Happy Holidays SSP:Vancouver!
 

Once again, on behalf of the moderators, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or don't celebrate at all, we wish everyone a happy winter holiday.

Merry wintery thing! :)

Merry Christmas all!

Firstly:

Source: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/p...e.aspx?id=3767


Secondly, while Metro Vancouver will not be celebrating a "white" Christmas this year, Metro Vancouver will certainly be celebrating a Christmas with a member of the "Griswold family" in their midst: :D

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile...03053_19_n.jpg

Source: http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile...03053_19_n.jpg

Merry Christmas everyone!

Edited to add:

When I was 15, a good friend of mine had two parents who were divorced and he never went to church in his life or was a "Christian" for that matter. Yet, on Christmas Eve that year, he extolled to me the "Christmas Spirit", which took me aback. I'll never forget that. Said statement had nothing to do with "Christmas shopping".

And I always wish my Jewish friends "Happy Hanukkah" who celebrate same. And I also wish my Sikh friends "Happy Diwali" during their festive season and also enjoy their festivities.

When I first saw the renowned movie "It's a Wonderful Life", a few years later, I finally got "IT" - the "Christmas Spirit". ;)

Very Wetmess!

(judging by the view out the window)

Yeah, Christmas isn't so much a holiday for Christians now, lol!

It's more of a consumer holiday for everyone. I know many people who arent Christians who celebrate it (like me).

Also Hanukkah was awhile ago so it doesnt really work now.

But yes merry X-mas everyone!

I couldn't make it home this year, so happy holidays from a very chilly Shanghai. So cold and clear in fact that for the first time I could actually see hundreds of stars from the center of the city.


http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/...1477f28a_b.jpg



I hope you all have fun with family and friends!


Oh, and here's a little Shanghai photo thread I made just in time for Christmas. It's my internet gift to all the Local: Vancouver peeps.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187007

:D

Christmas is NOT and was NEVER a christian holiday and doesn't even have anything to do with Christianity except for the name change. Infact the importance of it for all people precedes all religions.

For thousands of years ever since people have lived in northern climates the 25th has been the most important and most celebrated day of the year. The significance of it is that it is the winter solstice and the longest night and shortest day of the year happens. The reason its such a important day, especially to ancient people, is because the days reverse and begin to get longer until the summer solstice. In northern hemispheres these changes are not only more pronounced but you have harsh winter to deal with, mind you the earth takes a while to heat up again so there is a lag between mid winter and actual climate changes.

In any case long before the word Christianity even crossed someones mind the 25th was the most celebrated and most important day of the year in the norther hemisphere for nearly all cultures and all continents.

Nowadays the winter solstice actually occurs on the 21st or the 22nd, thanks to our Roman based calendar being inaccurate the dates have shifted and now the 22nd is actually the 25th.

See our calendar is based on astrology, like most calendars, and therefore the winter solstice was supposed to happen on the same day every year, the 25th of December. During the Roman times the solstices and equinoxes were important, the 25th of December was midwinter and was celebrated as the Brumalia festival honoring Brachus, the god of wine. The celebrations would always take part on the night of the 24th and carry on to the 25th. Not only that but the name of the festival Brumalia comes from the latin word Bruma, which means shortest day. In any case the Roman calendar that our calendar is based on was inaccurate, it was updated to the Julian Calendar but that one was also inaccurate and lost 11min every year. Eventually hundreds and hundreds of years later the difference was to big and we created the Gregorian calender that we use now, that brought in leap years and fixed the error, unfortunately they miscalculated and our Gregorian calendar is still off by three days from the original Roman calendar, so now the winter solstice happens on the 21st or the 22nd depending on the year.

As far as Christmas trees go, the Egyptians used evergreens to celebrate the winter solstice obviously on the 24th/25th of December, they would put them in their homes. Infact not only the Egyptians did this as natives in NA, Mayans, Romans, Druids, etc. had similar traditions to celebrate the day, and usually celebrate life. As far as gift giving, its part of another ancient Roman celebration called Saturnalia to celebrate the god of Saturn that went from the 17th to the 23rd of December. Even the legend of St.Nicholas just so happens to be virtually identical to a ancient Greek and Roman myth. The feasts and focus on purification has always been a part of the winter solstice celebrations from the Egyptians, to the Romans, to the Mayans, to the North American Natives.

The 25th of December is NOT a christian holiday, to say so is ignorant as every culture in the norther hemisphere celebrates it and have celebrated it long before Christianity or Jesus existed even in thought.

Whether Christmas is a religious festival or not, as has been suggested by some, it is nevertheless a good time to stop, appreciate what we have, to put aside rancour and resentments, take a look at our own selves and try to be better people, and extend the hand of goodwill toward others.

Happy Holiday season, everybody. :)

Yes just like the story of "Yule Tide"

Anyways don't correct me, correct many grumpy people who aren't christians who complain about christmas, like those when said "Merry Christmas" they reply very rudly going "I'm not christian."

Also in modern day times, no one celebrates christmas for the solstice. Ask anyone on the street what Christmas is about and they'll reply with "The birth of Jesus Christ".

This is F$%#ing Awesome! I can't stop watching it!

• Video Link

I agree. I have no issue with Christmas, though I actually dont like it because its just more work, that is unless you just have a nice party and dinner with family and friends and swing a deal to opt out of all the gift giving and other stuff that sucks, for me, and most men.

My issue is when people feel that Christianity, or any other religion has some sort of monopoly over such a significant day, or any other astrologically important day that our modern calendar is based on, which is lot older then Christianity.

Sorry, I was just ranting, it was on my mind before I read your post. :)

Hey but you should know though that there are still many traditions and celebrations around the world for the winter solstice. More than most people think, though NA obviously doesnt take part in any others.

Also until much older I would not have known that Jesus was supposed to be born on the 25th, same with the Christian significance of easter(the spring equinox). Infact just about a month ago in Mexico before Guadalupe day I learned who Mary was, never knew, nor cared. Religion plays no part in any of my extended families lives(all relatives), though the main traditions and celebrations are observed, but other than that kids when young including me were never exposed to it thus place and most certainly will always place zero importance in to it. Well not zero as I am ranting.

Here was a nice blurb I saw which is interesting, if your faithless :).
http://www.mother-god.com/winter-sol...ebrations.html