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Christmas TV Adverts ALREADY?!? The Bah, Humbug Thread.

F-UnitMad

By F-UnitMad,
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allan downes

allan downes

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Last night I watched several episodes of Human Planet which centered on where and how many people lived with most living either in jungles, on top of some impossible mountain or in the middle of some water less desert.

 

Now what all of these people appeared to have in common was that they had nothing compared to us in the civilized World but, they all did have one thing that we haven't got or never will have ( except of course in an American Christmas syrup movie where everybody stops shooting each other for 12 days of the year and smother each other in syrup instaed ) and that's, communial spirit and something I'm definitely short of as I wouldn't even recognize my next door neighbour if I saw he or she in the street and, even if I did, I wouldn't have a clue what his or her name was !

 

Mind you, I can remember something like it as a kid during the blitz when folk never locked there doors, willingly lent you a cup of sugar til Friday, and held parties in the street where every one chipped in their ration books to provide for them.

 

Now going hunting for food in Morrison's...

Edited by allan downes
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Ozexpatriate

Ozexpatriate

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If we are talking politically correct.

 

Happy Holiday.

 

Tin hat on already heading for the bunker. :O

The use of Happy Holidays is not a modern political correctness exercise in the so-called "War on Christmas". It has an obvious currency at least as far back as the middle of the 20th century.

 

Even that icon of American Christmas sentimentality, Bing Crosby, sang, (in Holiday Inn, the same 1942 movie in which "White Christmas" was unleashed on the world), a song named "Happy Holiday" so it's pretty clear the term has common usage - long before "political correctness" was invented.  

 

Of course "Happy Holiday" and "White Christmas" were composed by a Jewish composer - Irving Berlin. For what it's worth, "Easter Parade", also written by Irving Berlin, appears in Holiday Inn.

 

If "Happy Holidays" is a good enough greeting for Bing Crosby, I can't see how it is in any way "anti-Christmas" or representative of "political correctness".

 

I don't have an internet 'source' handy, but I'm pretty sure that the big department stores in New York (and it shouldn't be a stretch to figure out by whom many of these were owned), not wanting to discourage seasonal spending by their Jewish clientele during the holiday season, used the term "Happy Holidays" in their stores probably through most of the 20th century. I think we can determine the use of "Happy Holidays" to be a triumph of free enterprise and natural market forces at work.  The greeting appears in print in the mid-19th century.

 

The Jewish contribution to Christmas (as celebrated in America) is incalculable. One fun fact is that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was created as seasonal publicity for The Montgomery Ward department store in 1939 by Robert May - another Jewish contributor to Christmas nostalgia.

 

Of course complaining about the secularization of Christmas isn't new. The no fun zone, 17th century Puritans banned celebration of the holiday Ca 1647 (and had either railed against or curtailed celebration for the five prior years) as being irreligious and, at least as far as I understand it (and would be happy to be corrected) it wasn't an important day of prayerful reflection to them - the whole notion of Holy Days being the anathema of Popery to them.

 

With the Restoration, the celebration was restored in 1660, presumably, to (mostly) popular acclaim. (My guess is that Christmas was more popular than Charles II.)

 

This tradition was exported to New England where Christmas was banned by the Massachusetts Bay Colony legislature in 1659. Technically it was legalized there in 1681, but as a practical matter in Boston Christmas was discouraged through the 18th century and was not generally celebrated there until it became a Federal Holiday in 1870.

 

Frankly I think that angst over how Christmas should be celebrated is a old relic of the turmoil wrought by the Protestant reformation. No differently than it was for our ancient pagan ancestors, Yule is a good time to gather family and friends in a warm place, share food and drink and convivially toast the coming of the light once more.

Edited by Ozexpatriate
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Ozexpatriate

Ozexpatriate

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If you think the Christmass adverts are crap, you want to try the yearly dose of Syrup imported from the US.

 

What you get here is the same old vomit inducing films where every one religiously follows the same old format. Divorced young mom, starry eyed kid. Massive problem at home threatening the kids Christmas. Handsome single stranger moves in on the act.Saves the kids Christmas and all ends up in the Town Square whith everone holding hands and swaying gently from side to side singing Silent Night - up to their knees in gauranteed seasonal snow - of course.

 

To view, sick bag required.

Allan, you do know that you don't have to watch the Hallmark Channel don't you? (They run this stuff all year.)

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jonny777

jonny777

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You are definitely in the lead in the Bah Humbug competition.

The festive atmosphere and the carol singing and the opportunity to meet up with folks you have not seen for ages is a time to be savoured. I would not miss it for the world.

Having mastered the skills required in avoiding being bashed by rucksacks at model railway exhibitions, I have no fear in fighting my way down an aisle of maniacal trolley drivers all fighting over the last special *  Christmas Pudding. The dribbling, little brats sitting on top of the trollies grabbing items from the shelves and after a good chew throwing them on the floor might be a bit off putting, but  it is only one day a year. If the weather is nice watching the fights in the car park over parking spaces from a safe viewpoint can also be an entertaining way to pass the odd half hour. My money would always be on the 30 something professional woman in a Porsche. I would avoid the two newish German supermarkets as at these I find the customers are too intent on the shopping to provide any diversions.

* I like Heston's but other brands are available.

Bernard

 

 

 

Yes, I do actually dislike Christmas with a passion. 

 

I am always happy when it is all over and everything gets back to normal. It doesn't help that December is littered with relatives' birthdays. 

