How Christian is your Christmas?

Loved going to the Christingle services in church with our Grandchildren when they were small and joining in with the hymns and carols. We did used to go to Mass on Christmas Eve, not so much now, but we always have a Nativity with our Christmas decorations.

There's not much Christianity in the celebrations at my grandchildren's school. Many of the parents are from overseas, some of them are Polish and Catholic but Christians are definitely in the minority there. Many parents are from Africa or the East and definitely not Christian. I think that they do sing some Christmas songs but probably not with much of a Christian theme.
We're not religious at home either, though I had the full Christian Christmas treatment when I was a child.

Stella14

Not remotely. We (like many) consider it to be a mid-winter festival to break up the dark, cold days and nights. We are atheists. Don’t like how excessively forced and over-commercialised it is though.

I think that is the way to see it - also as a good long break for those who are slogging away at work for most of the year

Yvette Cooper would never have said anything so immoderate as that. That’s nonsense.

Wgat did she actually say then? 🎄
Or even mean?

Well done Dan Walker, my sentiments entirely. Christ is the reason for Christmas. If you want peace and joy I recommend a Carol service, I know people criticise the church but let's look beyond that to the Word of God.

Hear, hear Diplomat, Dan Walker can come across as a pompous stuffed-shirt but I back him completely on this point. 🤔

The Christian aspect of Christmas is very important to me as a Christian and regular churchgoer. My DiL is a vicar so DS and family will be celebrating at church. This year I spent many weeks making a hand sewn nativity scene with characters that velcro onto a background. All the pieces have been packed up in an empty advent calendar box that once had toiletries in, so the children will open a little box every day in December. I'm hoping that this will make the Christmas story exciting for them, although some of the boxes do have a chocolate treat inside as well. Hopefully my DS and DiL will bring the story alive for them as they open up a new item each day.

Not at all. We celebrate it as a mid winter festival for a family get together.

That's lovely jocork.

When my kids were kids we did the expected decorations Santa etc, minimal religious input was covered by the school, once the kids had left home, decorations if any where minimal, now we have grandchildren we’re back to Santa a few wall decorations and a Christmas tree

Thank you, Dan Walker. I am a practising Christian, and the birth of Jesus Christ is the most important aspect of it. I will be attending (and playing in) many services over the Christmas period. I will still enjoy the frivolous sde of it as well.
For Christians, Easter is the most important festival of the year.

I love Xmas carols, words and music. I love many other hymns too. I feel a little more hopeful for the world at Xmas.

We attend all the special advent services and midnight mass on Christmas Eve. We have several nativity sets which go in each room. I love the Carol services on both radio and TV, it’s something I was brought up with so links back to a lot of happy times with my Gran we made mince pies, shortbread and clottie dumpling whilst singing along to the carols.

The X in Xmas stands for the Greek word for Christ, I believe.

Original Christmas was pagan festival so not Christian at all

I am Pagan and my husband is an atheist from a devout Hindu family. We celebrate Diwali, Yule and Christmas. Diwali has no religious significance for my husband, as he isn't a believer, but it's a time for family. For me, Yule is the religious festival. Christmas is the big family celebration with all the usual stuff - tree, presents, feasting - though I might occasionally mutter that these are all Pagan things.

When our eldest grandson was a choir boy, we used to go to church to the Nine Lessons carol service. We also went to Midnight Mass each year and took him home. Though not a Christian, I always loved carols. (Husband had no idea what any of it meant but joined in gamely.) Eldest daughter and her family all emigrated to the US in 2014 and I don't think I will ever go to another carol service, as it would make me cry to remember those days.

Grannymel12

Original Christmas was pagan festival so not Christian at all

No, all people of all religions and none have always celebrated the various solstices - and do so still.

Earliest man celebrated the main solstices as did all the people who became Christian. No religion or philosophical belief has any ownership of the solstices.

Christians associated their special festivals with the solstices because they already celebrated them, but didn't share the attributions other religions gave them.

The more I read the more I see how much in common all the great religions share in both basic beliefs and philosphical teachings

jocork

The Christian aspect of Christmas is very important to me as a Christian and regular churchgoer. My DiL is a vicar so DS and family will be celebrating at church. This year I spent many weeks making a hand sewn nativity scene with characters that velcro onto a background. All the pieces have been packed up in an empty advent calendar box that once had toiletries in, so the children will open a little box every day in December. I'm hoping that this will make the Christmas story exciting for them, although some of the boxes do have a chocolate treat inside as well. Hopefully my DS and DiL will bring the story alive for them as they open up a new item each day.

This is absolutely gorgeous Jocork.. I especially like the cow and the camel..

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202411/medium-672334-img-1777.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202411/medium-778660-img-1773.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202411/medium-221893-img-1767.jpeg

I go to all the services - Carol, crib, midnight and definitely the Christmas morning one.
My family always used to go to them and we have all carried on.
Photos of one of my knitted cribs.

Exactly!

The above was my comment on a post saying that there would be no Christmas if it wasn't for Jesus.....

My husband and I became Christians in our mid teens (I became a Christian before I met him). I love everything to do with Christmas - trees, stockings, decorations, family getting together etc. But the real significance of Christmas for me is that Jesus came to earth from heaven and was born as a baby in Bethlehem.
As the bible says 'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life''. Everything else pales into insignificance beside that amazing fact...

grandMattie

I go to all the services - Carol, crib, midnight and definitely the Christmas morning one.
My family always used to go to them and we have all carried on.
Photos of one of my knitted cribs.

My vote is for the shepherd's. They're brilliant, and the sheep.

@grandMattie ......I just love those knitted figures! Could you possibly send a link to the knitting patterns? TIA.