Allow me to introduce the day's controversy.....

Erox: Oh no!! Bahumbug to you too!!

Do the carollers want money or something? I have never even heard about them no less seen them. Send them to my house!!

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Posted by endlessluv429

i'm not angry that others don't celebrate like I do - It just upsets me how far we have gotten from the real reason for the season. Without the birth of Christ, there would be no Christmas Holiday, therefore no other way to celebrate unless someone invented their own holiday haha

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thats not true...almost every single religion has a holiday to celebrate the shortest day of the year...that longer days and spring are coming...

'festival of light'
'yul' (actually the pagen holiday the Church replaced with Christmas)

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Posted by yabbobay
I wish that Christians who make up the majority of this country have a little respect and compassion for the rest...why b/c they are the majority must the minority have to succumb to the religion?

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Well said, I couldn't agree more!

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Posted by cp0329

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Posted by Sonicstef

For me, the holiday season (no matter your religion) is about celebrating the love we have for each other and taking some time aside to express it. As far as Im concerned, you could put up a christmas tree, menorah, wreath, snowflake or festivus pole - as long as the intention is one of love, Im all for it.

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Ditto!

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totally agree!

but, Stef, I belive Festivus for the Rest of Us was a holiday specifically invented by Frank Costanza to tell people how they have dissapointed him during the year, so that is not a holiday intended for expression of love!

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Without the birth of Christ, there would be no Christmas Holiday

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This is exactly what I mean! The idea that the Christian way is the first and only way when in fact, there has been a winter holiday since the beginning of history. The concept that the reason there is a holiday is because of Christianity is so wrong. If anything, paegans should be annoyed that the CHristians came and turned around their holiday celebrations into a religious thing!!

(The celebration of Christ's birth was only convienently shoved into December to make a Christian holiday mirror the paegan winter holidays. As Misty said, its widly accepted that Jesus Christ was born in the spring - but that would have been too close to Easter so it didnt fit the schedule!!!)

Anyway - I am a Christian and celebrate Christs birth as well. But its not all about that for me. I just think we all need to accept the fact that everyone celebrates in a different way and people should not get upset when they see something done differently than they do it. (not that anyone is getting upset here..just in general)


What now: yea, i was just joking with that one! Great Frank Constanza photo..hahaha

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Posted by endlessluv429

i'm not angry that others don't celebrate like I do - It just upsets me how far we have gotten from the real reason for the season. Without the birth of Christ, there would be no Christmas Holiday, therefore no other way to celebrate unless someone invented their own holiday haha

to all who celebrate it in a non-religous manner-a blessed holiday season to you-as long as the intent is a good one as sonicstef said-that is fine, if that is how you choose to celebrate-I can understand that not everyone believes what I do.

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Couldn't have said it better maself

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I just think we all need to accept the fact that everyone celebrates in a different way and people should not get upset when they see something done differently than they do it. (not that anyone is getting upset here..just in general)

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Very well said. I grew up in a Jewish home, with no tree, no decorations...just a menorah pulled out of a box, and it didn't bother me one bit that just about every person I knew had something to do on December 25th. It used to be a day at the movies for me.

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Posted by endlessluv429

i'm just saying that Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ--@ least the was the original intent--that's all--

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well this has turned into a debate...dec 25th wasn't originally a holiday for the birth of Christ...if you want to be true...you have to celebrate it earlier...

alright, i am sooo not getting into all these specifics-just saying that the whole IDEA of Christmas whether its dec 25th or june 25th was to celebrate the birth of Jesus--

I am fully aware that people celebrate it in different ways--FINE--it's totally FINE with me but as a CHRISTIAN it upsets me a little when I see people getting away from what i believe is the true meaning--that's it

Well I guess, whenever anyone or their religion chooses to celebrate it, is a matter of choice. As Christians we were raised to celebrate it on Dec 25th and I do not have a problem with it. I celebrate my b-day after the fact especially if it falls on a work day Does not make it still not about my b-day

Misty
I had a menorah and nothing to do too! LOL
but I usually got invited to a friends house or I had cousins that intermarried so I just went there on christmas eve or christmas day


Erica- is right though about when he was born, we celebrate Christmas on Dec 25th but I read in a book once that Jesus was actually born sometime in sept-october........ but now Dec 25th is the national holiday but he wasnt born in december........... that is the day of celebration now of his birth but he was actually born a different month..... I did hear that BUT no one knows the exact month or day and that is why everyone celebrates it on 12/25

Sorry have to add a few of my pennies to this pot.

Holiday Season..yes.. but Christmas is a Season in itself. We theoretically celebrate the birth of Christ. It’s also a holiday of Old Saint Nick who passed out presents. I find it interesting that we confuse the two to be the same.

