I remember when I was a kid that christmas was fun. I am finding now that I have no christmas spirit. I ask myself why and this is what I come up with. I have no christmas spirit because there is no old style christmas left. We have all become so politically correct with the eradication of nativity plays, Santa v isits and "Merry Christmas". Gone are the days of end of year class christmas parties with christmas cards being given out. Gone are the days when you would hear "Merry Christmas" being said everywhere. We can't upset the ethnic groups by having Santa coming to visit, we can't upset different religions by singing christmas carols, we can't upset social groups by hugging each other and wishing each other season's greetings. Who ever invented political correctness is directly responsible for the death of the christmas spirit and should be slapped very hard (although that is not allowed either). Let's go back to the old days where it was ok to believe in whatever you wanted and celebrate openly and without fear. Merry christmas to all and I hope Santa visits you, eats your biscuits, drinks your beer and leaves you lots of politically incorrect prezzies...xxx.

Welcome Kathee Davis.
Tell you what I will have a beer and slice of my home made pudding for you.
Will not drop a bottle of Rum in while no one is looking.
Not chop the chooks heads of then chase them around the backyard.
Donnt run well out of the freezer.
Be a gum tree instead of the European pine.
Still have folk sleeping off the baked feed and pudding all day.
But not sure other than the kids growing up, and me and the brothers refusing to, much has changed.

All these changes must have passed me by.

We still do all the things and seem to experience all the things we did at Christmas years ago....(I even resurrect my mum's old K-Tel Christmas carol record every year)

Who doesn't wish their friends and family Merry Christmas? Who can't hug their friends and wish them Merry Christmas? Who can't sing Christmas carols?

Santa still visits the shopping centres where I live - and Christmas paraphernalia is all around....tills are ringing, ding, ding, a dingaling-ling-ling and all that....puddings and cakes are made, crackers are popped, cards are read. Number one son is busy nagging us this week to attend something in the town square on Sunday called the "Christmas Concert".

Am I living in an alternate universe, because "Christmas" still seems to be in existence where I live.

The whole point of A Christmas Carol, written nearly 170 years ago, was that grumpy old coots don't have merry Christmases.

But I guess they don't teach Dickens in school anymore either. Bah Humbug!

My old Dad is an old school Red and an Atheist but he's a softie, so we had a christmas tree, presents and feasting every year. I don't know where these christmas bans are occurring, Steiner Schools? Childcare Centres run by Jehovah's Witnesses? I've never come across a case of Nativity plays or scenes being banned, there's a part for everyone in the play,a blue eyed Christ, Three Oriental Kings, a palestinian carpenter and his missus, some non raciallly specific shepherds and furry barnyard friends. Plus most of the recent immigrants are Christians anyway, I think we're more likely to see calls for a revival of old timey christmases than any attacks on the institution. Muslim kids at my youngest daughter's school give out cards to their friends at christmas as well as little presents at Eid, my oldest is in High School so they're all a bit too cool for that sort of thing now but I've never heard of any problems. One time a naughty little Arabic boy was running around telling the Preps that Santa didn't exist but as I recall he was told to shut up and that he wouldn't be getting any presents LOL.

No katheedavis, personally I haven't seen any of the problems you write about, although I have read about some schools considering banning nativity plays because of large numbers of non-Christian children enrolled there.

I don't agree with that sort of ban, but I think it is appropriate if these schools also arrange for celebrations for other religion's special days too.

In fact, I think the Christmas foods, decorations and festivities seem to start earlier every year!

despite not knowing 'a normal'..xmass
why you cant ..now..i do know

see long ago..a coward..in govt..a pm
decided to shut down people 'getting together''..
so did shut down much you call normal..because he was fightend of us talking at the street party..or while waiting for the parade..or rioding a horse.

its..quite simple really..he simply trippled the cost of PUBLIC lie-ability/insurance

then came his war on terror..ie the people
[the leaders are terrified of 'the people waking up to their sin[spin]..

anyhow its cause..>> you changed..thats why.

i would prefer a real mass for the saviour's messages[love god by loving brr-other]..his revealing ..*the lies of judgment/reserction days..by comming back in 3 days...

but again we had frightend leaders needing cash for their mates

inlueof..how he was able to assure
even a real thief on the cross besides him
'that this day he too would see his creator[be in heaven]..as we all do all the time..[who is not thy brother..who here hasnbt been GIFTED a gift of life ..by him alone.

enough of the lies
see how juliar for egsample ..knew yesterday was going to be difficult
so did a premptive press spin session..PLUS BOUGHT FORWARD or planned a sorry..to those army brats raped etc..>>[WITHOUT INVITING THEM.!*!

