My Christian friend actually finds a bit of dislike in the secularizing of Christmas, and thinks the average non-believer shouldn't involve themself in a day they think revolves around myth. I kind-of agree. It doesn't really make much sense. If they put a national holiday up for muslims or jews, I wouldn't scratch my ass for it. I don't quite feel christian, but I do it just to settle the family. Traditions like that are hard to break.
Celebrating for different reasons. The religious can celebrate jesus and I can celebrate the one time a year that family puts their differences aside and comes together.
source http://www.holidays.net/christmas/story.htm - More informationa there december 25th is a pagan holiday
Only one time? My family has some big differences...BIG...but we manage to see each other as often as possible. May I ask you a question, yo.....are you white? To be fair I'll answer my own question as well: I'm mostly white, a bit asian, and other domestic attributes. I'm a mutt in ways...best of both world's in my opinion. I attract any kind of girl. I ask you this because I often see comments like you made from other white people . Americanized families don't seem to be as good as new americans or those of asian/latin descent...in relating to each other. I'm probably reading too much into your comment, but that's my job.
My family is by no means extraordinary.. my parents both had abusive parents. All the aunts/uncles are not very trusting, etc. The family has never really gotten along. All my aunts/uncles have had multiple marriages, etc.. They're also spread out over the entire US... so one day a year to all be in the same place was tough enough. English, Irish and German for the most part. I completely agree. It's one of the reasons I find myself more attracted to women outside of "my race"...
No insult to you, but that's kind-of common among 'white families'. My white side of the family is a mixed bowl. There's some that are in the closet racists, and there's others I highly respect. Something about America makes people selfish in my opinion. People stop caring about family as much as they should...jmo. My white side is as far away from each other as possible. Interesting mix. I don't like generalizing too much, but I got to say it's an odd deal with any race of women (especially when they're Americanized). Different races of women usually have their own culture of behaviour to bring with them. I don't know if you ever dated a latin woman...very passionate, very jealous, and when she's angry...she's angry. Although I could probably deal with all of those things, but the attributes of the Americanized woman are hard to settle down with. Among the other millions of things to deal with now-a-days. I might create a thread on this...I'm sure it will insult a great deal of women, but I don't throughly view women in just one manner. In some ways, I respect your no marriage view; but I think it's a generally good thing, even though (I must say) there isn't many good examples of a good marriage...atleast that I know of.
Yeh this isn't the thread for it.. but... I see alot of the problems stemming from their childhoods back in the 60's and 70's... when it was common practice and acceptable to beat and abuse your children. With a childhood like that you're setup for failure. The funny thing is most of my family is succesfull in the aspect of careers/money... but none of them are happy, they're all extremely judgmental, set in their ways, etc. Americans are spoiled rotten in comparison to the rest of the world, and it shows. Half the country is fat, half the country over their heads in debt..
Actually the 25th of December is just a date on a calendar. It's what you do with it that counts. Example: Do you know there is a 4th of July in France!
And a 14th of July in the U.S. Actually, it seems July just makes a bunch of pissed off people go ballistic.
dude, christmas was pagan hoiliday and they just remade it to be christs birthday, opps a little late family is way overrated in my opionion, some people in my family are dicks, why should I make myself miserable and expose myself to them for the sake of "family". If your family is good and close thats fine , but thats hardly the case everywhere.
Friendly advice, from one who's gone through this too many times - just be sure - the same feeling may eat at you once they start dying off.