I'd be blaming Charles Dickens for all the materialism rather than capitalism! He's credited with inventing the modern Christmas with his "A Christmas Carol", and despite the superficial spiritual trappings, it's about as materialist as you get.

Although I rather think that the original mid-winter Yuletide ceremony was also the model for a lot of what we do - mistletoe and all that.

Interesting article. I know fairly devout Hindus living in Australia who celebrate Christmas. Christmas is just an excuse to show your love and appreciation through presents, methinks. I participate in it, despite my sceptism of any god, because I like the underlying "values" of Christmas.

When I'm in India, I celebrate diwali, not because I'm Hindu, but because I like buying really loud and probably dangerous fireworks and then setting them off. When I was in America, I'd get into the appropriate spirit for Hannuka (despite not being a Jew), Halloween (I don't think this has any religious meaning, just an excuse to get candy), etc.

I recommend everyone take any excuse to holiday!

Bozzie had ample opportunity to read Grace's posting then proceeded to blast her for things she never even said! This reflects the Murdoch media approach to this matter. The whole Christmas/Clover Moore issue is a trivial beat-up. I enjoy celebrating Christmas but I don't need the Daily Telegraph or any other worthless rag butting in and pontificating about how it should be celebrated. Let alone spraying falsehoods and misquotes around.

"Muslims may not celebrate Christmas but it is ridiculous to suspect they are behind this absurd trend. ... An anti-Christmas campaign is more consistent with aggressive atheism than any Islamic imperative." As an Australian Christian living now in Germany I would like to thank the author for these words. The Muslims in Germany form 3.9 % of the population, the church-going and worshiping Christians about 7.4%. I do not know the statistics for those under 40 years of age but I would not be surprised if among them the Muslims already outnumber worshiping (not just baptized) Christians. I think the situation in the rest of Western Europe is not much different. So the religious — Christians and Muslims together — already form a minority, and we should not allow the dominating majority make use of the old strategy "divide et impera" . In spite of the shortsightedness of some imam preachers and conservative Christians. This probably does not apply in the samne extent to Australia but I think it is relevant.

This is an irrelevant issue. The council has far more important things to do than worry about making sure the christmas celebrations are religous enough, or not. Who cares?

Would not spending all the budget destined for Christmas lights etc on ensuring all of Sydney's homeless are properly housed and fed over Christmas be more charitable, inclusive, and at the end of day more Christian?

The whole Christmas celebration issue was created by Murdoch and pushed by John Howard. The idea that anyone wants to stop anyone celebrating Christmas is absurd. Why don't you Christians worry about your own business and stop worrying whether or not the rest of the world is observing your religious events?