It the season of 'commercialism'

Discussion in 'Humor - Jokes - Games and Diversions' started by Grandpa Patch, Dec 2, 2018.


  1. Grandpa Patch

    Grandpa Patch Monkey+

    Remember when you couldn't go to the store on Sunday? Remember when we didn't have telemarketers, who also call on Sunday. Remember when...

    Religion (in general terms) is a part of this post. Personally, I was raised Southern Baptist until I was old enough to make my own choice. Then I went through many years and many churches before I realized that I hated 'organized religion'. Yes, I am a spiritual person and believe that my conversations with God do not require me to be at a specific address and at a specific time. I have talked to God in some truly terrible places on this earth and he has made sure I made it home every time, no buildings or time requirement involved. Just me and God having a conversation. But like I said, that is my belief.

    I put the above part of this post in here for a reason and that reason is the season. We didn't have Black Friday, Cyber Monday or any other 'special day' for shopping unless a specific store had a sale for the holidays. Usually, prices went up as it got closer to Christmas, so you were better off doing your Christmas shopping in October and November. Now it starts the day after (actually now it starts at 6pm on the day of) Thanksgiving and all the way to Christmas Eve, the phone rings more than it normally does for telemarketers. I remember when Montgomery Wards was the store to go to for just about everything. When A&W was the place to get fast food ordered and delivered to your car without ever having to get out. When everything was closed on Sunday and everyone knew not to call your house, as you were probably in Church and not home to answer the phone. We didn't have telemarketers and lists of email, physical addresses and phone numbers being sold for the purposes of telemarketing. After Church there was family time, picnic, playing at the park, etc... ACTUAL FAMILY TIME. It was a day of rest after working hard all week to earn an income and taking care of those chores that needed to be done around the house and family.

    The Season just isn't the same and hasn't been for a long time, but I am reminded every year of what we used to have and what everyone so callously today only thinks of in economic and logistical terms. Will what they ordered be here in time for Christmas? Christmas itself is now just another day out of school for kids, but adults still work on Christmas as some stores do not close. Can you imagine not being able to get gas for your car on a Sunday anymore? Sundays have become just another day. Just another day of shopping, working and not getting together with friends and family and being thankful for what they have. Yes, everyone has their own religious version of this season and not everyone celebrates the birth of Christ and Christmas. Yet, everyone spends money and goes crazy in line to buy the latest, greatest and best gift ever. That best gift ever will be on sale after the 15th of January.

    Today is Sunday and it is The Season, so I want to say "Happy Holidays" to all the Monkeys and hope you all have a great New Year.
     
    techsar, Gator 45/70, Alf60 and 7 others like this.
  2. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you GP and everyone here at the Monkey...

    Going to continue with this greeting until they plant me!
     
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  3. SB21

    SB21 Monkey+++

    Me too. I make it a point to say it loud enough for everybody to hear it to. I've gotten a few dirty looks , but no one stepped up to say anything .
     
    Gator 45/70, Alf60, Mindy Sue and 4 others like this.
  4. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Merry Christmas Grandpa Patch!

    A Christmas Carol - Tom Lehrer, 1959

     
  5. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    GP, I too avoid organised religion, of any flavor, and came to the realization I am a Deist. As were many of the Founding Fathers. Works for me.
    With the passing of my parents, and my only close family being my sister and BIL, we have decided to basically ignore the Christmas Holiday. It has lost all meaning these days.
     
  6. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    If I can be bothered to say anything more than "Bah-Humbug" to anyone who greets me with a hearty "Merry Christmas!", I'll say " Happy Merry Jesus's Birthday" to Orthodox Jews; "Happy Hunukkah" to Muslims; and Happy "Eid al-Fitr" to Christian 'happy clappers' (Never minding that Eid is celebrated at the end of Ramadan which is approximately mid-year, but few Christians would probably know the difference anyway).





    And for the rest of us...."Happy Festivus!"

     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2018
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  7. duane

    duane Monkey+++

    Chelloveck, you hit the nail right on the head, as a Christian I celebrate Christmas as a time to reflect on family, the gift's God has given me and getting thru another year. It is our family time, not a mass shopping spree, not a pi**ing contest with some other religion, not a time to prove who has the biggest tree and most decorated house. If you do not believe in it or if your group doesn't agree with it, fine, I am doing it for myself and our family, but I wish you wouldn't mock it, take the day off, sell all the things for it, try to stop me from referring to it as a celebration of my faith, etc. Like Grandpa Patch I feel that the majority of all religions have continued to be tools used by some groups to control others, wars are he** and religious wars raise it to a whole new level. Mathew 18:20 comes right from the Lord's mouth and doesn't say that you have to pay the priest, or listen to the female minister or female rabbi, or which of the schools of the Islam faith you must follow.
    To those of you that believe, Merry Christmas, don't care if it isn't the correct date, or if it was a pagan holiday, or anything else, it has become the time we reflect on the Lord and our family and count our blessings on Earth as Easter is the time we reflect on the blessing we will have after our death. I find it comforting, enjoy the family and friends, and we don't have any Christmas tree or decorations and are not going to France for a min vacation.
     