 

The 6th is my grandson's, the 7th is my eldest son's, the 11th is my son-in-law's, the 18th used to be father-in-law but he is no longer with us, the 20th is our wedding anniversary, and that is all before the dreaded day. Then, there is the most fake and laboured excuse, for getting paralytic and then just standing around waiting for a clock to bong, anyone has ever dreamed up; New Years Eve - and if that was not enough Jan 1st is my wife's birthday. 

 

Roll on Jan 2nd....

 

(Fortunately, I love turkey leftovers and the variety of dishes I can make with them; plus I don't mind if I have a slice of Chr. cake and home made mince pies each day through January. I baked our cake in October, and my wife will make the pudding soon. My granddaughter will probably "assist" me with mince pie making, and so there is not much of the 'potentially sold out' items that I would need from the supermarket anyway.)

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PatB

PatB

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Frankly I think that angst over how Christmas should be celebrated is a old relic of the turmoil wrought by the Protestant reformation. No differently than it was for our ancient pagan ancestors, Yule is a good time to gather family and friends in a warm place, share food and drink and convivially toast the coming of the light once more.

 

This, a hundred times over. I loved Christmas as a kid for the purely materialistic reasons that I got stuff which I wanted but couldn't personally afford, and because there were films on the telly that I couldn't, in that pre-video age, get to see any other time. Oh, and there were foodstuffs in the house that were nicer than usual.

 

However, now that I'm in a position to afford any material goods that I might want (or, at least, that anyone of my acquaintance might be able and willing to buy for me), and have control of the foodstuffs which come into the house, as far as I'm concerned the most important aspect is the spending of time with family and friends (of my choosing too). The seasons being wrong here, the warm place is less important, but when I still lived in the UK the eating and drinking in comfortable conditions, with those dear to me at around the turn of the year was a major annual highlight.

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Ross34

Ross34

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The way we undergo C*******mas in this country is fast becoming an endurance test.  I do my best to avoid it.  I send cards because communicating with friends and relatives once a year is much better than not doing it at all.  The Swiss do it so much better.  They have the big meal on 24th December and that's it, done.  Ours goes on for ever, and that's just the ruddy turkey.

 

Chris 

 

Me and the missus are agnostic so don't "do Xmas" at all.. no tree, no presents, no cards, no giant turkey, not even telly, oh and certainly no shopping (not with the sales 2 weeks away - I aint that dumb).. oh no hugging, kissing and wishing everybody a Happy Yuletide or whatever the current correct PC phrase is now....these very same people I might add who wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire come February.

 

I'll have a nice meal with friends on Xmas day - cause I like a nice meal and we'll spend some time with my old fella who isn't very well ATM - but I'll probably do that a few times before 25th Dec.

I'm happy to see the back of the 21st of Dec then it starts getting lighter - and most importantly to me signals the start of the gardening year.

 

And of course then comes the 31st - where its become basically a "who can spend the most on pryrotechnics contest" because to have a damp squib of a fireworks display just wouldn't do now would it...oh no.Sad acts..all because the date changes - oh well, roll on Easter when I can pay over the odds for chocolate - cause its egg shaped!

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phil_sutters

phil_sutters

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M&S are blunt about wanting our money with their ads ending with the catch phrase This Christmas, let's Spend it Well and it don't think they are in cahoots with the NHS when they say that. 'It' is, I am sure, 'your money' - not the Christmas season. Not that I shop there anyway, so I'll spend mine well elsewhere.

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Horsetan

Horsetan

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M&S are blunt about wanting our money with their ads ending with the catch phrase This Christmas, let's Spend it Well and it don't think they are in cahoots with the NHS when they say that. 'It' is, I am sure, 'your money' - not the Christmas season. Not that I shop there anyway, so I'll spend mine well elsewhere.

 

This isn't just cash. This is M&S cash.

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The Stationmaster

The Stationmaster

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I love Christmas! I love it all, the food, the atmosphere,, buying presents, maybe I never grew up but I still love this time of year!

 

I still enjoy Christmas but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't (and shouldn't) really start until a week or so before 25 December (except in churches observing Advent of course) and it very definitely does not end until 12th Night, which is when our decorations (such as they are) are taken down.  Our decorations - mainly a number of Christmas trees and a decorated mantelpiece in the living room are not put in place until the weekend before Christmas Day although as daughter works weekends this is nowadays tending to become the Wednesday before Christmas as she has a day off work on Wednesdays.

 

All that need precede it are perhaps the buying of presents and ordering and preparing some of the associated foodstuffs and there is very definitely no need whatsoever for it to start before Bonfire Night at the very earliest because all that happens is that it turns into a great big anti-climax for many people.

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Jol Wilkinson

Jol Wilkinson

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Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of the Christian ethic, or simply a cynical exercise by business to get more money out of a materialistic society?

 

If you think it is the former, then sharing food, wine and gifts (within reason) with friends and family seems a good thing. If the latter, then you get what you deserve.

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luckymucklebackit

luckymucklebackit

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But could you catch one on New Year's Day?

 

No chance, now you are talking about a mandatory holiday (and January 2nd).  Scotland puts the closed signs up for those two days, apart from our Muslim community who have the good sense to open up and sell that famous hangover cure - Irn Bru, they are also open on Xmas day and I am told they make a fortune selling batteries for all that tech and toys opened on Xmas morning.

 

Jim

 

Jim

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