21 December 2012

Tales from Tuggeranong - Shop keepers forget it's Christmas

| DorothyDix
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I don’t think many people would even know it is Christmas in Tuggeranong.

The Hype Dome has few decorations.

Walking through there you would be forgiven for thinking it was just another day.

And, every other business in Greenway appears to have forgotten it is Christmas.

What is wrong with businesses in Tuggeranong joining forces, kicking in some money and decorating the main street.

Or are they more interested in Christmas sales than getting into the spirit?

I remember when I was young my parents would take me into town to see the decorated shop fronts.

Each store would compete with the next for the best Christmas display.

And, the main street would be filled with decorations and buzzing with families and kids with their eyes agog.

They were real Christmas’s, not today’s sales hype, pressure to buy bigger and better and the constant ringing of cash registers.

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Madam Cholet said :

Someone calling into ABC radio this week reminded the presenter that Christmas is for Christians. Essentially suggesting that if you are not practicing then you should not be celebrating. I was when I had no choice as a kid, but now choose to not believe in anything until it’s proven basically. But I still feel that she was being a bit bah humbug.

What if all practicing Christians got time off to celebrate Christmas and Easter and the rest of us had to carry on working? I bet everyone would have a change of heart about ‘getting into the spirit’ then.

Merry Christmas to one and all, and thank ‘The Lord’ for workplace relations.

Christmas being a Pagan tradition of bringing the evergreen green tree inside to keep the plants perforce going until spring. Then having a feast with a sacrificial animal.

later taken by the Romans and Christians. the Romans used to call it Saturnalia, a festival to the Roman sin God Saturn. Originally starting dec 17 the winter solstice (pagan) and going for 7 days ending in gift giving.

Christmas was never about being Christian.

Madam Cholet said :

Someone calling into ABC radio this week reminded the presenter that Christmas is for Christians. Essentially suggesting that if you are not practicing then you should not be celebrating. I was when I had no choice as a kid, but now choose to not believe in anything until it’s proven basically. But I still feel that she was being a bit bah humbug.

What if all practicing Christians got time off to celebrate Christmas and Easter and the rest of us had to carry on working? I bet everyone would have a change of heart about ‘getting into the spirit’ then.

Merry Christmas to one and all, and thank ‘The Lord’ for workplace relations.

It’s christmas so cue one or two christians whining that it’s their holiday and no one else can celebrate it. As Ricky Gervais said they could call it shitmas and if it was still all about getting together to eat and drink with family and friends then we’d still celebrate it.

Seriously, if they gave us the option of working over christmas and getting extra holidays to use at another time for a religious ceremony of our choosing (eg. Melbourne Cup day) I might take them up on the offer.

Festivus for the rest of us…

Madam Cholet7:46 am 22 Dec 12

Someone calling into ABC radio this week reminded the presenter that Christmas is for Christians. Essentially suggesting that if you are not practicing then you should not be celebrating. I was when I had no choice as a kid, but now choose to not believe in anything until it’s proven basically. But I still feel that she was being a bit bah humbug.

What if all practicing Christians got time off to celebrate Christmas and Easter and the rest of us had to carry on working? I bet everyone would have a change of heart about ‘getting into the spirit’ then.

Merry Christmas to one and all, and thank ‘The Lord’ for workplace relations.

Dorithy, if you don’t like Tuggeranong or the shopping centre, bugger off.

“I remember when I was young my parents would take me into town to see the decorated shop fronts.”

Are you from the 1920’s?

I too wish for the days when shopkeepers and businesses shunned the commercialisation of christmas and only put up those decorations to wow the kiddies. When we would play in the snow before the big christmas dinner and then listened to the King’s c-c-c-c-c-christmas message on the wireless

TheDancingDjinn7:49 pm 21 Dec 12

gazket said :

I wonder why they don’t put up Christmas decorations. Probably in fear of having some social network Nazi campaign put out against them.

For 5 or more years now the bleeding hearts and do gooders have been telling Australians it’s wrong to even mention Christmas, put up Christmas decorations, have Christmas parties or give out presents and make Christams just like any other day so we don’t offend new immigrants and Muslims.

ohhh man!! Here i was thinking that, the people of Canberra were smart enough to not be taken in by this hoax.

You sir, have ruined Christmas!!

gazket said :

I wonder why they don’t put up Christmas decorations. Probably in fear of having some social network Nazi campaign put out against them.

