The reason for the season? Unclear

[LuckyTheDog]

When, back in 1870, Dec. 25 was declared to be a national holiday, Jesus was not mentioned:

http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/When_and_how_did_Christmas_become_an_official_government_holiday

[rurallib]

1. MIthra's birthday!

[Parche]

8. mirtha

Jack Mirtha????

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. To dispel darkness

I mean physical darkness here. As days get shorter, people tend to get depressed. A holiday, especially one bright with lights (a characteristic that Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza and Duvali share), can help dispel the physical darkness, and I think this is why so many holidays from many different cultures are found to happen this time of year (note, too, that they all appear to have originated in the Northern Hemisphere-an important point when you realize that it is a time of long days south of the Equator).

[nancyr]

3. Lots of shopping!

Beef up the old economy!

[nancyr]

4. Lots of shopping!

Beef up the old economy!

[H2O Man]

7. Correct.

In the past, when people lived in harmony with the environment, it was an important point in the year for the reasons you describe. It is still the most important of the festival/holidays for many groups who enjoy a closer connection to the 13 moons of each year.

[mongo]

11. Yep

And it's too bad we don't keep some of the yule log traditions.

Find the biggest log you can, drag one end into the fireplace, and party until it burns down -- 10 or so days.

Kind of what we need this time of year.

[Devlzown]

5. They left Jesus out again!

Those heathens could at least have mentioned Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Who Died for all our sins. Pres. Grant and the Congress started the War on Christmas!

[Buzz Clik]

6. What's your point?

If you don't want a holiday, then work. It's that simple.

If you don't mind having the holiday but don't buy into or don't understand the underpinnings, let it go.

One gets the very strong impression that this is yet another in a very looooonnnngggg string of threads designed to yank the chain of Christians. Maybe you could hop over to Freeperville and join them in questioning the legitimacy of Kwanzaa; or, better still -- do it here. Wouldn't that be great flame bait?

[mongo]

10. LOL!

or don't understand the underpinnings, let it go.

:rofl:

[LuckyTheDog]

12. The point is that we have a secular government

And the fact that the feds made the "birthday of Jesus" into a holiday is not evidence to suggest otherwise. The feds made Dec. 25 into a holiday and basically left the citizens to assign their own meaning to it. Good for them, I say. This is no "Christian republic." It is a republic in which most people happen to be Christian.

[enki23]

9. that was the only way to make it a federal holiday

and that's just fine. of course, that isn't "the reason for the season" either. we've got reasons for the holiday "season" that stretch back long, loooooooooong before christianity. even christians can't really argue that one. well, i'm sure some can, but only the biggest and reddest of the asshats could pull that one off.

the reason for the season is, just maybe, due to the time it takes the earth to orbit the sun, which predates all of us by a bit.