Lets see what everyone thinks

It's both, depending on if you let the commericals get to you or not.

I know I'll be spending it with family and friends and enjoying a traditional relaxing kiwi summer break out of the city (at least part of it).

Yeah, the same as MrT. I don't really find Christmas that huge, not meaningful at all really.

I haven't even started buying Christmas bloody presents, damnit!

umm, I think everyone realises how commercialised its become, and sure its lame seeing christmas trees in shop in november, but hey. I havent started xmas shopping yet, this year it doesnt really seem like xmas-season yet. Apart from just then when my brother told me hes expecting me to put in $180 for the kids xmas pressies. That kinda sucked. I like xmas morning when i get pressies, but the rest of the day is kinda ehh. I like going away AFTER xmas more. But xmas shopping is fun. Can you tell i dont have a whole lot to say but want to talk anyway? im bored.

edits: i do really really like xmas and late night xmas shopping tho, really.

Christmas shopping is easy, I just bought everyone a box of Ferrero Rocher.

BTW, is anyone else going to Whangamata? I may go down there for a week (christmas --> new years), have to see what other plans I have first.

who cares, Santa is so hot :fap:

Oob, go to Hahei for the period between christmas and new year. Anyone else going to Hahei or places around it (e.g. Cooks Beach, Pauanui, Tairua, Kopu hill, Coroglen, Whitianga etc)?

EDIT: Dude, I'm not giving my family Ferrero Rocher. That's like giving people flowers from their own frontyard, only worse.

Unless you're religious, Christmas is nothing more than an excellent commercial opportunity. Hell, even the stores in China are taking advantage of the whole "Christmas grand sale" idea!

Since I'm neither White nor Christian, I don't celebrate Christmas, but I still use the opportunity to buy goods on discount (if only parking isn't a problem around the malls). At the moment, I can't wait for the music shops to toss out their old classical CDs for cheap. Hmm, maybe I should buy an iPod...

So you're a Boxing Day shopping fanatic, Adolf...

If parking is a problem, walk or get the bus there. Then you can buy a cheap pushbike on sale, and then you won't have to worry about parking for sales the year after either. :)

Boxing day, New Years, you name it, I'll be there! I wouldn't have to worry about parking since I get there early in the morning while the other customers are still at home sleeping off last night's feast.

My family goes to Whanga, and there are people I know there. I'm not sure if I'll go at this point, still deciding.

But everyone loves chocolate! It's the perfect gift!

I prefer Waihi or nearby Bowentown for the gap between Christmas and New Year. Heaps of stuff to do, surf and swim beaches, and it's only a brief drive from the Mount if you want to put yourself in harm's way on New Year's Eve.

Christmas for me is a time to give people pressies, i love buying things for people and then giving them something. It's kinda fun. I love christmas coz you put the real tree up and every morning you wake up and the house smells like tree and at night you turn the lights on and get all excited. It's warm and lovely and then when christmas is over, it's only like 5 days till new years, yay!! Sure it has become commercial, but better commercial than celebrating religous dogma that we are'nt even sure happened. I still can't beleive i used to play the angel with the star that guided the wise men in my old churches christmas plays on christmas day, every bloody year until i became old enough to think for myself and tell them to fuck off.

The pagan angle is another thing, but it's a bit odd celebrating the northern winter solstice in the middle of summer. Just about as odd as Easter, where you celebrate the northern spring in the middle of winter.

(Both Christmas and Easter were scheduled by the early Church to match pagan festivals, for public relations and marketing reasons.)

If you are celebrating in a pagan way, you just need to reverse the cycle, so use the opposite of what season it is ie. different trees, offerings, spells, goddesses etc instead of the other northern way. Fuck, i'm confusing myself. I know what i want to say but i cant bloody well say it. Righto, glass of wine and off to bed for me.

It doesn't take long for me to blend in and pretend to be enjoying Christmas. I've lived here long enough and I can always lie about being born here.