This house would cancel Christmas - Opening speeches

Opening proposition speech

This House would cancel Christmas. This statement may shock you, as it is unusual and opposed to everything you have been used to. However, by reading this I have no doubt that you will quickly understand the absolute necessity of it.

First of all I will explain what it is we mean by cancelled. We don’t want to cancel it forever, which would be more like simply suppressing it. We only want to cancel it this year, in order to raise awareness. Indeed, we have been celebrating Christmas for so long that we don’t think any more about questioning it, or questioning our own behaviour at this time of the year. And what is Christmas actually? It is a Christian celebration as much as a period of time, at the end of the year, where children are in holidays and families gather around huge feasts and lots of presents. 

Opening opposition speech

Dear readers,

You must have surely noticed by now how snowfalls have turned the landscape of our beloved country into a white and colourless world, how days have constantly been growing shorter, and how the temperature has dropped to a frostbiting level: winter has unmistakably come. And aside from the bucolic shelter of one’s warm blanket, there is only one beacon of light, which could give hope and warm one’s body and soul. And that is the magic of Christmas.

Opening proposition speech

This House would cancel Christmas. This statement may shock you, as it is unusual and opposed to everything you have been used to. However, by reading this I have no doubt that you will quickly understand the absolute necessity of it.

First of all I will explain what it is we mean by cancelled. We don’t want to cancel it forever, which would be more like simply suppressing it. We only want to cancel it this year, in order to raise awareness. Indeed, we have been celebrating Christmas for so long that we don’t think any more about questioning it, or questioning our own behaviour at this time of the year. And what is Christmas actually? It is a Christian celebration as much as a period of time, at the end of the year, where children are in holidays and families gather around huge feasts and lots of presents.

You will surely ask: why cancel Christmas? What’s wrong with it? Truly, so many things are wrong with Christmas, and that’s what I will explain to you by now. At first Christmas is indecent. Secondly it is a danger to couples, and more generally it generates arguments and quarrels. Last but not least, it is quite unfair.

First, Christmas, as a time where a lot of presents have to be offered, is clearly indecent. In times of economical crisis, Christmas cancelling would be welcomed by people, because they would be relieved if they didn’t have to pay for so much gifts this year. But it is not only indecent as far as money is concerning, it is an ecological disaster too. Indeed, we are desperately trying to fight against global warming, but Christmas doesn’t help at all. Let’s judge: the Australian Conservation Foundation has calculated Christmas’ environmental cost, and it is really huge. For example, Christmas spending generates 2 285 000 tonnes of greenhouse gas, this just in Australia ! This is the equivalent of a year of pollution from more than 451 000 cars... (Refer to “http://environment.about.com/od/greenchristmas/a/christmascost.htm” if you want to learn more about it.) And that’s only about what we buy. The waste is enormous also... Think about all the wrapping and packaging which will soon be thrown into the bin, and maybe recycled, but only if we’re lucky.

Then, Christmas is representing a great danger to couples. This is an extremely serious statement. Indeed, the first full working day after New Year is called “D-Day” for “Divorcing Day”, and lawyers are very busy then. At this time of the year, about 1.8 million married couples consider divorcing, according to the Family Mediation Helpline. Indeed, Christmas is stressful, and the long holidays don’t help busy couples who are no more used to be each other. For the sake of children and relatives, they wait until the festivities are over. What’s more, in families who are rarely together, Christmas is sometimes a very difficult moment, because all tensions and resentments among its members are suddenly released.

Thirdly, Christmas is a Christian feast. In countries where the great majority of people have been Christian and this for centuries, it is quite logical that Jesus’ birth has become a major celebration. But times have changed, and in these countries, which are now secular, numerous people have other religions. Why should they follow the Christian calendar? It is quite unfair. In a context of religious tensions around the world, cancelling Christmas would be the proof that every religion has the same right to acknowledgement and respect.

For all this reasons, my team would cancel Christmas this year. This would have very positive effects on the environment, on the nerves and purses of people, and would be a tolerance gesture towards other religions and peace. Show that you’re sharing our reasons and vote for us! 

by EL 

Opening opposition speech

Dear readers,

You must have surely noticed by now how snowfalls have turned the landscape of our beloved country into a white and colourless world, how days have constantly been growing shorter, and how the temperature has dropped to a frostbiting level: winter has unmistakably come. And aside from the bucolic shelter of one’s warm blanket, there is only one beacon of light, which could give hope and warm one’s body and soul. And that is the magic of Christmas.

Christmas has a religious origin, as it was at first a celebration in remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ, the messiah of the Catholic Church. However, it has evolved over the years in such a way that it has now clearly reached a status beyond religion, culture or nationality.

By Christmas we do not mean the attendance of the midnight mass on December 24^th. That is for sure a way to celebrate it, but it is far from being necessary to enjoy it.

First of all, Christmas is one of the best opportunities for a family to gather, since most of the members are likely to be on holidays. It is thus a precious and cherished time of the year for family members who don’t get to see each other often. The fact that these holidays occur around the supposed birthday of Jesus is not at all relevant.

But the power of Christmas also lies in how it can affect people. Its magic can be experienced first hand just by looking at a child writing a letter to Father Santa, saying how he’s been a good boy all year long, and which toy he would like to find in his sock by the chimney when he wakes up. Christmas is a source of hope and dreams for the youngest, and stimulates their imagination. What good could there be in taking that away from them? They’ll realise soon enough that reindeers don’t pull carts up in the sky, so why not let them dream as long as they can?

Some will say that Christmas is nothing but an evil scheme for people to spend money in food and presents. But what is wrong in inciting people to please someone else? Who actually does care that Santa Claus’ design was made by Coca-Cola? It may in fact be the company’s best achievement so far, as the red and white bearded figure has become a symbol of happiness, festivity, sharing and dreaming.

Christmas is all about caring for the others.  It can be materialised through the giving of presents to the members of one’s family or to one’s close friends. But that is only one particular aspect of it, as Christmas is the time when non-profit organisations are the most active, offering hot food and comfort to those in need. The whole world seems to be under some kind of a spell, as even during winter’s harshest moments, people keep a merry mood. We are profoundly convinced that even if for most people, that feeling of caring goes only towards their kin, it can be a start for it to evolve towards some more general awareness and actions.

Whatever the reasons, no good can ever come from cancelling a genuine moment of happiness and sharing. So please do vote for us, so that we can keep on celebrating one of the very last ones we still have. 

by JB