Winter Solstice

December 9, 2003 2:06 PM

Are you miffed that Christmas just isn't about Jesus anymore? Annoyed that is all seems to be about commercialism and spending money? You Christians can now empathize with the ancient pagans who were miffed that Christmas just wasn't about Mithras anymore. But don't feel bad about jacking Christmas from them, Mithras jacked it from Apollo, who borrowed it from the Etruscan god Sol.
posted by Tryptophan-5ht (25 comments total)

All holiday--political and religious and marking whatever should all be about drinking beer, eating hot dogs, and buying shit from near-by malls....that will bring us all together as one great people. The other oddities merely separate us.
posted by Postroad at 2:09 PM on December 9, 2003

I found a recipe for hot rum toddy last night.

If I need to pray to Mithras for it to turn out right, so be it.
posted by jon_kill at 2:12 PM on December 9, 2003

There's some excellent material on the more recent history of Xmas at this Pepys Diary thread.
posted by languagehat at 2:24 PM on December 9, 2003

My birthday is December 24th, so I'm working on pulling the rug out from under that Jesus guy. "Curlmas" would be so much better.
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:34 PM on December 9, 2003

In my opinion "Christmas" is simply a winter holiday. For one, Jesus was probably born in the spring; for another, it isn't just Christians who celebrate it. If I had my way November 30 would go straight to New Year's day.

*full disclosure-I do have a Christmas tree and there will be presents, too much food and relatives-but I know darn well that it really isn't about Jesus anymore, if it ever was. If ya go ahead and make it secular then Jewish kids can have a visit from Santa too. *

To me the real holiday is Resurrection Sunday (Easter to the rest of you) and even tho I do like bunnies and chocolate eggs, I do focus on the real meaning of the day.)
posted by konolia at 2:55 PM on December 9, 2003

"Are you miffed that Christmas just isn't about Jesus anymore?"

No. I am not.
posted by majick at 2:56 PM on December 9, 2003

As the Pepys Diary site says, every culture in the northern hemisphere celebrates the solstice in some way, hence stone circles aligning with sunrise on that day, etc.

This was long before that upstart Apollo.
posted by lerrup at 3:00 PM on December 9, 2003

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
posted by homunculus at 3:10 PM on December 9, 2003

To me the real holiday is Resurrection Sunday (Easter to the rest of you) and even tho I do like bunnies and chocolate eggs, I do focus on the real meaning of the day.)


Ah yes, the real meaning of Easter.
posted by bradth27 at 3:12 PM on December 9, 2003

Isn't easter when Jebus comes out of his tomb and if he sees his shadow you get 6 more weeks of lent?
posted by Dillenger69 at 3:20 PM on December 9, 2003

"Ancient Christians had an alternate explanation; they claimed that Satan had created counterfeit deities in advance of the coming of Christ in order to confuse humanity." - bradth27's link

"Giant, flying, lizards -- you moron! That's one of God's EASIEST jokes!" - Bill Hicks
posted by badstone at 3:30 PM on December 9, 2003

Excuse me, but as a fundamentalist Christian I must object to the levity in this post in the strongest possible way. Not only were the other gods mentioned mere idols while mine is the real God™, I also think there should be a spoiler warning when any information is disseminated about the history of Christianity and other religions. Lord knows it's only by huddling down a rabbit hole of complete ignorance and lack of perspective that I can maintain my faith.

Thank you. Carry on.
posted by Reverend Mykeru at 4:14 PM on December 9, 2003

As our next Texas governor, Kinky Freidman, once wrote in one of his more memorable songs "They don't make Jews like Jesus anymore".
He ain't Kinky, he's my governor
posted by lometogo at 4:44 PM on December 9, 2003

All I know is that if I can stay out of Wal-mart, it will be a good holiday. Unfortunately I already know that isn't possible. Bah, humbug.
posted by konolia at 5:41 PM on December 9, 2003

They don't make Jews like Jesus anymore.
posted by Eekacat at 5:49 PM on December 9, 2003

Thursday on Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians.
posted by homunculus at 6:05 PM on December 9, 2003

Konolia, Easter is also much, much older than Christianity, probably older than Judaism, Where do you think the rabbit and egg motifs come from? Fertility rites, that's where.
posted by signal at 6:21 PM on December 9, 2003

Jesus is nice. Ralph Reed is not nice.

Also, don't forget Sinterklaasje.
posted by the fire you left me at 6:27 PM on December 9, 2003

Can we please not play "bait konolia" in this thread? We just did the god argument for the year.
posted by languagehat at 7:33 PM on December 9, 2003

Easter is also much, much older than Christianity

Easter may be older than Christianity, but the feast of the Resurrection isn't. And a clever reader will note that konolia said:

To me the real holiday is Resurrection Sunday (Easter to the rest of you)

implying that she's well aware of the distinction.

Likewise, I hate Christmas*, but am fond of the feast of the nativity. And advent too.

*My loathing for Xmas has yet to reach its bounds.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:56 PM on December 9, 2003

I like the pretty Christmas lights.

All the rest of it, especially winter, I can do without.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:57 PM on December 9, 2003

"As we all know, Christmas is that mystical time of year when the ghost of Jesus rises from the grave to feast on the flesh of the living! So we all sing Christmas Carols to lull him back to sleep. "

Family Guy
posted by thatwhichfalls at 11:55 PM on December 9, 2003

Jebus?
posted by Robot Johnny at 7:48 AM on December 10, 2003

Christmas is about Jesus and Christianity and nothing else whatsoever.

The archeological evidence which misleads us into believing in the existence of Pre-Christian pagan civilizations (which are supposed to have worshipped some satanic version of Christmas involving cannibalism, orgies, or Lord knows what) was put there by God during the creation of the world in order to test our faith in the literal truth of the account in Genesis. We're not doing well in this test either, and I somehow don't think God is pleased at all.

Don't be misled. The steep road down to Hell is paved with naive, overly credulous belief in "science", but scientific theories are so feeble they can't even predict the weather two days into the future and so all scientists really do is milk the government for fat contracts which vacuum up our hard-earned tax money so they can cook up elaborate myths - like "Global Warming", "Relativity", "Genetics" and so on - that are designed to advance an evil liberal humanist agenda which is really the advance guard of a vast socialist conspiracy.

But don't take my word for it. Read your Bible and see for yourself.
posted by troutfishing at 10:43 AM on December 10, 2003

Another Christmas link, from bradth27's link.
posted by goethean at 10:44 AM on December 10, 2003