Christmas was always my favorite holiday as a child because Santa would come and bring lots of presents. Now that I am grown, I can truly appreciate the full meaning of the holiday: the birth of Jesus Christ. That makes the sight, sounds, and smells of the season even more special than they ever did when I was little.

Christmas is awesome, Im not suprised that its rated the best holiday on this site. All of the gifts and the Christmas spirit are nice. Shopping for Christmas is actually one of the best things I like about Christmas. Putting up the tree and all of the lights is great. The best holiday.

Without a doubt the greatest holiday. Everyone complains about how commercial it's getting, but I say it's only as commercial as you make it. You don't have to go spend a fortune on gifts if you put a little thought behind your spending. I do think people need to teach their children that first and foremost, it is the day of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every family needs to set aside a certain amount of time each Christmas to remember that in their own special way, and keep doing it every year like you would any tradition.

It's a great holiday. Why? It gives people in the working world more time off (most of them). It gives kids more time off from school, whether it's grade school or college. People are nicer around this time of year. The food is really good to, of course, that's depending on who cooks it. The spirit of giving a gift is always an enlightening one. Especially when helping out the needy, that always gives me a good feeling.

This is without a doubt, the best time of the year. I get so happy thinking about the gifts even though I know that isnt the real reason for the season. Such a happy time!

I'm a proChristmas athiest. It seems like the biggest holiday of the western tradition; an essential part of my upbringing. People love an excuse to take time off from work, spend time with the family, give and recieve gifts, eat good food, etc. It's commercialized, but capitalism has colonized every possible aspect of our culture.

Christmas is about God and Jesus and not about Santa Claus. In fact, Santa is evil and has been appropriated by Jews and others as their own Holiday spirit. I dont let my children watch any holiday movies unless they deal specifically in Christ.

The holiday season that surrounds Christmas, including Christmas itself is a cozy time of year. The holiday songs (Bing Crosby, Elvis, just to mention a couple) add to the delight. It's a time for eggnog, family, shopping, snow (if your in the right location), Christmas trees and beautiful decorations. It's a time to remember those that are most important to you and be grateful that you have those people in your life. It's also a time to reflect on the past and the memories of your childhood. I am not a big fan of spending thousands of dollars on presents. Something simple, just to let them know that I remembered them. I always get an empty feeling when Christmas is over, but I know it'll be back soon enough.

I don't care what people say about the "mad rush" and the commercialized Christmas season! I LOVE IT!!! Christmas is the most emotional, cozy, jubilant, anticipated time of year! And even when I worked in a retail store I still loved getting swept away in the "Christmas Rush"! Call me crazy but I even payed attention to the songs over the loudspeaker and could tell people exactly how many times that day I had heard "Little St. Nick" by the Beach Boys! But seriously! I love Xmas!

As a Christian I am sure I should have rated this special holiday the maximum, but I rate it lower due to the commercialization of it in modern times. I am tired of seeing Christmas trees out in stores before the Halloween candy is sold. It is all about a dollar... I know capitalism helped make this country (USA) great, but it was also founded on Christian principles too!

Christmas truly is a great holiday. I'm talking about the whole season, I always have a good feeling then.

Didn't feel much like buying presents this year, I think it was because of the 9-11 attack.

I'm an atheist, but I do celebrate a non-religious version of Christmas. No church, no praying, no Jesus, just hanging out with my family. The one or two weeks before Christmas are always great...perhaps one of the best parts for me is the two-week break from school. Plenty of time to listen to my favorite music while I'm doing a laughingly horrible job of wrapping presents, and while i'm in Georgia, there is the Lake Lanier Nights of Lights festival that is always quite pretty. The only real thing I have against Christmas are the huge crowds that are everywhere. I hate crowds! But overall, the whole "holiday season" is an enjoyable time for members of ALL religions. Christmas doesn't have to be religious, contrary to popular belief. I just see it as a fun time to be with family and friends. Take care and happy New Year, everyone!

I must say it’s not too surprising that this is the most popular holiday - and apparently that even goes for people who don’t celebrate it for religious reasons. I don’t mean to sound judgmental – seriously to each his/her own – but not celebrating Christmas for its innate spiritual meaning seems completely sad and even kind of strange to me. If you either don’t believe in or follow Christ, why on earth would you celebrate His birthday? And IF all the people who voted this the number one holiday are actually professing Christians then why is Buddhism currently upstaging Christianity in the RIA Religion ratings? Maybe many of these Christians just aren’t stopping by that section to vote - or maybe this celebration has become such a big part of so many cultures and is counted on by so many merchants to boost sales (among other trivialities) that its original meaning has been largely lost in the piles of tinsel and discarded paper wrapping. This year my wish for any and all reading this regardless of your traditional celebrations, parties, or viewpoints is to realize and experience - if even for one brief moment - the real wonder of Christmas; "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 John 3 John 3:15-17) His blessings to all this Christmas and always!

