Your article although well meaning and informative is misguided. For all those that call themselves 'Christian', the task is to conform themselves to the image of Christ. This means simply, serving the Father, being selfless, observing the commandments, demonstrating those characteristics exhibited without reserve by Christ. They are called the 'Light of the world', the 'Salt of the earth'. Light illuminates the dark places, salt adds flavour to the dull and dreary. Christmas is meant to be a celebration of the birth of that glorious life. It is the secular world that has made it what it is today. It is the secular world that has placed a value on the season which has then placed it in the public arena for comments and criticism. The bearing of lights is a symbol. The giving of gifts or cards is a symbol. They have become a point of conjecture because of the secular world and the cynicism that it inspires. But let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas, selfless love.

Roger L, London,

England hasn't been a Christian country for over 500 years and the politicaly correcteness now imposed on us enfacises that. Put that together with the socialist project of making this country a multi-cultural society and we have what we see today. Christimas without Christ, a shopping event where shops are the church, consumerism is the religion and credit cards are gods. I only wish people among us that belong to other religious beliefs would follow the same trend and not take the opportunity to finish us up and impose their stronger beliefs.

Fabio C, London, UK

Again the minority voices are getting all the press, because controversy sells newpapers and TV news. Retail establishments that cave into this "Happy Holidays" greeting rather than Merry Christmas only offend the majority of their shoppers.
Christians everywhere just need to stand firm in our faith and proclaim, in a louder voice each year, the celebration of Jesus birth.

Mike Lamb
Nauvoo, Alabama

Mike Lamb, Nauvoo, Alabama USA

I am in total agreement regarding the failures of multiculturalism as a concept. Like so much that this failed Labour government has gotten wrong and must rank as one of their greatest blunders.
My experience of ten years of having this government banging on about what a wonderful thing multiculturalism is and how lucky we are to live in such a diverse society has turned me from a tolerant person who hated racism to the now totally opposite. How many others must now feel as I now do? I once argued with anyone, and there were many arguments, that racism is wrong but alas not any more and I wish more than anything else that I could turn back the clock to a time when this country was not over-run by foreigners. Even here in Cornwall there are so many foreign accents. I don't feel This is my country any longer. What has this stupid government done to the Britain I once knew and loved?

D Case, Newquay,

Come and enjoy Dewali (just gone) Eid next week and Christmas in two weeks time.... in Dubai!

All are welcome here and the lights are shining bright!

Happy celebration to all and enjoy................................

Colin A Forster
Dubai

Colin A Forster, Dubai, U A E

Who cares about Xmas? It's not like it means anything anymore. It's a pagen festival that has turned into a celebration of consumerism. Shopping malls have replaced Cathedrals as places of worship and the souless Xmas of modern times has replaced the Xmas's of years gone (the Xmas that used to mean something). Forget about Xmas. Let the corporations and toy manufacturers keep it. Every year citizens become more brainless and controlled by society to rack up their credit cards and get more financially precarious. What fun! Stay home, stop shopping and save your money!

Andrew Duncan, Godalming,

I agree. We experience the same circumstances in the US. There is one difference, our Christians actually go to weekly service. When I lived in England as an expat, my family attended Mass weekly. The church was packed to the gills. Ninety percent expats. While it is not necessary to attend service to be a good Christian or a good person of any or no religion, it stikes me as hypocrital to complain about the absence of Christmas decorations while churches remain empty. Might as well sell them to Carlings and open some more rock venues. You still lead the world in rock.

Richard, Fairfield, CT

Alan C. you're wrong mate...because of the ethnic minorities (laughable really because in some urban areas , born and bred British people are the minority !) local councils are abandoning the traditional reasons behind Christmas...ie Religion, the Nativity..
We should be showing our pride in our religion and our traditions...and if it upsets the others so be it...after all, we aren't the ones waving bleedin' swords and shouting for some poor woman to be executed.

kirk, Rotherham, UK

As someone a long way under 50, educated and still has faith (yes there are lots of us out there), It is generally (anglo saxon) liberal Atheists who resent and down play Christmas and has nothing to do with Multicultural Britian as other faiths celebrate Christmas as well.

