Your not alone, Paolo. I’m not ready for Christmas decorations yet, either. Maybe it would help if we thought of them as advent decorations, instead of Christmas ones.
I’m not going to say “Bah! Humbug!” because I don’t really feel that way. There’s a difference between not wanting decorations up too soon and not liking Christmas at all.
At home, Christmas decorations were put up one week before Christmas Day and then taken down again one week after. A two-week span was always plenty to enjoy them and keep us associating them with a special time of year.
I can’t help feeling that the lengthening of this ‘season’ is slowly destroying what it’s supposed to represent, and the ever-growing year-round rampant consumerism is making this occasion less and less special !!
Personally, I haven’t enjoyed Christmas since nephews and niece were little children - I feel it’s a time for kids and adulthood takes away a lot of the ‘magic’ of this time of year.
Oh to be young and innocent again!!
Dom
Far too soon.
We’re not allowed to mention Christmas til our youngest’s birthday is over on the 30th November. He’ll be 28 this year and he still won’t mention Christmas til he has his b’day.
And I agree that people seem to forget what Christmas is representing. A lot of atheists still celebrate Christmas and I really don’t get that. We are all believers in our home so Christmas is a lovely time in our home.
Shazzie xx
Shazzie, as an Atheist I celebrate the season. Just because Atheists don’t subscribe to the “birth of Christ” belief, doesn’t mean they have no right to celebrate the season. For me, Christmas time represents peace, joy and love. Having time to share a few days with people who don’t get to see each other very often…family and other people I love. Good food, fun and laughter and generosity to offer it to those that don’t have that. To remember those we have lost or that are no longer with us. Maybe try to “get” that?
A time for reflection, gratitude, hope, the Winter Solstice, the end of a productive year, a time to enjoy the harvest of a fruitful year, whether literally or metaphorically. You don’t have to be religious to receive blessings, and appreciate them. A time for finding inner happiness. You don’t have to have faith in a god for that. I enjoy a time of peace and good will as much as anyone else.
Being an Atheist doesn’t make me anti religion, just non religious. 
I’m also a non-God believer, as I feel Jesus was also in his final moments. See: Matthew 27:46
Around the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, saying:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus realised he was deluded in his belief - to me this makes the story of Jesus more tragic and powerful.
A philosopher king, rather than the son of God, whose ideas and goodly intentions live on in our imaginations - however Jesus the man is dead and never went to heaven.
Well… this is my rational take on this, and why I celebrate Christmas.
PJ
Poppy,
I would very much question whether this is still a time of peace and good will (…it seemed to be many years ago, but in recent times I’ve witnessed this period being used as an excuse to get horribly drunk, physically assault others (…I even saw a stabbing at an underground station at Christmas time a few years ago) and give in to the most negative of urges.
Sometimes, I’m glad that MS issues make me housebound !
Dom
Well they`re up! And boy! do they look lovely!!!
My fireplace, tree and window shelf with it`s nativity scene, musical village scene, show passers by that we enjoy the festive season…and we also choose to believe that Jesus did die and go to heaven.
Whatever anyone else believes or doesnt believe in is fine with us. Each to his own and we would never want to argue about it or force our thoughts on others.
Joy and love to all
Pollxx
Indeed Dom. I totally understand your questioning. I think it’s a sad fact of life these days, the seemingly lack of peace, good will. The drunkenness and violence and basest forms of behaviour unfortunately happen at any time. I am thankful peace and good will are to be found in my home, and so feel very, very lucky.
It sounds just lovely Poll. I wish we could post up photos on here! I’d love a glimpse.
Having had a strict Catholic upbringing and a Convent school education, I respect everyone’s religion and appreciate that there are many of them. I would never scorn anyone’s religion. Each believes their’s is the only one. I will never argue about it or force my thoughts on anyone. Half the wars in the world are the result of intolerance. Each to his own is okay with me too. xx
Like Shazzie Christmas begins after the birthday of one of the children - Dec 15 - a bit later than Shazzie’s son but like her we didn’t want the birthday to be overshadowed with the Christmas stuff.
My youngest granddaughter will be 8 on 19th December and we treat her to a happy birthday quite apart from Christmas!
Pollx
Sounds like a fun December
M
Ahhh.
December 1st.
Candles at the ready in the windows.
Afternoon spent wrapping some presents.
Tree at the weekend.I:-)
Just coming back to this thread… to point out that as a firm atheist, I don’t celebrate Christmas (in the religious sense) - I celebrate Yule or Solstice or Midwinter - the older, pagan tradition of marking the return of the light, when the days start getting longer again, with decorations of evergreens (holly and ivy), trees in the house, lights, food, friends etc. The Christians nicked it, and replaced it with a festival of their own, including many of the same elements but giving it a pseudo religious gloss. Fascinating stuff.
I do like xmas but what’s got me muttering is seeing the special display of cream eggs that’s just been put up in my local spar. Aye… Cream eggs!!! In December!!! Wtf!!!
December 1st and the boiler decides to poop its rivets (not literally thankfully).
Still… a $6k hole = xmas is cancelled! (The perfect excuse! Well played boiler!! Well played!!!)
Well in this house the Xmas season has begun. Begrudgingly, I’ve given assent to the traditional fairy lights adorning pretty much every room in the house. And the OH has arrived home from the supermarket with the traditional tin of Quality Street. Needless to say I’ve decreed that the QS will be parked out of sight until several weeks have passed. We’ll see if that works!!
Sorry about the boiler Paolo.
Sue
That’s a bummer Paolo. 
Hehehe. The traditional tin of QS was bought here also today. I had the first (of many!) mince pie and double cream poured over it after dinner this evening.
Four candles of various heights have been lit in my sun room at front of house along with the one in an enormous lantern in the window of my living room. These will only be alight for the weekends, for the cozy atmosphere, until Christmas week when we light them every night. Just tradition from childhood days. I bought two rather cute, soft textured Snowmen today also, in a half price sale. They are on the window ledge too. I’ll have to see if I can muster enough energy to do the tree over the weekend.