I love the holiday season! It makes me feel so loved and special! All the shopping(which I love!), and BEAUTIFUL Christmas lights. Some are red white and blue, others are all white, others(my fav) are MULTICOLORED. Pictures with Santa are so cute, especially with young children!! Merry Christmas everyone:)!

ahhh, the warmth of christmas...the warm fire, the delicious turkey or ham dinner, the stories of relatives that come to visit telling you about thier tames at war, or a trip they took that took thier breath away, kids opening thier presents and the joy that approaches ther faces when the got the puppy the've always wanted,or that Pc game they've been downloading the demos for and wanting for months, or when your slectroinic wiz-daughther get's the aiwa cd player she's always wanted, or daddy gets the tool set he's been looking for or when mommmy gets that special neclace, you know the one with the diamond that's heart shaped, the one she's been wanting, and the look that is on her face is the look she had when you said "I do!" at your wedding! then after the presents your famaly is ready to eat, then you set down at the dinner table and you see the mouthwatering turkey, the dripping delicious mashed-potatoes and that sparkling champaign! You are wanting to dig in right away aren't you?! well then as you sit down your gramma says a little prayer, then you dig right in!!! you reach for that turkey-drumstick and then you reach for the mashed potatoes that are soooo warm and fluffy! then you sip some of that wine your wife/husband got you and you get a good warm and fuzzy holiday buzz that really gets you into the spirit! then as the day rolls on and you are watching the kids with their gifts and you set down By the fire and watch a nice X-mas movie and you start to cry bacuse the warmth of the lesson taugh in the movie, then you go to the dining room and get some more turkey and try some of that really expensive champaign and watch some of the new dvd's you got and pop them into your brand new aiwa dvd player, and you turn on the dolby digital sound that your new aiwa ho,me theater dleivers and you get blown away by the latest action flick! as the evening rolls on you start to sober up and you are starting to get tired because you were woke up by the kids at 4AM and you go to bed, then in the moring, you have some left over turkey and after that you get online to plan your new years at the Amerihost Inn or your hotel of choice and get ready for the craziest new year's of all!!!!

I dont think Christmas is really awsome cause of the gifts. I like it cause its a time when my family (with lots of people in it) gets together & spends time together. I like that!! :)

I love Christmas for all it's theological reasons, birth of Jesus and such, but it has become such a great holiday for family and friends and giving. I have to admit, there are some great parts of the commercialized Christmas. I love looking for just the right gifts for my wife and friends and family. I love the anticipation of giving them, and yes, I'll say it, I LOVE GETTING STUFF TOO! But I love the whole family aspect of Christmas, way more than Thanksgiving. I thank God I have been blessed with family and friends for every Christmas of my life so far. Christmas is my favorite holiday, always has been.

The spirit and feeling of giving and being kind and caring is very appealing. This started out as a religious holiday, but really no longer has to be.

Christmas comes at the perfect time of year. Even for atheists, the holiday has taken on a meaning of its own. Family fellowship, warmth. The songs, the smells, the food, gotta love it. I only wish I knew how to cope with the day after Christmas. Perhaps I should look forward to the fun I'll have during winter's summit (which is in January, here in New York State), or what I'll do with my gifts. But still, Christmas is something very special that can't be beat.

The best holiday by far. There are so many subjects that make Christmas great I dont know where to begin. The presents, the snow, the food, the tree, the decorations, the lights, the shows, the parades, the EVERYTHING!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. It seems to last the whole month of December. I love everything about it, the Christmas carols, the decorations, the presents, etc. The fact the Jesus Christ was born is also why Christmas is great. The world just seems to be a hapier place at Christmastime and people also seem a whole lot nicer. My favorite thing to do is go Christmas caroling with my friends and drink hot cocoa after.I wish the Christmas joy could last all year.

