Why do we celebrate Xmas with so much death and destruction

[RATTER15]

Christmas is supposed to be about the celebrating of Christs birthday, so why celebrate it with so much death and destruction. I include myself in this, as I will eat and love meat but I don't celebrate any birth as I am an atheist and I will wrap presents and send cards, but I feel next year I will be changing my ways!!!

In the UK alone this Christmas we will :
dispose of over 1 billion cards this year,
10 million turkeys consumed,
3 million tonnes of waste generated
7.5 million Xmas trees bought and most thrown away
83 square km of wrapping paper thrown away.

It really is an absolute disgrace!!!!!!!

[ummmm]

I agree. I wish I could make a stand but I would just feel bad for the kids.

[noxlumos]

Well we celebrate Christmas in an ecumenical household that includes Catholics, Jews ( Hannukah, yes I know Jews don't celebrate Christmas), Pagans ( Winter Solstice) atheists ( who just like a good party) and agnostics ( who don't know what they like but do it anyway) by all just getting together and taking time to relax and enjoy ourselves with one another. Yeah we do buy more food and more gifts etc than normal but when my family appear from all over the world once a year I think that's excuseable. The rest of the year we are environmentally friendly, and charitable, as we are at Christmas as much as possible, and there's no reason that Christmas trees can't be recycled, likewise wrapping paper and cards.People have to eat something, if it weren't turkeys it would be something else and I like Christmas it's a time where if you do it right you set yourself up to have a better year next year and be a better person so it's not all bad imho.

[spurslady]

I can understand what you mean about all the waste.

Here is what I do to try and be environmentally friendly over Christmas.

We don't have a turkey we get a joint of beef as I'm the only one who eats turkey and here and it would be a waste. I recycle all the wrapping paper, we have a local weekly pick up service here for recyclable stuff. We have been using the same plastic tree from the attic for 6 years and it was used by my late father-in-law before us. I re-use the cards as tags for my nephew and nieces etc presents as they hardly look at them any way when they rip the paper off.
I have loads of cards that have been sent over the years stuck in a box ( which i will either recycle or use as more tags). and as the children are still quite young we don't really have much waste and don't go overboard with things we don't need food wise.

I hope I am doing my bit to save the planet.

[naz_nomad]

I agree 100% ... which is why this year all I'm gonna do is fly an ozone-unfriendly plane to Tunisia ... much better for the planet (maybe?)

[joko]

i can't see the point in sending cards to people you are going to see, and to all the neighbours you have barely said a word to all year

i only send cards to people i will not see, and if possible they are ecards now.

[RATTER15]

RaoldoM, get off your high horse and stop behaving like a spoilt child!!

I am all for Christmas, I love it !! I just think we could be a little more thoughtful, when it comes to the waste we produce and all the trees that are cut down for the paper and card we use and then throw away, all that killing of poultry etc, it should be about life not death, I am as guilty as the next man but I am willing to address the issue and be more considerate for next year.

End of lecture!!

crete!! say a prayer for me!!

[crete]

oh you naughty man sarcasm does not become you . i agree fully in your views, my small contribution this year i im not sending xmas cards but giving the money to charity. anyway its a day of celebration for Jesus birthday, and for non believers it is a time when friends and family can be together ,,,, should we feel guilty, most likely we should but there is plenty opportunity fo give assistance to socially excluded people at this time of year,,,,,,,,,lol

[Lonnie]

Just thought you might be intersted in this, we have the same problems, to much of a consumer society.

http://www.aish.com:80/movies/TwasChanukahNigh t.asp

[whiffey]

My ideal Christmas would be spent watching The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, and The Great Escape, getting gently sozzled, and all capped by a fiery vindaloo in the evening.

In reality it is an occasion to plaster hundreds of pounds over a couple of souls very close to me :)

I think on its meaning too.

[crete]

whiffey the great escape fabulous, and a sing a long to climb every mountain and here is me thinking you would only be interested in the question re favourite underwear asked earlier today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joko]

so it's ok to unnecessarily create tons of extra waste paper, because there is already lots being wasted already?

mmm....good logic