Carolling and other defunct traditions?

It just sounds as if you're very negative and cynical about the whole holiday. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to admonish you for it, because I'm fairly negative and cynical myself about a lot of things. I guess for me, Christmas has always been more about what I make it--I don't feel pressure from anyone to behave in any certain way, or to shop, or to send cards. Maybe it's because I'm not religious, so I don't have that complication of reconciling commercialization with spirituality. But I enjoy the decorations in shops, the Christmas movies on TV, and the Christmas carols on the radio.
Or maybe it's because I come from an impoverished background. Growing up, Christmas was never about spending money on presents. It was about buying what I could afford for the people I loved because I really enjoy giving...or making them gifts when I couldn't afford anything at all. It was about spending time with the people I love, not feeling obligated to post meaningless cards to acquaintances. It was about the fact that for thousands of years...going back long before Christianity...people of all different cultures and traditions chose this time of the year to celebrate light, life, family, friendship, and most importantly, hope, because everyone needs a break in the middle of a long winter.

I don't think it hypocritical of people to make an effort to be more kind and merry during the season. Rather it's a an act of recognition: recognizing that life is cruel; that winters are long and dark and cold; that people are evil, torturing, maiming, and killing eachother; that there will always be wars, famine, politicians, and bastards, but that we have it in us, if only for one month of the year, to come together and hope that someday we could be something better.

 

Christmas is my favorite holiday but I hate hearing Christmas music all the time. It wears you down and most of it simply isn't very good.

 

My sisters and I used to do it with my Mom and some other families from the neighborhood back in the late-70s and 80s just for spreading good cheer (as opposed to doing it to raise money or anything), but it kind of fell out of favor after that. Occasionally you'll see some people doing it but it's pretty rare in these parts now.

 

Down our way we also get younger kids going for the "Awww! So cute!" response to their performance. The best part is the mangling of the words. For instance - did you know that the ickle lord Jesus was asleep in a shed? You do now. Well worth a quid.

 

Carolling rarely happens in Scotland because the weather stops people from roaming around outside. I sang in a choir for more years than I care to remember and they are always in big demand at Christmas, for shopping centres and concerts. If I never sing another carol again it'll be too soon. However there are plenty choristers still out there. One of my nieces plays the euphonium and has been in various bands for years. She gets together with a group of pals and they go and busk shopping malls, playing carols. They make an absolute bloody fortune at it.

 

^^^I have never seen anybody going round the streets from door to door carolling here in sunny Glasgow....i have although seen many a drunk staggering up the road in all weathers at all times of the day or night singing........that's a sort of carolling. LOL

 

That sounds like the kind of revelry many practiced up until the early to mid 19th century.

 

It doesn't terribly bother me. As long as people are good natured about it, I can get into some good spirits too, even though I don't really touch Christmas at all and I feel very cynical about the religious part of the holiday.

 

I like and welcome groups of organised and talented carollers. Students out to warble for 20 seconds and then expect a quid can get lost though.

I get a lot more of the latter these days.