the worst holiday ever created by capitalism

I grew up in the perfect country for christmas, with a perfect family in a perfect little house with a perfect chimney. Outside my window there were perfect litte snow falling down, and people standing there singing perfect christmas carols. On the TV Disney was telling me and my brother and sister about joy, family, love and perfect presents. Then my mother decorated the perfect tree with little manatees wearing santa outfits, and made lots of perfect food. My father would come knocking on the door about 20.00 (christmas eve) wearing a beard and a red jumper. My cousins would laugh, and my baby sister would start to cry. Then we all opened our gifts, argued who got the best thing and eat chocolat. Our parents would drink lots of whisky and eat lots of food, and fall asleep on the couch infront of an old movie like "Casablanca". But, those perfect days are gone now. I am alone now, still watching perfect snow fall from the sky. These days I´ll throw a stone in the head of anyone who tries to sing christmas carols outside my door. I only eat takeout pizza with sundried tomatos and watch some good movies with sexy Colin Firth , like Pride & Predjudice or Fever Pitch. I buy my guineapig a present, and maybe something for fellow rater Janey_Lane (if she has been nice, that is). That´s my kind of christmas. Though I loved be a child and so naiv about everything, I like being a modern woman too. Then christmas never tastes as good as with a glass of chardonnay and an empty apartment.

Now a days I really don't see much of a point to Christmas. My family never felt the need to fill my head with the fantazy that is Santa Claus so I didn't really know who he was until I was about 5 years old. I've actually never even seen a man dressed as Santa. Further more, as I learned in middle school, we only celebrate it because that's when 'Jesus' was 'born'. First when I came to 'high school' I found out that the vikings, when Christianity were forced upon them, found it very convinient that many Christian holidays in one way or another, collided with viking holidays as to apese to the masses. So in short, when Swedes celebrate Christmas we are in fact also celebrating 'Blotar dagen' when it was traditional to sacrifice sheeps and horses and sometimes even slaves to our Asa Gods. Nice isn't it? Weird thing was, when I was little I thought it was great (not the slaughtering, the holiday). I would stand proud and sing in the choir in church on graduation day. I had no idea who or what I was singing about but everyone else seemed happy so I got caught by the spirit of things. The decorations were cute and fun to place out. The tree (plastic, over 10 years old, thank you very much) was fun to hang candy and glitter on and looked so cozy with the lights glowing. It was fun to watch TV with the whole family and then open presents. But somewhere along the line it stopped being fun. I stopped liking 'Christmas' TV, postponed opening presents until 22.30 (in Sweden we open presents on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day), and would take less and less joy in decorating, knowing that they would only be really dull to pack in again. I haven't sat my foot in a church in over four years (skipping many graduation ceremonies). Sure I still have some traditions. I still buy presents, recieve presents, still have the tree but more organized, more strict. Still send out Christmas cards, but only to people I know will be happy to recieve them. And I still have a calender to open up. But the joy I felt as a child will probably never install itself again.

Thumbs down to the commercialism. The good things are: the nice cards, the pretty decorated houses, the fantastic meal, the family getting together, and of course don't forget Christ.

Christmas ofcourse!!!!

Christmas doesn't thrill me. Mainly because most people forget the real meaning of the holiday. I'm no religious fanatic, but I have my beliefs. It's also too commercialized. You run around like a nut, looking for that "perfect" gift for someone, spend all that money, wrap all the gifts, etc. And by the next christmas I bet you the majority of the people you gave gifts to couldn't even tell you what they got the previous christmas!! And to also spend all that time and money on christmas cards and postage, for people to toss the cards in the trash the day after christmas.....What a waste.

Funnest holiday EVER!

I want to rate Christmas a 5... I really really do want to, but I just can't. Why? Because the truth is, we don't live Christmas how it's supposed to be lived... no, I don't mean the "commercialism" aspect--I mean the fact that we don't spend the day praying in church, as we really should be doing on Christmas. Of course, let's face it, if we DID spend the day praying in church, no one would like Christmas any more than Easter. Loving one another is great and all, getting together with family is great, and of course, eating until your gut busts, but you also get to do all of that on Thanksgiving, a non-religious holiday... just a month before Christmas! Not that Christmas isn't still good, mind you, but the religious strings just kinda' take away from the feeling of "having a good time with family," because, let's face it, no one ENJOYS listening to the same stuff you hear ever week in church.

This is my favorite holiday of them all. It is the holiday that makes me feel relaxed. the only pain about Christmas is shopping for presents. And it is a holiday where there is no school for about 2 weeks.

