26th December 2005, 6:31 PM
Just to defend it, though what you say is pretty much right, sure it's made up, but that's pretty much what a holiday is anyway. From what I gather, Christians, at least the more intelligent ones, see it as simply the day they have chosen to celebrate Jesus' birth, fully acknowledging that it was essentially a hijacking of a previous holiday. However, it is pretty thouroughly hijacked at this point and for a lot of people that is the point of it, even if it doesn't actually occur on the day it is meant to celebrate. I mean, the name alone comes from "Christ's Mass", being a church event that was meant to take attention away from the evils of the decedant holiday.
Of course that doesn't mean it can't be celebrated in a secular manner at all. It's just a little awkward to be using that name.
I suppose it could be called the "Starlight Celebration" or "Winter Veil". But seriously lazy, both you and I know if anyone pulls that the "war on Christmas" will take a violent turn as this is seen by some as a "final blow".
Looks like GR posted while I was typing: It wasn't really up and decided. From the history I've read, it was originally a holiday celebrating the stuff lazy was talking about. It was decided not at random but because, at the time, Christians sort of had to "sneak in" a celebration like this. Essentially, Christmas USED to be Hannakah (I have NO idea how that's spelled.... sorry...).
Of course that doesn't mean it can't be celebrated in a secular manner at all. It's just a little awkward to be using that name.
I suppose it could be called the "Starlight Celebration" or "Winter Veil". But seriously lazy, both you and I know if anyone pulls that the "war on Christmas" will take a violent turn as this is seen by some as a "final blow".
Looks like GR posted while I was typing: It wasn't really up and decided. From the history I've read, it was originally a holiday celebrating the stuff lazy was talking about. It was decided not at random but because, at the time, Christians sort of had to "sneak in" a celebration like this. Essentially, Christmas USED to be Hannakah (I have NO idea how that's spelled.... sorry...).
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)