I'm going to continue to ignore these killjoys and wish my friends Happy Diwali at the appropriate time and celebrate Christmas on 25th December!

Jill, Manchester,

What I've found interesting this year is the number of Asian families buying Christmas decorations and Christmas trees. In ASDA and Homebase last weekend there were several, it didn't strike me as being odd, in fact looking back I think it's great. Why not?

HM, Leeds, UK

I keep reading articles where other religions are blamed for toning down Christmas- but i've yet to come across a single person in reality who objects to Christmas lights or any part of it- and I come from a Muslim background.

People, including myself would quite like to see some bright decorations to cheer up these miserable nights. There are a lot of ethnic minority groups who are just struggling to cope from day to day so i doubt worrying about christmas lights is top of their list.

I do agree however that recognising the celebration of other religions is importance if we want minority groups to integrate in society. Diwali is a good example- its a festival of lights- put some lights up!

I don't celebrate Christmas but we do have Eid next week, nonetheless, for those who celebrate XMas or Eid, may you have a joyful one.

Sam, Manchester,

I am not christian and I'd be happy if all religion were banned. or at least laughed at.

however, the reason people get upset about christmas being downgraded is because it is patently unfair and unbalanced to suggest that people should feel it is offensive to celebrate their christianity, whilst at the same time having every other religion's views and celebrations forced up them. if we really could be happy for others to celebrate their own beliefs, that would have to include christianity as well, no? but christians are made to feel as though they are treading on other people's toes.

given that christians are generally quite an inoffensive lot (if you don't get onto the subject of abortion or evolution), this is unfair. it's not as if sending someone a christmas card is as offensive as, say, wandering the streets with a scarf round your head demanding the beheading of infidels who dare to offend muslim sentiment. those who go against british common sense should be vilified.

jem, london, uk

That seems reasonable, given that it is mainly the over-50s who still attend churches on Sunday. The rest of us have had the benefit of a modern education and do not share their religious superstitions, but are still happy to have time off and a party once a year!

chris, Newcastle,

The silliness comes in when some faiths' minor holidays are suddenly given more importance (by politicians) just because they happen to sometimes fall in December.

Why do we only seem to have this discussion at this time of year?

Kathryn, Minneapolis, USA

Ruth said.
<Most people aged over 50 believe Britain has gone too far in downgrading traditional Christian practices out of sensitivity to multi-culturalism, according to a new survey.>

I think you're completely missing the real reason for the downgrading of Christmas.
It's due to a lack of Christians and nothing to do with not wanting to upset people of other "faiths" Christmas has only been associated with "Christ" since the mid 15th century, it was celebrated (under different names) for centuries prior to Constantine hijacking it for his own end.

According to "god" all you folk who put up a Christmas tree are heathens.

Jeremiah 10:2-5, “Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen…For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Happy Mithras everybody lol.

Alan C., Shetland,

The modern Christmas is a secular festival of over indulgence and materialism that I'm pretty sure Christ himself would not approve of! I'm entirely happy with Christians withdrawing the brand name and using it for a much more spiritual Feast of the Incarnation that the rest of society can safely ignore! Winter lights switch on far too early to have any real connection with Christmas proper - so by all means keep calling them that.

andrew holden, oxford, uk

I suspect that those who think Christmas has been 'downgraded' have spent too much time reading the Daily Mail.

Godfrey, York, UK

Councils use tax-payers money to provide decorations over Christmas so it seems reasonable to me that, particularly multicultural areas, the councils reflect the local cultures.

Winter lights are great for cheering up the dark nights and promoting shop sales. They have a reason outside of religion. What does it really matter if the Christian message is toned down? Christians can still follow their own religious desires under the same decorations, and quite rightly too.

In Leicester, the same decorations are used for Dawali and Christmas as one festival leads on to the other. The council just replaces some of the motifs as necessary. I think that's great. Very democratic, too.

David Jones, Loughborough, UK