Oh mi goodness...Christmas is the best time of the year!!! I mean this is a great time to celebrate our Savior's Birthday... : ) IT is great to have a break from life and just relax...and to spend time w/ family..I mean I only c one set of mi aunt and uncle on Christmas..so its nice to get 2gether w/ them on that special day...I know that lots of people get excited b/c of the thing w/ old St. Nick and getting presents and I know that every1 enjoys that and they cant say that they dont! Gifts are a great way to give love to ur famiy and friends..I mean love through a gift... and I know that I alwayz get excited wen I see the Santa Claus in the mall....its just so great!! THis ios the perect time for family.... : ) But parents should let their children know that Santa Claus and getting presents are NOT the best part about this very special event!!! For the Lord is and we should be thankful for him or we would not have the gates of heaven opened for us to have eternal life with GOd, we would not have all the experiences that we have today without him, we would not be the same people without him, and we would not have CHRISTMAS without him.! We should be thankful...

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. As corny as it sounds, a certain magic fills the air come around mid-november and builds as Christmas day approaches. People in general I find are kinder, generous and more upbeat than at any other time of the year. Though a Christian holiday, I believe anyone who wishes to partake in Christmas festivites should feel free and welcome to. The spirit of Christmas - whether it be giving gifts, receiving gifts or greeting loved ones - is an experience for all to enjoy. It can be viewed that the religious aspect of the holiday that Christians celebrate, such as going to church, is countered by the secular aspect, such as shopping for gifts. Thus, regardless of religion no one should be made to feel excluded at Christmas time, the happiest time of the year.

Most people enjoy christmas because of the presants they get, but its not about that its about being with your family, or with someone you love, people always think oh its christmas what am I gonna get this year but they never get the best part. And christmas is celebrated because of christ's birthday and the only reason we get presants on christmas day is because a long time ago when crist was a little baby the wise old men left him presants, and also the other reason why we have presants is so department stores can have sales and get money, well christmas means a lot to me and its not all about the presants its about the love thats shared with people we love! So teach your kids when there young that the presants are not the best part of christmas.

Arsonist, looks like you left Christ out of Christmas that could certainly be cause for depression.

Early Christians seem not to have celebrated Christ’s birthday. So how did we get to December 25th? In the year 274AD, solstice fell on December 25th, and Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed the date as "Natalis Solis Invicti," the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. In 320 AD, Pope Julius I specified the 25th of December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ. In 325AD, Constantine the Great introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on December 25th and in 354AD, Bishop Liberius of Rome officially ordered his members to celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December. The Bible actually does not mention Christmas or the celebration of Christ's birthday. We are given a significant amount of information regarding his birth in the first chapter of Luke that seems to lead to two distinct theories. One, He was born on September 29th or secondly, He was born around March 30th. The determining factor is the birth of John the Baptist six months prior to Christ. The research makes for interesting theological study, but what is important? It is important that we recognize the significance of a virgin birth and without His birth we would not have His death and resurrection and there would not be a path to salvation. My personal theory is that if God wanted us to know the exact date Christ was born He would have told us. I’m still open to additional theological thinking that would give more accuracy to the date but I know His true desire is that we are focused on Christ’s death and resurrection more than His birth. I now realize myself, that it is unfortunate that Christians spend nearly a month in various levels of celebration for Christmas and a week or less celebrating Easter. Maybe this stems from our own practices of celebrating the birthdays of friends and families more than their deaths. Christmas is a grand time of year when loved ones come together to celebrate just being with each other as well as Christ’s birth. I still rate the holiday a 5. Many memories of friends and family, some have passed, making the holiday memories even more precious. I love to cook and love to eat; there is always lots of that to do this time of year. The sheer joy and excitement of the children is enough to fill me with joy, everything else is just icing on the cake. The kids get on to me when we open presents because I spend so much time watching them I end up being the last one to open my own. During Christmas, the house is always full of scents and sounds of the season; the music is some of my all time favorite. One thing my wife and I do is Christmas shop throughout the year so when the season comes we can actually relax and enjoy versus fighting the store mobs. If you can experience just one Christmas without having to shop until exhaustion you would never have it any other way.

X-mas is so depressing. It may have a lot to do with just plain old winter blahhs but I can never remember being truely happy on X-mas.

Ah, Christmas is just great. Whatever holiday you celebrate around that time of the year - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, whatever - it's just nice to take a few days off, hang out with your family, exchange gifts, and eat way too much food. I know people get really turned-off by the over-commercialization of the holidays, but I personally think the gift-giving has a really positive side. When you set out to get someone a present, you really need to spend time thinking about that person - what they like to do, what they may have mentioned they need, what they might like but would never think of buying themselves... And when you figure out just the right thing to get, I think it really demonstrates how well you know the person and how much thought you've put into it. Sure sometimes you don't have enough time or money or information to come up with just the right gift, but it seems like the process itself, regardless of the gift, is a pretty meaningful one that gets you thinking about what's important to your friends and family.