Do you pressure people who don't celebrate Christmas to do so?

Good post, Lecanis. How did you come up with that name? I love astronomy and Lecanis sounds like a constellation. Perhaps it is named after some beautiful Goddess of the heavens. Anyway, I am with you on this one. I don't care so much about the holidays because I have no one special to spend them with. Sure, I have family and grandkids, but that is not the same. I don't mind if someone doesn't get involved with holidays or if someone likes going all out. I really think it is an individual choice and one should not be judged according to their level of participation. Anymore, Christmas is nothing more than spending weeks trapped in the local mall spending gobbs of money you don't have just because all the commercials are begging you to spend like a mad fool. You know, it is your choice to do what pleases you, not what others expect you to do to please them. Your joy is yours to create by doing the things you love to do. Don't let anyone ever take that away from you.

Nope, not at all. But one of my coworkers, who's a catholic, married a jewish guy, and his family used to get together for christmas just because it's a holiday the next day and you don't have to go work, so now that she celebrates christmas... they kinda celebrate it. I don't really know how will they explain it to the kids (they're just babies now), but they do celebrate. And plus, his brother and sister married catholic people too, so it's a strange family that celebrates (slightly, not too religious, obviously) both catholic and jewish traditions. Anyone is free to celebrate whatever they want, aren't they?

I agree with you she should never call someone a grinch for no decorating... I dont pressure anyone to celebrate, participate, or thing of that sort. I for one celebrate chistmas because of my religion and honestly i dont hang lights and all that other stuff i do have a stocken up (i cant seem to find the other one LOL) but i dont have a tree or anything. anyway what im saying is i express my thoughts but never to a point that presures someone Today at my job when i was leaving a lady asked me have you got your tree up yet?? I said nope and i probably want put one up either so wanted to know why and blah blah blah LOL I dont have ay room in my house for a tree it would have to sit out in the middle of the room

For my grandchildren I put on the happy rosy red Christmas face; but the older ones also know the pagan grandma and understand that her Halloween witches that decorate the house, stay up all year 'round. They also understand that the crystal "easter" egg stays up all year 'round. A force of playful pretend is always quite a pleasure though. When my own children were growing up (and way back before I Remembered Who I Was and Where I Came From), I wanted to instill that playfulness in them. As easter approached and my youngest was at the age of almost disbelief, I had my then boyfriend bring in a live tree from his farm with root ball still quite intact. We brought it into the living room, draped lights all over it, hung it with ornaments all made by the children while he and I were busy outside stringing lights all over the house. The entire house was ablaze with lights in April! "That crazy hippie girl and that long-haired-good-for-nothing boyfriend of hers", the neighbors were heard to whisper to each other. He (his name was Jim) and I sat down and wrote a small story about the Tale of Santa Bunny. We wrapped small presents of necessary items (not all junk candy - we were hippies after all - not to mention vegetarians (not now!!!) - so books, art supplies, other things like that) were under the tree. The Eve of Eastmas, Jim came in and spent the night with us (shock!). After baths, we all sat while he and I took turns reading the Tale of Santa Bunny to them. The book has long ago been lost; but the memory is clear. Wishing you and your family the magic of laughter regardless of the holiday. ~Donna Momma

NO, in fact, my sister sai dmaybe she doesn't have enough room at her house for Christmass this year I just told het don't sweat it, do whetever she wants to.

Personally, I love Christmas! I love Christmas trees and Christmas lights because I think they are beautiful and there is just something about them for me that makes me feel at peace when I look at them. Christmas is also special to me because it holds special and treasured memories for me. That is when I was a kid, one of my grandmothers, (my dad's mom), lived with us because our house was half in her name and half in my dad's name. I was treated badly by my parents as a child but my grandmother was the one adult person in my life at that time who didn't treat me badly and was very good and caring to me. My grandmother loved Christmas and she always did her best to make it special for me and my brother. So I have memories of setting up a Christmas village around the Christmas tree with my Grandma and decorating Christmas cookies with her and the whole nine yards. This is one of the few happy childhood memories that I have so this makes Christmas very special to me and is probably why I feel so at peace when looking at Christmas trees or lights. However, I do realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas for one reason or another. So people can not afford to, some people it is against their beliefs or culture, whatever. So I do not pressure other people to celebrate it. I think everyone should be free to celebrate or not celebrate whatever they want. There are times when in a especially cheery holiday mood that I start wishing everyone I meet on the street a Merry Christmas, then afterwards worry if someone I wished it to might have been someone who doesn't believe in Christmas and I worry that I might have offended someone unintentionally.

One of my friend at my work is a Jehovah Witness so she don,t celebrate Christmas. But she respect that we talk about that and that there is Chritsmas song. I also do respect her for not celebrating Christmas and no one is giving her to go to the christmas parties. So I don,t give pressure and I don,t feel like I have pressure around me.

No I am haven't been pressured to celebrate Christmas and if I did I wouldn't talk to that person ever again.I am a little different, the more you pressure me to do something, the less it will actually happen. I guess people like your co worker just assume that everybody celebrates Christmas. Wrong.It is so sad. By the way,when does your Winter Solstice celebration begin December 21st?