.any of them..to the so sorry..
[we only decided last night to head off todays question/tomorrows headline..by spinning it..ho/ho/ho..mates rates as they go..

merry xmass
i note the other destractions..of the rent a mob green sin
plus vacination debait..mate once ya seen how..you wonder why not..

IT'S..cause the people forgot.

fun isnt laughing at a fool falling over
its showing them teaching them to stand up..

We still have decorations in the street down Darebin way but they're so crappy they might as well not bother, the budget, it seems stretches only as far as cardboard sleeves for power poles which appear to depict some inferior form of festive decoration.
I'm convinced this "war on Christmas" silliness is a creation of Christian extremists and that it's just another kid safe way of pushing their normal Islamophobic screed, they're "not anti Muslim' in the same way that the Pro Palestine people are "not anti Jewish", few people are fooled nowadays.
What's more I started prep in 1973 at a state school and not once did we have a Nativity play, we used to go and sing carols for the oldies at the local nursing home and some of the teachers would bring in a small tree for their classrooms but apart from that we'd make paper chains and stars to decorate the corridors and the mothers club would put on a party for us in the last week of school.

Do stop all the gloom and doom. Come out to Wentworth for Christmas. Santa's coming twice! Fireworks! Jumping Castles! Christmas carols! Not to mention the Pooncarie Christmas Shoot and Terrier Races! Tradition is alive and well. Some of the program:

MOTORCYCLISTS - MILDURA TOY RUN 2012 1st, Riders are invited to join the 2012 Toy Run in aid of the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.
POONCARIE CHRISTMAS SHOOT, 1st, Catering, bar facilities and refreshments
POONCARIE SHEARING COMPETITION & TERRIER RACES 1st, Prizes in excess of $800 to be won.
LIGHT UP CHRISTMAS Wentworth Wharf, 1st, Santa will be visiting.
COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CAROLS 16th Sponsored by Combined Churches of Wentworth
COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY 24th, Enjoy the Community Spirit this Christmas Eve. Free jumping castles for the kids, 6pm-live entertainment, 8.30pm-Santa arrives, 9pm-best Christmas dressed & $500 Hamper draw. Fireworks Display. (The main street is closed for this).

"I am finding now that I have no christmas spirit." You are not alone katheedavis...

Robert G Ingersoll was saying much the same as recently as 1891. This from his “Christmas sermon”, printed in the Evening Telegram newspaper, New York City:

"The good part of Christmas is not always Christian, it is generally Pagan; that is to say, human and natural. Christianity did not come with tidings of great joy, but with a message of eternal grief. It came with the threat of everlasting torture on its lips. It meant war on earth and perdition thereafter as a torch-bearer, as a bringer of joy, it has been a failure. It has given infinite consequences to the acts of finite beings, crushing the soul with a responsibility too great for mortals to bear. It has filled the future with fear and flame."

Those 'delightful', though politically correct, Puritans only had their way for 22 years with this:

"For preventing disorders, arising in several places within this jurisdiction by reason of some still observing such festivals as were superstitiously kept in other communities, to the great dishonor of God and offense of others: it is therefore ordered by this court and the authority thereof that whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way, upon any such account as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall pay for every such offence five shilling as a fine to the county."

From the records of the General Court, Massachusetts Bay Colony, May 11, 1659.

As you say "Let's go back to the old days where it was ok to believe in whatever you wanted and celebrate openly and without fear."

And without a five shilling fine.

All societies have their traditions and their cultural festivities.
Christmas is one of the great cultural traditions of the Western World
If we scrap it, then we deny part of our history, culture and tradition.
The great spectacle and colour will be lost.

I was privileged to see a huge choir dressed in red robes and white collars standing on the big staircase at the Crown Casino in Melbourne a few years ago, singing Christmas Carols. It was a magnificent cultural scene to behold.

Christmas is equal to the most colourful cultural traditions we see in other countries around the world. I know to the Christians it has special religious significance but to those who don’t share
this belief it is still adored as a beautiful cultural festive event.

A culture that lacks culture and tradition would be a sad thing.
So come on, “ Deck the halls with boughs of holly.”

Whinging about the loss of Christmas, or "PC", is fast becoming a tradition itself.

I know my kids will grow up seeing this being whinged about every year. I sometimes wonder if they will ever believe that their parents Christmases were that much better.

I hope not.