feed the World', by Band Aid, the charity song for African aid and many other Christmas records. I would imagine that people in many countries listen to these songs although they may have others of their own as well.

The main Christmas ritual around here is the dinner in Christmas eve. Usually roasted turkey and pork ham, accompanied with rice with guandú (pigeon peas) and coconut milk (you can find the recipe here). There's also the typical Christmas egg bread with almonds (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHDGuXSsb64) and tamales. There are so many different versions of tamales all across Latin America, but ours are made like this: https://youtu.be/AE1TF3KWksU. And there's no Christmas dinner for me if there are no Temptation Plantains.

The party begins late in the evening with everyone dressed up for the occasion. There's plenty of alcohol and music in most homes (especially classic Christmas salsa music from the seventies like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm39Sx7PF8o) and Christmas dinner is served around 11:00 pm, although some prefer to have dinner earlier. In any case, people wait until midnight to hug and kiss and watch the fireworks spectacles in every neighborhood. It's also time to open the Christmas presents under the tree. Young people get out to celebrate at venues and the rest goes to sleep. Then you're fed with dinner leftovers for three days.

The ritual repeats almost exactly for New Year's eve.

[Pattern-chaser]

People approach Christmas from.various narrative perspectives, and may get so caught up in the commercial aspects and social celebrations. I remember when I was at primary school some of my classmates were startled that I went to church at Christmas. However, they took part in making Christmas cards and making clay models to surround baby Jesus in a manger and all the Christmas festivities. Christmas comes as a seasonal transition with various religious and cultural meanings.

A lot of this is because we live in a Christian state, even though, officially, we don't. And those of us who do not follow Christianity get it forced down our necks anyway. What about Divali? What about Mithras, whose birthday has been celebrated on or about December 25th for two and a half thousand years? But no, we consider only Christianity, in our schools, on our media, and so forth.

[Ecurb]

A lot of this is because we live in a Christian state, even though, officially, we don't. And those of us who do not follow Christianity get it forced down our necks anyway. What about Divali? What about Mithras, whose birthday has been celebrated on or about December 25th for two and a half thousand years? But no, we consider only Christianity, in our schools, on our media, and so forth.

Oh, no! How horrible! People sing all those hymns and tell the Christmas story as related in Luke. Bummer.

Quit whining! I'll enjoy the stories about Mithras if you'll enjoy those about astrologers following a star to a manger.

[Pattern-chaser]

A lot of this is because we live in a Christian state, even though, officially, we don't. And those of us who do not follow Christianity get it forced down our necks anyway. What about Divali? What about Mithras, whose birthday has been celebrated on or about December 25th for two and a half thousand years? But no, we consider only Christianity, in our schools, on our media, and so forth.

Oh, no! How horrible! People sing all those hymns and tell the Christmas story as related in Luke. Bummer.

Quit whining! I'll enjoy the stories about Mithras if you'll enjoy those about astrologers following a star to a manger.

I'm not whining, only telling the truth as it is in the real world of the UK, and many other 'Western' nations. Only Christianity is celebrated, and even then, only as an excuse for commercial profit.

[Ecurb]

I'm not whining, only telling the truth as it is in the real world of the UK, and many other 'Western' nations. Only Christianity is celebrated, and even then, only as an excuse for commercial profit.

Why do you think that is? I'd guess it's because people like Christmas, and the Christmas stories, and the Christmas celebrations. Shouldn't they be allowed to do what they like? Here in the U.S., Fox News claims there's a "war on Christmas", and, indeed, there are some legal actions taken against religious expenditures and ceremonies sponsored by the State. Even as society has become more agnostic and atheistic, people still prefer OUR traditions to those of other cultures. That seems reasonable to me. Kwanza is fine, for those who like it, but it lacks tradition.

Businesses try to profit off Christmas -- but most of the people who celebrate are doing the precise opposite. They're spending their money because they like buying gifts, and turkeys, and (in my case) a goose for Christmas dinner. I'll grant that my son's father-in-law sometimes feels a little uncomfortable when I read the Luke Christmas story and the Chsterton poem to my grandkids, because he's Jewish (or an agnostic Jew, actually). I think he's gotten over it, though, and I like it when he teaches them some Jewish rituals. Embrace the love!

[JackDaydream]

A lot of this is because we live in a Christian state, even though, officially, we don't. And those of us who do not follow Christianity get it forced down our necks anyway. What about Divali? What about Mithras, whose birthday has been celebrated on or about December 25th for two and a half thousand years? But no, we consider only Christianity, in our schools, on our media, and so forth.

Oh, no! How horrible! People sing all those hymns and tell the Christmas story as related in Luke. Bummer.

Quit whining! I'll enjoy the stories about Mithras if you'll enjoy those about astrologers following a star to a manger.

I'm not whining, only telling the truth as it is in the real world of the UK, and many other 'Western' nations. Only Christianity is celebrated, and even then, only as an excuse for commercial profit.

I think that it okay to have a whine and a glass of wine! I used to enjoy having an advent calendar and making Christmas cards and all the big rituals. Christmas Eve also was treated as a fast day in Catholicism. So much has become more and commercial, with Christmas cards on sale before September. I used to send about 50 every year when I was a teenager. The amount shrinks each year as it takes so much time, especially as some people expect an annual letter.

My worst confession is that I haven't started writing my Christmas cards yet and that is because I have mislaid my address book in my room. So, it is rather odd that I have created a thread on Christmas when I am so out of synch with it. I need all the bank holidays to catch up, if I can unbury my address book amidst my piles of philosophy books.