I don't force anyone to celebrate. It's their own preference not to do so. But I do invite people. Yes its upsetting to be force to celebrate. I am up into parties or anything once the company I'm working enforce us to join the Christmas party and pay a certain amount. I didn't joined the party and they refused to give me my december paycheck coz I didn't join the party. I end up going to the department of labor asking for advice. Well I did get my paycheck after much trouble of asking help. But it's not nice to do that way.

Hi lecanis, Of course I would never pressure someone to celebrate Christmas, especially if it wasn't part of their religious tradition. I've noticed that many people from other cultures do celebrate the secular side of it, and I think that's fine. I don't have much time for this political correctness and still wish people a merry Christmas. Blessings.

well ofcourse not,i could never pressure someone into something they don't want to do.we all have our own feeling and right and if someone doesn't want to celeabrate christmas that's fine by me.i have a few neighbors that don't celebrate but we still offer them to come and join us if they want,and they do.pattie

No but it kind of annoys me when people don't believe in anything, such as God or Jesus, and they're the first ones to ask where they're gifts are on Christmas. I have three friends that don't believe in God or Jesus, but celebrate the Christian form of Christmas or whatever you want to call it, and get so mad when you don't get them anything for Christmas.

I would never pressure anyone. Some people may not be able to afford extras like lights. If they just don't wanna celebrate that's on them. As for myself I love Christmas.

Most people where i live celebrate Christmas.They gather in houses, whole families with relatives and friends and have dinner, listen to music and dance, etc.Some houses are decorated with lights and the rest, but not all.These days everything is extremely expensive to buy.So, i dont press anyone to celebrate Christmas, they all do, each one with his/her own way.If money isnt enough, they would still gather people for drinks.And, personally, i celebrate Christmas, with lots of drinks, family gatherings and relatives, and luxurious meals.

Well I have to participate in the school Christmas celebrations because I am a member of the parents teachers association.And I like it.I have studied in the Christian school.Every Christmas reminds me of my first encounter with the Santa with fear in the first grade and the song in the background as the three wise men marches in.And Now it is becoming a fad to celebrate Christmas by the people of all religions here because the kids like to have fun.

Doing so would be unfair and cruel. i don't pressure anyone into doing anything they don't want to

NO I DO NOT PRESSURE PEOPLE INTO CELEBRATING X-MAS IF IS NOT IN THERE BELIEFS. One of my good friends is Javoah Witness she does not celebrate any holiday besides going to chruch. I think that is fine. The first thing I thought of when you where telling the story is the students is they probably do not have the money to buy christmas lights or they do not have the time to put up lights. I have the time but have not put up my lights this year. I do not feel like it this year. I do not want to pay for the PG&E to run the lights. I guess that makes me a grinch. I do not even have my tree up yet. I am thinking on not putting it up this year. I probably will put my stuff up but not today. I think your co-worker is to pushy and needs to mind her own business. So what if not all the houses do not have christmas lights. How would she like it if the students complained to her because they do not like the plants in her yard or if they do not like the car she drives.

I do celebrate Christmas and I couldn't imagine living life without Christmas. I don't really pressure other people. I'd feel sad for them because I think that they're missing out on the fun. But actually I think they don't care that much and it doesn't make any difference. For two Christmases now, we had over a friend whose family doesn't celebrate Christmas so he spends it with us. I guess its for the food and the happy cheers that he sees around. That makes him happy too. For people who do not celebrate Christmas, I'm just curious, Don't you feel irritated that most people around you wear happy faces, singing Christmas carols, preparing for a holiday you don't believe in? Sometimes we do get annoyed when people around us are happy and we don't have much reason to be.

No I don't pressure anyone to celebrate Christmas, though sometimes I feel pressured to, but just go with the flow I suppose since I did grow up with it and it's hard to get rid of tradition..If someone doesn't light up, that really doesn't mean anything either, it could also be that they just don't light up. I know my neighbors do celebrate Christmas, but only for a few years when their children were little, all they had was a wooden santa and now they don't do anything because the kids have grown up. (Myself, I love decorations whether it is birthday,Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever, the pretty lights make it festive and I love parties..:)

My boyfriend isn't a big holiday celebrator. He came from a small family, so he never had these big to-dos when it came to christmas or anything like that. On the other hand there is me, who has a huge family and we always made big deals out of the holidays. Last year, my boyfriend and I celebrated rather small. We exchanged gifts, but we didn't have a tree or anything. This year I asked him if we could get a tree. I really wanted one. If he was adament on not getting one, I could have lived without it. But he knew it would make me happy and said we could get a tree. He didn't really help me decorate it, but he enjoys having the tree around. He will put the lights on say he is doing it for me, but I know him. He's really doing it for himself as well as I caught him with the lights on when I haven't even been around. I didn't force it on him though. We talked about it and he agreed to it. I think just having that communication helped out.