Christmas: The Most Irritating Time of the Year.
Ok, so if you’ve read my other (ridiculously controversial) article about religion’s synonymy with business, you will understand where I’m coming from in this article. Also, before I begin stating my points, I am going to add that this is my personal opinion, and not open for discussion or attack. It’s really just to make a small point.
I will begin at the beginning of the Christmas story. There is no actual record which states Jesus Christ’s real exact date of birth (assuming, of course, that he actually existed), but it is highly unlikely that it was not the 25th of December. In fact, there is only a 0.02739726027397260273972602739726% chance that it was in fact his real birthday. The date of 25th of December was chosen as the day of Christmas by Pope Julius I in AD 354. He chose this day as it coincided with the Pagan winter solstice ritual known as Yule. Not only was the use of this date a factor in the conversion of many pagans to Christianity, but the date also came with it’s own traditions which were “borrowed” by the Christians (giving gifts, feasts to celebrate harvest, decorating a fir or spruce tree, even the word ‘jolly’ which is commonly associated with Christmas originates from the word ‘Yule’).
Hence, one of the reasons for my refusal to celebrate Christmas is that it isn’t even an original holiday, the Christians simply borrowed a festival from another religion. Just like they borrowed their God from Greek/Roman mythology (zeus/Jupiter, an old bearded man, robed and sandaled), borrowed their symbology from numerous other religions, and “borrowed” an un-unique set of beliefs from every other religious circle in the world.
My second justification for my impatience for this silly holiday is that it has become so widespread that even atheists chose to celebrate it and follow it’s traditions. As I stated in my Religion-Consumerism? Article, this is a classic example of a “Come join our church, we have beer!” scenario. I will not be drawn in with offerings of petty material belongings. Besides, is it not more logical to celebrate new years with the exchange of [useful] gifts, seeing as New Years is an event which signifies a new start; out with the old and in with the new. So now, every year, I exchange gifts with my friends and family for New Years rather than Christmas.
Others may argue that Christmas is a good time to get together and spend time with your family. Ignoring the fact that you don’t need a worldwide holiday so that you can get a day off work to so. Perhaps if people weren’t so fixated upon earning billions of dollars and buying worthless material item after worthless material item, they would simply take a sick day and get together with their extended family.
Like every other holiday which has been popularized by Hallmark, the Christmas season brings on a universal wave of bad taste. It checks in at number one on my list of the tackiest holidays; the tasteless, plastic trees and decorations (like stupid fake snow in a can or the tinsel which just smells bad and gets in everyone’s way) all play a part in demonstrating how materialistic and trivial the human race has become. I have to say that the next time I’m in a store buying groceries or whatever, and have to listen to another bullshit Christmas song (especially the ones which contain words such as Santa Claus, snow, jolly, children, love, etc) I will projectile vomit all over the nearest object.
So there you have it--Although I believe I may be the only person here who realizes how stupid Christmas is.
