Poll: Hypocrisy in Christmas beliefs?

[blackrave]

You're anti-xmas, not anti-gifting
Give her a gift on 22dec or 27dec if you can't force yourself gifting her on xmas itself
Even better, give her gifts on 22dec AND 27dec

 

[attackshark]

It's not hypocritical to give gifts if you're anti-christmas, as people will probably hold it against you even if they say they're ok with it. I'd also say it's fine to accept gifts (as this is basically the same argument in reverse order).

In my mind, it gets hypocritical when you start accepting/giving expensive gifts, or even worse, starting asking for specific things. If you're going to be anti-christmas the best way to do it is to not make a big deal out of the whole holiday, e.g. having a meal with family and exchanging a few token presents like chocolate/dvds. And it's always a good idea to make sure everybody knows you don't really care about Christmas, as it's not exactly the social norm.

i do not ask for gifts on christmas, and i actively discourage people from obtaining gifts for me. half because i do not observe the holiday, and half because i have no need. if i want something, i'll get it myself.

 

[Qtastic]

i do not ask for gifts on christmas, and i actively discourage people from obtaining gifts for me. half because i do not observe the holiday, and half because i have no need. if i want something, i'll get it myself.

I don't think it's about getting what you need. Often times, gifts are more of an expression of what someone thinks of you, how they feel. I don't give people food or money, I give or make for them what I feel best expresses who they are or how I feel about them...jeez I sound like a hippie.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

If you're against the corporatism of it, then buying gifts from retailers during the Christmas season and using the associated benefits is reinforcing the profitability of the event, and yes, you're a hypocrite. But I wouldn't care and I don't think you should either.

If you're against the religious origins of Christmas (as you've said you aren't, but for those that are) then you have nothing to worry about because it isn't just a religious event any more (and wasn't a Christian one to begin with).

 

[Caiphus]

Do you harshly judge those who buy Christmas presents? Because if you do, then that is probably hypocritical and you should rethink your position.

Do you just not like it when people buy *you* presents? Because that would be much better (and it sounds like this is closer to where you stand from your subsequent posts).

Or do you instead just not like how corporations use the event to sell as much stuff as possible? Again, I think that would be fine if you went along with it to make your significant other happy.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

If you're against the corporatism of it, then buying gifts from retailers during the Christmas season and using the associated benefits is reinforcing the profitability of the event, and yes, you're a hypocrite. But I wouldn't care and I don't think you should either.

If you're against the religious origins of Christmas (as you've said you aren't, but for those that are) then you have nothing to worry about because it isn't just a religious event any more (and wasn't a Christian one to begin with).

I was going to post, but this completely sums up everything I was going to say.

If your reasons are religious, don't worry.

If your reasons on commercial, you're supporting that commercialism by buying gifts.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Well if you really know your history, Christmas wasn't about giving gifts until the recent past. Even in Dickens' era (the dude who wrote about Ebeneezer Scrooge...) it wasn't really about gifts.
So it technically wouldn't be anti-Christmas to give gifts I would say. But at any rate, it never should be about gifts it should be about celebrating life in general which even if you're not religious should appeal to everyone but in these times where being GrimDark is the new cool, being a cynical jerk on Christmas will probably be the standard.

 

[shootthebandit]

I think corporations have a stranglehold on the public, we are forced to buy gifts and cards etc or else we are seen as selfish etc. Yeah but demanding material goods isnt selfish at all

Also christmas is not actually jesus' birthday (assuming jesus actually existed). His birthday was documented to be around june/july time. It just so happened that having a celebration on the 25th of december tied in nicely with pagan winter festivals and therefor made it easier to convert people

im not saying im anti-christmas, its one of the few times of the year i get enough time of work to drive up and see my parents, i eat turkey for 3 weeks and get drunk. So i actually enjoy it

Im not saying its not nice to give a gift but when you are forced to it just seems stupid. If someone really needs/wants something in any other month not beginning with 'D' id happily buy it for them but im not buying something because society dictates that i have to.

TLDR: im not anti-christmas, im anti-capitalist christmas

 

[NiPah]

Let me put it this way,
If someone learned you were buying gifts even though you were anti-Christmas the first thought in there head would not be "man is that guy a hypocrite", it would be "why the hell is this guy anti-Christmas".

