what does christmas mean??

[mullein3]

what does christmas mean to you?? i am not religiouse so i never look at christmas as a religiouse celebration..by the time i have been round the shops being trampled on and queing for ages any christmas spirit has long gone!! its an expensive time as every day my grandsons list gets longer!! mr m will be working so its just another day to me..i go through the motions putting tree up decorations etc etc..i make cakes and puddings and send cards ..but when the great day arrives its a day of excess work for me and i am usually glad when its over..i allways think everything seems calm once xmas day has gone..i know that sounds weird but its an observation of mine..

[smudge]

I do feel for any parents with young children who have to work over Christmas. Our son-in-law is a Police Detention Officer & starts work at 1:00pm on Christmas day, so he won't be around the table with us at 3:00pm. Instead, like your husband, he'll be dealing with domestics & drunken yobs too - but it's all part of the job as he says! Two of my nephews are Police Officers in the Met & went through all that in their earlier days.

So - Hospital staff, Paramedics, Doctors, Firemen, Retail staff, etc., we're all be thinking of you!

[shaneystar]

Just shows how times have changed. when my brother did his hospital stint it was 1980 ..he is 70 now bless him and he although he often used to have to be on duty rota at Christmas it all used to be fairly quiet.Mind you the pubs only opened then for a couple of hours on Christmas day.Last year we had a car crash outside our house on Christmas day..nobody seriously injured thank goodness..but the driver was so drunk he was staggering around in the road.I felt sorry for the men who had to come out to clear up after this B.fool on Christmas day.

[smudge]

Some people never learn do they shaney?!

It's probably going to get even worse with the longer opening hours too. Mind you, the Government are putting lots of nice posters up, asking people not to binge drink - a contradiction in itself!

[mullein3]

mr m said it used to be quite when he joined 19 years ago xmas day was just quiet..its not like that now how times have changed in 19 years..the cells will probably be full of the xmas eve drunks...i hate the domestic violence that occurs around this time of the year..i hate men that hit women..bullys the lot of them!! if anyone hit me they wouldnt do it twice..this is what xmas does to some people it brings out the worse in them...

[pega]

I agree with what's been said once your family has passed away Dec 25th is just another day unless of course its your Birthday and then your a year older, this being so people don't remember your b'day and personnally have never liked christmas and feel should be seperated from religious festival, and there should be a bank holiday someother day, for people to have a drinks party which is mostly what it is now in pagan land and why go out a spend what can't afford I heard on the radio people still paying off credit cards from christmas in AUGUST the following year ? what pleasure is that. For past few years I haven't bothered at all with christmas call me Mr Scoorge but another day but without post or papers, and the rush and dash of people in the shops stacking up trolley's as if there's no tomorrow and shops only close for a few days. I have just come back from The Holy Land and visited Bethlehem and the church on manager square where christ was born a place I always wanted to go but this city has a 9metre wall around it and police and soilders everywhere, they came on the bus and checked all our passports, and we had a BBC camera man making a film of the pilgrimage he said to me that was frightening to have an armed guard walking up and down the coach.... so we sing peace on earth at christmas but don't let us forget this year with what happened in London many will find christmas sad with the family members missing. we need to look past the tinsel and glitter and remember for many christmas is sad and lonely and a lot of people now go abroad to get away from it all, the spirit of christmas today is money making and no longer any true meaning.

[smudge]

You have raised lots of valid points there pega - didn't want you to think they've gone unnoticed.

[rico35]

A lot of people have confused Christmas with merry making and buying and giving of gifts. Whilst these are important, if one can afford it, the real essence of Christmas is the fact that Jesus was born on that day. Jesus was and is God's gift to mankind. He is God's answer to sin and spiritual death, hence the reason why Christians celebrate Christmas. Unfortunately, a lot of people celebrate christmas without knowing what the occasion symbolises. Jesus is the reason for Christmas. If you believe in him and accept him as your Lord and saviour, your life will be transformed, literaly.

[mullein3]

rico 35 how do you know jesus was born on xmas day?? and that he is a gift to mankind..i dont mind you believing that but you would have a hard job proving it!! and an even harder job convincing me..you only think he was born then ..thats if he ever existed at all...

[WTR]

Not religious either but still can get a warm feeling during the Christmas period. I did read the bible when very young. One of the stories that struck a chord was when Jesus threw the merchants and money lenders out of the temple for de-basiing and corrupting his beliefs. It seems that we have culturally accepted the total commercialisation of what should be a very simple celebration of who we are. Back to basics gets my vote.