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Merry Christmas, Jerks!
Just thought I’d leave you on this joyous Christmas day with a little piece of sunshine a reader named Arestao left in my forum.
Is Christmas a celebration of the birth of Jesus? Or is it simply a continuation of the worship of Mithras of 2000 years ago, with a modern, if you can say Christianity is modern, twist? Or does it matter? Today it’s about empty prayers and lost souls. Consumption over Conviction. Materialism over Spirituality. Families may go to church, but is it a genuine sense of worship or a socially expected experience? Put on your best Sunday finest and try to maintain your status of conformity. Have we as a culture lost our way? Has style truly won out over substance. To me Christmas is a thought form created by the masses. Gluttony incarnate. It is not the sincere Holy experience it is taught to be, or the Joyeous delight that it should be. One more corrupted element of a confused world. Merry Christmas.
Hahaha. That’s so angst-ridden it hurts. I know, cause I’ve been there myself. I hope nobody is sitting around today with their knickers in a twist over this whole Christmas thing. I’m of two minds on Arestao’s comments above. We could of course sit down and hack our way through it and figure out what’s right and what’s wrong about the whole thing. Or we could sit back and enjoy the holiday (and our lives), and for once not worry about what it means, and whether it’s right or wrong or somewhere in between. The whole point of holidays is to break us out of usual routine and way of life, and maybe that’s the best way to think about the whole “Christmas question.” Things can be what we make them, and if we have a little laughter, joy and an open heart and imagination, we can make them into something really good. That’s how I’m going to celebrate the holiday, myself. Hopefully you’ll find a way that works for you. Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Heard 4 tv preachers complaining about stores instructing employes to say happy holidays instead merry christmas.one even made sure to let everyone know he was not inclide to shop at such places.keep christ in christmas.laugh that’s funny.leave to ceaser what is ceaser christ to the christians and have a bloody mary . Blessed comings on solestice and in the season to come.
December 25th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
that statement you quoted sounded like nothing so much as Puritanism.
‘holy shit– people are getting together and eating and drinking and buying stuff for each other!’
terrible! just terrible!
right or wrong, i think your point about the holiday breaking people out of the routine is dead on.
regardlesss of what you think about it, the feeling of an entire nation taking a day off is always novel.
December 25th, 2005 at 6:08 pm
i thought you guys might enjoy this;
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051225/ap_on_re_us/polish_parish
i don`t pretend to understand the ins and outs of the issue here but a rebel priest and applause from the congregation?, i could get behind that.
December 25th, 2005 at 8:43 pm
I would also add that regardless of one’s religion or lack of it, the actual things that Jesus said are valuable words to live by. The words he spoke are timeless and would truly serve to light the world if people actually paid attention to them instead of reinterpreting them to serve their own interests. With this quote I wish everyone of all faiths a Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2005 at 9:06 pm
The entire nation taking a day off. Jesus es word another bloody merry please
December 25th, 2005 at 10:22 pm
santa claus is the anti christ…
one love!!
human?
December 26th, 2005 at 2:42 am
Very
December 26th, 2005 at 2:46 am
Merry
December 26th, 2005 at 2:47 am
Mass o christ
December 26th, 2005 at 3:38 am
goddamn it Tim! you are a fucking genius. and i am also high. but that doesn’t stop me from realizing that your comments describe exactly how i celebrated this season. and unconciously as well! i simply shifted into a new mode of thought. goddamn!
December 26th, 2005 at 6:41 am
Great post! Whatever your take, respect other people and just enjoy the season for any reason. If someone wishes me a happy ramadan, I’ll say, “Right back at you, have a great ramadan.” Bottom line is someone has wished me happines, a gesture of good will in civil greeting.
Some people want to be angry, and to them I say “Merry Christmas!”
December 26th, 2005 at 11:42 am
Happy Festivus, Pop Occulture!
December 26th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
haha, ran prieur has a funny entry on his site:
http://www.ranprieur.com
December 26th, 2005 at 3:39 pm
I can understand what Arestao is trying to say, but it reminds me of Rage Against The Machine railing against Santa Claus at one of the older KROQ Christmas shows: yeah, it’s funny and thought-provoking, but it’s also pointless to contemplate because the holiday in and of itself does not oppress. If one wants to rail against conformity and mindless consumerism, that’s fine– but picking on Christmas to make that kind of point is like beating up a nerd to demonstrate why bullies are to be despised.
Christmas’ commercialization is a symptom of a larger problem, not the problem itself. And no one tackled that topic with more tact, humor and good will than Charlie Brown and company.
December 29th, 2005 at 9:11 am
I believe the mans concerns should be recognized, while Tim is probably right, it’s also a little refreshing to take a look at what it’s all about.
No telling if the collective unconscious is influenced by it or if that even exists, but the possibilities are there of course, so recognize.
I agree that the issue in itself is a little too conclusive i suppose you could say, I mean if thats truly a problem were going to have to do a lot more to come out of that then directly attack that in peoples ways. I just thought that Tim would have maybe actually addressed it a little and went on with his break but instead disregarded it and belittled the issue. It does exist. Angsty, but nonetheless true.
People follow their religions for peace of mind, dont they? Those who do not seek comfort or peace but clame to be of a religion are not followers, but active seekers and pioneers because of… whatever reason. Point is, if people get to the core of their religion they assuredly begin to find enlightenment and much joy, so theres nothing wrong with taking a step back and questioning a big thing thats right up in you face.
It could be refreshing.
My holiday was boss, I received not a thing worldly, yet tons of joy with loved ones. Infact I lost a lot of money! It’s all good though. I enjoy christmas, but theres nothing wrong with questioning it, I don’t think he was threatening it, just reveling in the alienation that occurs when you poke around on a national holiday… heh