Honestly if you were looking at it from a purely technical standpoint yes you are being a hypocrite for buying Christmas presents when you're anti-Christmas, not that it really matters, I'd worry more about the fact that you're not just ignoring the pointless little happy holiday but state yourself to be "anti" said holiday.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Buy gifts, feast, love you close one. Christmas was and still is a pagan holiday. Around Roman the time christianity started to spread with the ROman empire the christian missionaries started to convert people to christianity by promising that they could still enjoy the winter solstice.
Where I live it is still traditionally to have the celebration on 24th rather than 25th as church says it is.

Joulu, Yule is a pagan holiday and behave like pagan during it. Christ wasn't born during that day, christians just said that he did.

 

[Korolev]

It's a little bit hypocritical - you are celebrating a holiday for a religion you don't believe in. But then again, its so culturally expected in Western Countries that you may seem rude or uncaring if you don't buy gifts at this time of year. I'd rather be a little bit hypocritical than seem rude to my family and friends. Even though I am not religious (I can sort of bring my self to believe in the sort of "god" Spinoza talked about, but that's almost indistinguishable from atheism) I still get stuff at Christmas time. It is a little hypocritical, sure. But you know what? Everyone is a bit hypocritical at times. You can't live on this Earth without being hypocritical. Christians are a bit hypocritical - if they TRULY, 100% followed Jesus's teachings, they wouldn't be able to reply to this post because they'd have given their computer away to pay for food for the homeless. Jesus was very clear - the true Christian is a poor Christian because the true Christian gives their stuff away to help others.

Most believers are not going to give away their possessions as Jesus said they should. And that's FINE. They're not bad people - not at all. While it may be a little hypocritical to proclaim that they follow Jesus without fully following through on Jesus's teachings, it doesn't make them any worse than anyone else. EVERYONE is a little hypocritical. A lot of Atheists are hypocritical too, in the name of social convenience and out of the need to be nice to believers. I say "Merry Christmas" back to whoever says Merry Christmas to me - that's a bit hypocritical of me, but I do it to be nice to my Christian Colleagues and I don't have a problem with saying Merry Christmas.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Yeah, that would be completely hypocritical. Either get her a gift at a different time or drop the "AC" pretenses. Alternatively you could just be a hypocrite. It's not like it matters.

 

[spartan231490]

I'd say that it's hypocritical to receive gifts, but not to give them. The gifts are given for her, and she is pro-Christmas, so it's not hypocritical. On the other hand, receiving gifts would be for you, and would be hypocritical. That's my $0.02

 

[FalloutJack]

There's an episode of Big O which kinda' states this premise nicely. Roger Smith has no love of the holiday and he believes it's all utter tripe. But during an investigation of one of his various negotiations, he begins to get the idea that goodwill towards others and being generally nice to people during the holidays doesn't require you to support the holiday. You can just be a good guy because.

 

[rosac]

Are your beliefs more important to you than making your girlfriend happy? That's pretty much the crux of this.

CAPTCHA: Sorry Dave. I'm not Dave, that would be my father.

 

[Flutterguy]

No, because it is in many parts of the world a societal norm. Just easier to play along, get through it and try to not eat all the chocolate in one night.

 

[prowll]

Buy gifts, feast, love you close one. Christmas was and still is a pagan holiday. Around Roman the time christianity started to spread with the ROman empire the christian missionaries started to convert people to christianity by promising that they could still enjoy the winter solstice.
Where I live it is still traditionally to have the celebration on 24th rather than 25th as church says it is.

Joulu, Yule is a pagan holiday and behave like pagan during it. Christ wasn't born during that day, christians just said that he did.

Truth.

Also, coming from an atheistic family, Christmas is still celebrated as a time to get together, enjoy family, see people that you may not usually have time to see, ect. It's a social holiday, not a religous one.

EDIT: I just realized we're all missing the important point here. Are you a hypocrite? Maybe, who cares. Are you putting the happiness of your girlfriend before your own? Marriage material.

 

[Griffolion]

-snip-

No. That's the short answer.

I'll need to flesh it out to avoid the moderators.

Doing that isn't being hypocritical, it's being loving. Removing your own feelings & desires from a situation for the sake of someone else, that's a good thing.

 

[somonels]

The lack of celebration and unwillingness to partake in the socially mandatory exchange of gifts is not anti-christmas. Anti-christmas people are those who want it abolished from the status of a national holiday and impose restrictions on marketing/sales, e.g. somonels.

It is not hypocrisy, it would be if you'd call yourself anti-christmas while expecting/accepting gifts from others. It IS hypocritical of your girlfriend to know and 'respect' your opinion while still expecting/accepting gifts from you.