For 5 or more years now the bleeding hearts and do gooders have been telling Australians it’s wrong to even mention Christmas, put up Christmas decorations, have Christmas parties or give out presents and make Christams just like any other day so we don’t offend new immigrants and Muslims.

Zis would’ve never have happened under ze Nazis. Zey would’ve kept Christmas white.

gazket said :

For 5 or more years now the bleeding hearts and do gooders have been telling Australians it’s wrong to even mention Christmas, put up Christmas decorations, have Christmas parties or give out presents and make Christams just like any other day so we don’t offend new immigrants and Muslims.

I’d be amazed if you could point to five confirmed accounts of this actually occurring in Australia.

(Note: Being reported by Today Tonight or Alan Jones does not equal ‘confirmed’)

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd5:58 pm 21 Dec 12

gazket said :

I wonder why they don’t put up Christmas decorations. Probably in fear of having some social network Nazi campaign put out against them.

For 5 or more years now the bleeding hearts and do gooders have been telling Australians it’s wrong to even mention Christmas, put up Christmas decorations, have Christmas parties or give out presents and make Christams just like any other day so we don’t offend new immigrants and Muslims.

Still not real bright, huh?

Woody Mann-Caruso4:57 pm 21 Dec 12

Christmas means nothing more these days than crass commercialisation.

help somebody’s bending my arm behind my back and forcing me to buy things at gunpoint

johnboy said :

Sounds like a great reason to shop in tuggeranong! finally!

How about you spend your own money decorating a street if you want it that bad?

OMG Christams Grinch

would it really hurt that much for the gov to put some Christmas lights up . There seems to be plenty of money for useless studies and gov grants to be thrown around Christmas lollies.

I wonder why they don’t put up Christmas decorations. Probably in fear of having some social network Nazi campaign put out against them.

For 5 or more years now the bleeding hearts and do gooders have been telling Australians it’s wrong to even mention Christmas, put up Christmas decorations, have Christmas parties or give out presents and make Christams just like any other day so we don’t offend new immigrants and Muslims.

johnboy said :

Sounds like a great reason to shop in tuggeranong! finally!

How about you spend your own money decorating a street if you want it that bad?

Christmas means nothing more these days than crass commercialisation. Maybe this is a push-back against that trend. No, methinks not.

This could be slightly off topic but…

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE EVERYONE.

That’s today, btw.

Or are they more interested in Christmas sales than getting into the spirit?

Well yes, your point.?

Believe it or not, not everyone gets into the Christmas spirit… To me personally, it a day of catching up with family and eating way too much… The “spirit” or “magic” or any of those other crap words which advertisers have crammed down our throats over the day can go get stuffed…

Yes, am I looking forwards to meeting those ghosts of Christmas eve again…

kevn said :

Sounds like a dream come true. Unfortunately they still have a Santa, a giant Christmas tree, and 3000 angry mums with trolleys. It’s well and truly Christmas there.

Don’t forget the mall zombies. Truly the end of the world is nigh…

… and they wore onions on their belt, as was the style at the time.

johnboy said :

Sounds like a great reason to shop in tuggeranong! finally!

How about you spend your own money decorating a street if you want it that bad?

You forgot to add;

” If I would work my will … every idiot who goes about with “Merry Christmas,” on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”

Johnboy

“Or are they more interested in Christmas sales than getting into the spirit?”

Are you daft?

Im confused.
Laments the comercial nature of christmas, but wants businesses to spend on fancy displays and decorations to attract customers, to potentially spend money at their business.

Maybe shop owners in Tuggeranong are responding to a growing trend for people to reject the eurocentric nature of all those decorations put up at other malls. Endless pictures of snow covered pine trees and happy snowmen with Santa hats do not reflect the icons of an Australian Xmas at all.

Conan of Cooma8:41 am 21 Dec 12

I am so upset with the Hyperdome. I was expecting the customary October Christmas decorations and now none are there! Pretty sure that giant Christmas tree with Santa at the bottom is also a giant illusion induced by my drug consuming night activities in Cooma. Not happy, Jan.

Bah Humbug!

Right….

When was the last time you walked through the Hyperdome with your eyes open? Missed the decorations, the big Xmas Tree and the man in the red suit did we?

Sounds like a dream come true. Unfortunately they still have a Santa, a giant Christmas tree, and 3000 angry mums with trolleys. It’s well and truly Christmas there.

What has happened you ask – Why the internet of course.

Aha! I’ve figured it out – you’re using RA to blog aren’t you?

Sounds like a great reason to shop in tuggeranong! finally!

How about you spend your own money decorating a street if you want it that bad?

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