Today I'm angry about.....

[thebish]

Christmas. Or rather, its expansion over the past 10/15 years or so.

Now, I may be looking at the past with rose-coloured specs, but when I was but a wee nipper, Christmas was December. It started on the 1st, Christmas spirit naturally built up over the next 3 weeks, ended on the 25th/26th,

hmmmm...

that's ADVENT you're describing!! CHRISTMAS starts on 25th December and lasts for the following 12 days - hence the song "The 12 Days of christmas". After that it is Epiphany.

[truewhite15]

Christmas. Or rather, its expansion over the past 10/15 years or so.

Now, I may be looking at the past with rose-coloured specs, but when I was but a wee nipper, Christmas was December. It started on the 1st, Christmas spirit naturally built up over the next 3 weeks, ended on the 25th/26th,

hmmmm...

that's ADVENT you're describing!! CHRISTMAS starts on 25th December and lasts for the following 12 days - hence the song "The 12 Days of christmas". After that it is Epiphany.

Yeah, I know it's Advent I'm describing; but you understand the point I'm trying to make, I'm sure.

[Wandering Willy]

Bish - seeing as Jesus's birthday falls on Christmas Day do you only have to buy him one present?

[thebish]

Bish - seeing as Jesus's birthday falls on Christmas Day do you only have to buy him one present?

he doesn't want presents this year - he wants you to sponsor a vicar in south Devon...

[Wandering Willy]

OK I'll bite.

[Gary the Enfield]

I hope they catch the bastard who attacked the girl soon.

they have arrested a bloke this afternoon...

26 years old. Let's hope it's him. Doesn't resolve the two men following my daughter's class mates, but it's a start.

[Annoyed Grunt]

Christmas. Or rather, its expansion over the past 10/15 years or so.

Now, I may be looking at the past with rose-coloured specs, but when I was but a wee nipper, Christmas was December. It started on the 1st, Christmas spirit naturally built up over the next 3 weeks, ended on the 25th/26th, and the Christmas spirit filtered away naturally over the next week. We put our tree and decorations up on the 1st. Christmas themed adverts only started on the 1st, and Christmas themed telly started at the same time, if not a week or so later.

These days, Christmas seems to start in mid-October. People start banging on about it so early. The themed adverts start battering us senseless just after Halloween, and the themed telly isn't too far behind. Case in point; the Coca-Cola ad. When you saw that, you knew that Christmas really was just around the corner, cos it only ever aired about the 2nd week in December. This year, I had people spotting it two weeks ago.

I look at it like this - there is a finite amount of "Christmas Spirit" every year. The 25 days it should be contained within is the perfect vessel to get people the perfect amount of enthusiastic and/or excited about it. If you start extending those 25 days to 50, or even longer, then your Christmas Spirit gets worn thin, and by the time Christmas Day rocks up, you're bored shitless of it all.

I'm not a Scrooge, I'm the most Christmassy person around from the 1st of December. But I can't be the only one who gets quite infuriated about this?

Agree with what your saying.

Weirdly, Christmas always started when this advert appeared:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=vAHHsLlX2mE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No idea why though?

[Montreal Wanderer]

Bish - seeing as Jesus's birthday falls on Christmas Day do you only have to buy him one present?

The trouble is we don't know on what day Christ was born (assuming he was) but it is unlikely to be December 25. This was decided about 364 AD by Pope Julius I, who picked the date to be in conformity with pagan yule celebrations as much as anything else. Many scholars think he was born in March 4 BC - others claim other months all on rather tenuous data. For example, it is suggested that the birth could not be in late December because shepherds would not be grazing their flocks at that time, but have them in winter quarters eating hay. Until there is reasonable proof I suggest we give ourselves a present instead.

[thebish]

Bish - seeing as Jesus's birthday falls on Christmas Day do you only have to buy him one present?

The trouble is we don't know on what day Christ was born (assuming he was) but it is unlikely to be December 25. This was decided about 364 AD by Pope Julius I, who picked the date to be in conformity with pagan yule celebrations as much as anything else. Many scholars think he was born in March 4 BC - others claim other months all on rather tenuous data. For example, it is suggested that the birth could not be in late December because shepherds would not be grazing their flocks at that time, but have them in winter quarters eating hay. Until there is reasonable proof I suggest we give ourselves a present instead.

indeed - but... given that we don't know - who cares??

[bwfcdan94]

are local preist was telling me that he has done one for a child before and no one came becuase those who cared for him livedx in America

[bwfcdan94]

on the Christmas side of things I used to love Christmas but i hated last christmas and will hate future christmases.

[Montreal Wanderer]

on the Christmas side of things I used to love Christmas but i hated last christmas and will hate future christmases.

Why is that, Dan?

[Worthy4England]

Christmas. Or rather, its expansion over the past 10/15 years or so.

Now, I may be looking at the past with rose-coloured specs, but when I was but a wee nipper, Christmas was December. It started on the 1st, Christmas spirit naturally built up over the next 3 weeks, ended on the 25th/26th, and the Christmas spirit filtered away naturally over the next week. We put our tree and decorations up on the 1st. Christmas themed adverts only started on the 1st, and Christmas themed telly started at the same time, if not a week or so later.

