A good excuse to eat, drink and see family and friends.
I don't really celebrate Christmas, I celebrate a generic winter festival, using mostly pagan symbolism, but Christmas rolls of the tongue more easily and everyone knows what you mean.

I may start calling it Winterval, just to annoy people Daily Mail readers
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:23, 3 replies, latest was 14 years ago)

lets start calling it 'the baby who was shat out in a barn 2011 years and six months ago'

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:26, Reply)

Except he wasn't
Nah, I'm happy with Yule basically, pretty much every 'christmas' symbol barring the actual nativity was lifted from the pagans and even the nativity was stolen form previous religeons I suspect.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:29, Reply)

i know your talken sense but please don't confuse me with facts
i prefer to believe in a story made up by romans because my parents told me to
(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:30, Reply)

There was no such person.
FFS.
(Bear Pookie The Frankly Challenged. Halloween is coming to town., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:31, Reply)

yes there was i saw it in a book!

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:33, Reply)

The nativity was lifted piecemeal from the storey of mithras.
Except he was born in a cave, not a barn. But it was supposed to be a virgin birth and all that.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:31, Reply)

*finger on nose, Points*
That's the one I was thinking of.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:33, Reply)

The whole bible was created at the council of thingy in 300 and something.
Council of Nicaea? Something like that. The johnnies in charge looked at all the contemporary writings and picked the ones they liked the best to make up a book. If you read the coptic gospels they say quite a few completely different things. They're some of the books that didn't make the final cut.

Obviously I'm talking about the new testament here.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:37, Reply)

yeah, the jews don't celebrate chrismtas either
....oh wait no, hannukah
(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:39, Reply)

It's riveting stuff.
All of the 'Jesus as militant dissident' stuff was removed to make it palatable to potential Roman converts.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:49, Reply)

I have read extensively on Mithraism.
It's fascinating.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:38, Reply)

+ me
Winterval is a bent name.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:27, Reply)

Agreed!

( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:31, Reply)

Marry Winterval Beakers!

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:34, Reply)

And a decadent Yule to you, squire!

( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:34, Reply)

I shall be seeing you for New Years I think.
I do hope so.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:36, Reply)

Hurrah!
Good times! I may have need to take you up on the offer of crash space in the new year. Since we're definitely moving it's likely I'll have job interviews around London at some stage.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:37, Reply)

Shouldn't be a problem if you like Sofas
Give me a bit of notice to pick up spare keys from my mate and it's all good.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:41, Reply)

Excellent, many thanks
Waiting 'til the new year to start applying. Probably try the agency route to begin with.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:42, Reply)

Well no worries then.
If you need to stay at a weekend it may be even more crowded due to my son staying, but it's all manageable, if possibly crowded.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:03, Reply)

Then May I be the first to wish you a Merry Winterval Mr. Boyce?
*two thumbs up like Wee Jimmy Krankie*
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:32, Reply)

*two thumbs up Wee Jimmy Krankie*

( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:34, Reply)

May I be the first in a long line of people to run at you at full pelt
and boot you savagely in the bollocks?
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:35, Reply)

*chuckle*
You will not dampen my festive spirit Boyce. I hope you have a good one you mangy hippy.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:37, Reply)

You too, gaylord.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:38, Reply)

*minces in a festive manner*

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:42, Reply)

Would that involve mixed peel?

( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:43, Reply)

Mmmmm... Miss Peel

( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:54, Reply)

People have been calling Christmas winterval for AGES. It's essentially what Yule means.
Yule was around long before Christmas.
No one ever got upset about people calling it Yule.
Why do they find Winterval so upsetting?
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:39, Reply)

because its the muslings taking away our rights

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:40, Reply)

I farted in a muslings milk.

(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:42, Reply)

Because the Daily Mail made made up a story about Birmingham (??) council banning Christmas
and replacing it with Winterval, when in fact they were just using the name Winterval to cover Christmas, Hanukkah and whatever it is the other forrins celebrate. It's a classic "political correctness gone MAAAAAAD!" story, i.e. almost completely made up.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:45, Reply)

Well, quite. I mean, I know all that.
But even if it were true (which it isn't) why get so worked up? It's entirely synonymous with the word "Yule", which has never upset anyone.
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:49, Reply)

Not quite.
Yule is the ancient Pagan festival, Winterval is a more modern invention, not that I'm bothered. as for why get worked up, *shrug* you'd have to ask someone who is. I'm not fussed what it's called.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:52, Reply)

Because it's a horrible portmanteau and just sounds bent.
Yule sounds nicely archaic, Winterval sounds like a promotional event at a regional shopping centre.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:51, Reply)

Yeah, but it annoys people and I like annoying people.

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:52, Reply)

You should call it 'I hate niggers' then.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:54, Reply)

You'd be hugely popular in New Cross.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:58, Reply)

Wouldn't dream of stealing your shtick old boy

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:58, Reply)