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The Christmas Experiment

Put your holly where your mouth is
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It seems that one of the greatest of Christmas traditions is to complain about how horrid Christmas is: the tacky music and decorations, the horrendously over-packed shops, the strife of preparing a huge meal that'll be devoured in minutes and nobody will thank you for, the variable standard of television, the hypocrisy, the waste, the ribbons and bows. But do people really believe that Christmas should be cancelled? We must find out.

The plan is this. This year (2003) we celebrate Christmas as normal. In 2004 Christmas is cancelled. Everyone will spend the bleak midwinter doing their ordinary everyday activities; no presents will be bought, no decorations will be seen, and no parties will be held (except for New Year). Then in May 2005, a referendum is held as to whether Christmas should take place that year. A similar referendum may also be held in subsequent years.

The combination of a christmas-free year followed by a test of the people's democratic opinion will allow us to finally say whether Christmas is a good or a bad thing, and whether it is worth all the hassle or not. And either way, moaning will be a thing of the past. Let the nation decide!

kropotkin, Dec 08 2003

Basically already done here: http://www.halfbake...requent_20Christmas
[snarfyguy, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

[link]






       What nation?
thumbwax, Dec 08 2003
  

       //moaning will be a thing of the past//

Bit of a leap in your logic there, kropotkin.
DrBob, Dec 08 2003
  

       I understand that the English tried this between 1650 and 1659. I also understand that, despite the edicts issued from the Cromwellian Puritans, most of the English actually ignored them and had the day off anyway, stuffing themselves with beef and goose (or whatever the festive fare of the time was). Over-commercialism isn't anything new - the Victorians complained about it too.
PeterSilly, Dec 08 2003
  

       Kropotkin's Kristmas Karol?
DrBob, Dec 08 2003
  

       Humbug!   

       Howabout a "travelling Christmas," like the Olympics, but with no competing for the next run. It'll travel through member states of the UN, where a simple majority determines if that particular country has been naughty or nice, as their name comes up next on the list for the next year. (Americans won't have to worry about it happening here until 2037).
RayfordSteele, Dec 08 2003
  

       But if George W. Bush is re-elected, then the US can forget about christmas for good.   

       Also... I think this idea is wrong from the base. Christmas is not bows, presents or crowded shopping malls. If that's what it is for you [kropotkin], then you can cancel it or not, you never had christmas anyways. The fact that it's become a whole christmas season instead of just one day makes it clear that the whole environment surrounding the birth of jesus has been commercialized and wrapped up in a consumist dynamic.   

       I am not a catholic and I still can find something good and worth experiencing to be extracted from this whole religious festivity. Some people still understand the almost forgotten meaning of Dec 25. You can cancel christmas for them, and they will still celebrate it.
Pericles, Dec 08 2003
  

       "We must stop Christmas from coming.... but how?"
waugsqueke, Dec 08 2003
  

       This year I'm planning to steal Christmas. I can't figure out where to put it, though. My apartment is too small.
snarfyguy, Dec 08 2003
  

       Considering a vote on this matter wouldn't get farther than this web page, Kropotkin you should consider seeking a personal solution to your problem. I suggest either converting to a strict religion that bans all cheery fun, or counting the blessings you have, for Christmas is something not intended to read into to the point where you question its universal appeal. I do NOT suggest, however, running for any polital office (because you, much like we apparently do with the holiday) would be wasting your time).
UrineForATreat, Dec 08 2003
  

       Pericles: But are you not yourself moaning about Christmas in the above annotation, thus proving my theory that people would be happier, or at least moan less, without it?   

       Early Christians managed without Christmas for more than 300 years. Surely we could manage 1 year as an experiment.
kropotkin, Dec 08 2003
  

       Well [kropotkin], aren't you moaning about people who moan about christmas? Basically, there's no idea here. So, um, stop moaning.
Pericles, Dec 08 2003
  
      
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