Favorite Holiday?

[KillerGremlin]

I absolutely love Halloween. It is by far my favorite holiday. I love the Autumn season, the leaves changing color, the moon, the way the air smells. I love pumpkins, red leaves, apple cider, BEER. And nothing tops the season off like Jack-O-Lanterns and scary movies.

Christmas is probably my second favorite holiday, but I actually much prefer the build up to Christmas. After Xmas day everything goes to shit and then it's 4 months of cold, shitty, depressing weather. Fuck that.

But right after Halloween? More fall. More good beer. Thanksgiving on the horizon. I love me Autumn and Halloween.

Anyway, what is your favorite holiday?

[Teuthida]

I was going to say Halloween too, but I never ever do anything for it. (And it always bothers me how folks will celebrate it on the nearest Friday/Saturday rather than on the day of.) That time of year is still nice though.

So, going with New Years. I like the idea of fresh starts, and had some interesting things happen on it in before.

Never celebrated Christmas. :(

[KillerGremlin]

I was going to say Halloween too, but I never ever do anything for it. (And it always bothers me how folks will celebrate it on the nearest Friday/Saturday rather than on the day of.) That time of year is still nice though.

So, going with New Years. I like the idea of fresh starts, and had some interesting things happen on it in before.

Never celebrated Christmas. :(

You should totally celebrate Christmas! You don't even need to be Catholic or religious. Hell, even if you are Jewish or whatever you can still put up lights. I love the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas where people put up lights, Christmas music comes on the radio, it snows...

[Professor S]

Fucking Christmas, duh.:drool:

Followed by Halloween.

[Vampyr]

Everything from the time I wake up Thanksgiving morning until the end of Christmas. I love the entire holiday season - the food, the lights, the Christmas TV specials - everything.

On the whole though Christmas is my favorite day (presents are awesome), followed by Thanksgiving (food and football are awesome).

You should totally celebrate Christmas! You don't even need to be Catholic or religious. Hell, even if you are Jewish or whatever you can still put up lights. I love the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas where people put up lights, Christmas music comes on the radio, it snows...

This is true, I'm an atheist.

[Bond]

Everything from the time I wake up Thanksgiving morning until the end of Christmas. I love the entire holiday season - the food, the lights, the Christmas TV specials - everything.
I agree with all of this.

I also agree with KG that Christmas can be celebrated both as a social and religious holiday. All of that anti-Christmas banter from a few years ago was ridiculous.

[Typhoid]

I love anything that happens in Autumn until Spring. I love this time of year. The smell in the air is so crisp.

But Halloween is my favourite holiday, too. I don't like all the dumb bullshit kids pull with the setting shit on fire etc, but all of the super pumped little ballerinas and dinosaurs I'm all for.

Autumn/Winter has got all of the best things. Halloween, Thanksgiving's, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years.

I agree that the beers at this time of year are much better than summer beers.

Plus hockey starts during Autumn, and the Grey Cup is just over a month away.

As for the Christmas thing, I'm pretty Pagan about it. I've never associated Christmas with "Christ" or "God", even though some of my family is Catholic. I decorate a tree, I spend time with my family and friends. That's all it's been about to me - I'm taking the Roman Winter Solstice back, for the Pagans.

[KillerGremlin]

Ironically, Christmas was a pagan holiday before it was a Catholic holiday. So all the more reason to celebrate it even if you aren't religious!

[Seth]

Yeah, Christmas is just like any other medieval hand-down holiday. Pagan to the core but adapted to fit a neopagan religious amalgamation. I personally appreciate attaching the birth of our Christ to it, as it reminds me of the era and the revelationary nature of our modern epoch.

'happy holidays' turns it into the depressing buy-up that tends to represent everything wrong with our consumption process. It's Merry Christmas or I just go snowboarding.

[Professor S]

Pagan or not, its the most positive holiday we have. It results in people buying each other gifts, throwing one another parties, and basically enjoying one another. Is it the exact date of Jesus' birth? Who cares? Eat some cookies, unwrap your presents, give out yours, drink some Nog, shut the fuck up and be HAPPY for once. :D

[Seth]

I agree. Christmas is a great time to reconnect with family and friends, and up the happy to HAPPY. well said

[Vampyr]

Yeah, Christmas is just like any other medieval hand-down holiday. Pagan to the core but adapted to fit a neopagan religious amalgamation. I personally appreciate attaching the birth of our Christ to it, as it reminds me of the era and the revelationary nature of our modern epoch.

'happy holidays' turns it into the depressing buy-up that tends to represent everything wrong with our consumption process. It's Merry Christmas or I just go snowboarding.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas are used in two different contexts. You say 'happy holidays' anywhere between Thanksgiving and the New Year. You can only say 'Merry Christmas' on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

[Seth]

I said that in context of the 'anti religious bent' of the holidays that has been an issue in public areas that label it christmas instead of something less exclusive. It's more airy sarcasm than anything serious, in that I'd rather go snowboarding and be HAPPY than listen to the disenfranchised raise issue with the naming of a holiday, especially since the religious context is indicative of celebrating the time of year in a 'community'. Christmas is all about the subtext. Talking about the more malignant issues of consumerist intent isn't downplaying the loving nature of the holiday.

But thanks for the temporal clarification for using each term. Makes sense as saying happy halloween during the candy buy buildup would seem silly.