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  8. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    The season is what you make it.

    I can buy gifts, I actually spend the time to make most of mine. Christmas is about things other than gifts.

    I have an open house every Christmas for people to come hang out, eat Christmas Chili and play games, dominos, cards, do who run it puzzles. Its a quiet and fun day full of great conversations and laughter

    It's what YOU make it.
     
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  9. snake6264

    snake6264 Combat flip flop douchebag

    No a fan of the "Season" never have been even as a child not that big a deal
    But Peace to all whom shall accept it and well other things for those that don't
     
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  10. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    I am having, and I wish you all Merry Christmas.
    We whom care about one another want them to be lifted up in spirit ,especially in dark times now and ahead .
    Hope is hard to come by for some folk and this cheer is broadcast to encourage hope in those looking for it.
    Jesus coming ended the dark days of hopelessness for millions my self included .
    And the gift of the Holy Spirit He provides, is a gift no man can take away nor can be bought in a store or church, or attained any other way, but something Jesus provides those that honestly seek after Is Lordship.
    I am sad for those that have made a mockery of Christianity with a lot of false representations and teachings and twisted scriptural references ,ideas of men and not of God .
    Jesus did not stay on earth because the attention is to be toward the Father as He had demonstrated in his short lifetime.
    Men so desperately focus on the flesh and neglect the things Jesus taught .
    I prefer to remember the gift of the sacrifice of Jesus life for our sake as a conduit of the Holy Spirit for those that love Him and wish to know and love God in Jesus point of view. .
     
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  11. Grandpa Patch

    Grandpa Patch Monkey+

    The OP was intended the highlight the irreverence for the season and the religious beliefs of many who celebrate this time of year. I am not and do not promote a religion, sect, group or ideology which is why I said "Happy Holidays" We have members here from other religions and some who do not believe at all. I am respectful of my friends and their beliefs and wish them the best during their holidays as well. Just as I wish them to respect my spiritual beliefs, but non religious point of view. When visiting friends, I participate (or remain respectfully quiet) in their customs, as they believe, while in their house. I was trying to get to the fact that telemarketers, door knockers and everyone else seem to 'up their game' this time of year in order to take advantage of the holiday spirit and how simple things such as 'quality time' or a day of rest are no longer 'in fashion'. Everyone is go, go, go, without a thought of what the season means to so many people. Maybe it is a generation thing, I just remember when the holiday season rolled around that things weren't so 'hussle and bussle'.

    I remember giving all the change in my pockets to the Salvation Army who stood out in the cold to collect for those in need. They could be heard before they were seen, as they always had those bells chiming. I remember the smell of freshly baked cookie when I came home. I always wanted to 'lick the spoon' and eat the unbaked cookie dough. I remember watching my mother mix the icing into different colors and then add sprinkles to the cookies after they were iced. I remember hanging lights and looking across the way to see what the neighbors were doing to their yard and house. I remember a lot of things that occurred during the season that were just plain and simple acts of kindness. There are so many non-religious memories of the season that built up to Christmas. It was a month long season of getting ready for the big day. The big day as a youngster was not religious, it was presents. As much as my parents tried, they could not keep my brother and I from focusing on Santa and the gifts.

    It was later in life, when I realized what the true gift to me was, the season. A season of love, respect and fellowship with everyone we ran into. Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, Happy Thanksgiving were the 'word of the day' for many years. Eventually I learned to include Happy Hanukkah, which by the way, started yesterday. So Happy Hanukkah (Hanukkah Sameach!) to those members who are celebrating their holiday right now. It was not a specific religion or faction holiday. It was the Season, when simple differences got put aside. Love, respect, fellowship and happy greetings were exchanged, not "Hello, this is ABC from XYZ. We are having a special on ..."

    Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce of 1914

    I hope this post makes more sense than the OP. I read it earlier this morning and I just didn't feel like I had said what I wanted to all morning. So, here I hope I have clarified my original post.

    Again, I will say "Happy Holidays" to everyone here and wish you all the best.
     
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  12. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    I have noticed the last couple years I don't see as many Christmas ads on TV and don't hear as much Christmas music on the radio as in prior years. Maybe the public has grown tired of the hype.
    If someone wishes me a "Merry Christmas", I respond in kind. If it's "Happy Holidays", I smile and walk on.
    I don't begrudge those celebrating as they wish.
    If they invite me to take part, I will. But I don't do anything special myself.
     
  13. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    I first heard that from a person last week ''Happy Holidays'' I responded Merry Christmas, She smiled and said Merry Christmas back
    I guess it's a clerk trying to be ''correct'' But then again I suspect she preferred Merry Christmas
     
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  14. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Happy Holidays includes both Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years etc. There is more than one holiday in December.
     
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  15. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Like I can count?
     
    SB21 likes this.
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