These days, Christmas seems to start in mid-October. People start banging on about it so early. The themed adverts start battering us senseless just after Halloween, and the themed telly isn't too far behind. Case in point; the Coca-Cola ad. When you saw that, you knew that Christmas really was just around the corner, cos it only ever aired about the 2nd week in December. This year, I had people spotting it two weeks ago.

I look at it like this - there is a finite amount of "Christmas Spirit" every year. The 25 days it should be contained within is the perfect vessel to get people the perfect amount of enthusiastic and/or excited about it. If you start extending those 25 days to 50, or even longer, then your Christmas Spirit gets worn thin, and by the time Christmas Day rocks up, you're bored shitless of it all.

I'm not a Scrooge, I'm the most Christmassy person around from the 1st of December. But I can't be the only one who gets quite infuriated about this?

In our gaff, the Chrimbo tree used to go up on Christmas Eve and come down on the Epiphany.

As I got a little older, that stretched to the Saturday before Christmas. Christmas cards went up when they arrived, but decorations, in line with the Christmas Tree.

By the time the "Day" itself comes around these days, I'm usually bored with it.

A case in point. Whilst I managed over a number of years to move the missus back from the tree going up sometime around the end of October to the first day in December, this position is being challenged by said Adverts, SmoothXMAS radio which is dedicated to Christmas songs and started at least two weeks ago, and the bloke across the road who never put any decorations up whilst he was single, but had the buggers up two weeks ago now he's on the arm.

It's as bad as those "twice a month" lawn-mowing bastards.

[Worthy4England]

on the Christmas side of things I used to love Christmas but i hated last christmas and will hate future christmases.

Don't believe them mate - he's real ok, I've seen him.

[thebish]

In our gaff, the Chrimbo tree used to go up on Christmas Eve and come down on the Epiphany.

[Gooner Girl]

on the Christmas side of things I used to love Christmas but i hated last christmas and will hate future christmases.

Don't believe them mate - he's real ok, I've seen him.

Well i stuck the Christmas CD's in the car today so it must be that time of year. Will resolve to take them out earlier then next May this year.

[bwfcdan94]

on the Christmas side of things I used to love Christmas but i hated last christmas and will hate future christmases.

Don't believe them mate - he's real ok, I've seen him.

Well i stuck the Christmas CD's in the car today so it must be that time of year. Will resolve to take them out earlier then next May this year.

good stuff. no it is because my mum died a year ago this month so that has made me hate christmas becuase lets be honest the most important thing is family when it comes to Christmas

[Gooner Girl]

good stuff. no it is because my mum died a year ago this month so that has made me hate christmas becuase lets be honest the most important thing is family when it comes to Christmas

Feel your pain Dan, my little nephew would have turned one last week. A year ago this week when he was just a week old he went into hospital and never came out, he was there all through December and died 3rd January. Its painful remembering the loss of loved ones at Christmas and you're so young to have lost your mum. Hope you have plenty of family and friends around to give you the support you need.

[TANGODANCER]

[In our gaff, the Chrimbo tree used to go up on Christmas Eve and come down on the Epiphany.

As I got a little older, that stretched to the Saturday before Christmas. Christmas cards went up when they arrived, but decorations, in line with the Christmas Tree.

As above. Done a day or two before, it started to feel like Christmas, although the shops were in full swing before that. Holly, misteletoe, those daft expanding paper laterns with candles inside that you daren't light unless you wanted the fire brigade out, paper-chain decorations made at school and letters to Father Christmas that you shoved up the chimney. How nieve were we when you could see them being burned to a crisp on the way up.

Midnight Mass then pxssing yourself laughing upstairs when your dad did his Father Christmas voice " Ho,ho,ho, have they been good boys then?",then scoffed the reindeers' mince pies and the sherry you left out. All good fun though.

As for what day Christmas is, I'm with thebish. What does it matter? They picked the day to celebrate the birth of Christ, we observe it. These days it's just another sales-fest for the shops and supermarkets.

[bwfcdan94]

Feel your pain Dan, my little nephew would have turned one last week. A year ago this week when he was just a week old he went into hospital and never came out, he was there all through December and died 3rd January. Its painful remembering the loss of loved ones at Christmas and you're so young to have lost your mum. Hope you have plenty of family and friends around to give you the support you need.[/quot

sorry to here about that, its not good when anyone dies but especially not a child, I will be brutally honest with you my only family that i ever see is me dad (who has generally made me feel like everything that has gone wrong in our lives since mum died is my fault) and my sister (is a lazy stuck up nice person who dosent lift a finger to help me with all the housework that i have to do). as for freinds i do not have any one i ould rely on if i had any problems I hve colleages that i may talk to football about to pass time but they do not help me when i need help and i do not have nowt to do with them out of school, it iquite difficult to make freinds as a bolton fan at my school i generally get told bolton are shit everyday by 100s of people quite a few of whom i do not even know, in fact that is what is the general thing that is said when i open my mouth. what i have learnt is that when mum died all the neighbours said if you need anything jusrt ask but they are never there for you when you do ask (which i occasionally do) I have very few people who feel sorry for me as they all just forget after about a month, but f**k it i guess that is better then constantly having people asking you are you "how are you coping". i still have to explain to people now about what happend to my mum when those who i do not really know bring it up.