As for Xmas being on the 25th of December, as some will verify that was just a move by the Christians (lets be PC) to wipe out a Pegan Holiday which WAS on the 25th. Christ was not born in December.

So.. we have a holiday SEASON to celebrate a birthday on the wrong day.
THEN we have separately a holiday SEASON of giving. Since it’s on the day of Christmas we call it the Christmas tree. I see no harm in that.

What I don’t get are the Jews (pardon me.. I know I’ll get flamed for this) but.. for Xmas people get nuts if the tree is left up more than a week or so after xmas. Take it down.. blah blah.. but the Menorah and the celebration of lights (which correct me if Im wrong) is about a prayer for oil to last which ended up lasting 8 days and the celebration of this miracle. This holiday doesn’t really have a calendar date like Dec 25, but it’s more of a moving target. However, once the lights are lit, they stay there. NO ONE takes them down, which oddly enough goes in the face of the miracle doesn’t it?

This doesn’t happen in the South. The Menorah goes up and comes down in the time allotted for the celebration of the miracle (yes there are Jews in the south). Here, lets face it, it’s purely PC. No store owner whose worth his weight in salt would EVER remove the Menorah without taking the down the tree. It’s bad for business. Can’t slight the Jews or you get blasted. I find this more insulting than just taking it down. But I’m not Jewish so perhaps they don’t see it my way.

Taking all religious related things away and leaving it the season of giving with the Christmas tree and other winter items is fine, but then remove the Menorah. Why call it a Christmas tree and not holiday tree? Because the day which we give the gifts (thereby using the tree) is called Christmas day, which is also why we call it a birthday cake not a holiday cake.

As far as Xmas vs Christmas. Heck it’s a Cross.. X if you want to make it religious. Xmas vs Christmas is going PC in the opposite direction to me. Who cares? God didn’t give me my name, my parents did. I have my doubts that God, Christ or the “holy spirit” (which I could call Bob) care. They are called Allah and Jehovah and other names in other places. What would a deity such as God or Christ care what they are called as long as they are worshipped correctly?

Just my $.02, which I’m sure I may have accidentally bashed someone. I didn’t intend to, this is my honest opinion.

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Posted by endlessluv429

alright, i am sooo not getting into all these specifics-just saying that the whole IDEA of Christmas whether its dec 25th or june 25th was to celebrate the birth of Jesus--

I am fully aware that people celebrate it in different ways--FINE--it's totally FINE with me but as a CHRISTIAN it upsets me a little when I see people getting away from what i believe is the true meaning--that's it

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That makes sense!
I see why you are upset as a Christian b/c I am one too now, christmas if very commercialized now w/ a lot of pagan things..... some say santa and reindeer are pagan................... while the lights and trees and everything look very pretty Christmas is to celebrate his birth not really about buying presents and decorating but that is what it has become and that makes some people very happy and others sad who want to celebrate the real meaning of christmas day

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Christmas is to celebrate his birth not really about buying presents and decorating but that is what it has become and that makes some people very happy and others sad who want to celebrate the real meaning of christmas day

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I guess I just dont understand how people buying gifts or decorating with reindeers takes away from a religious persons celebrations. If someone put a menorah in their window, it doesnt make me want to throw out of my Christmas gifts. Anyway - I just dont understand the connection with upseting one holiday to celebrate another. But I think we can all agree to disagree on this one. Everyone has very good points and maybe this discussion will help us fine tune the way we celebrate our traditions and make us cherish each other and our celebrations a bit more this year. to all!




Now, who wants to sing with me?


Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

Feliz Navidad...ba ba ba bum, Feliz Navidad...

Driedel, Driedel, Driedel, I made it out of clay...

god bless you tammy for clearing that up--words were just not coming out properly

thanks for the songs stef

I go caroling every year with my family - it's a huge bonfire, with a group of drunken Irish singing all the favorites. Then we sing them twice because we forgot what we sang.

Then somebody starts Happy Birthday to Jesus and everybody gets uncomfortable. We used to go door to door but lost too many revelers on the way so we stay in one spot and wait till we tap the spike hot chocolate and then head up to my uncle's house for thumbprint cookies and irish toddies.

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Posted by endlessluv429

alright, i am sooo not getting into all these specifics-just saying that the whole IDEA of Christmas whether its dec 25th or june 25th was to celebrate the birth of Jesus--

I am fully aware that people celebrate it in different ways--FINE--it's totally FINE with me but as a CHRISTIAN it upsets me a little when I see people getting away from what i believe is the true meaning--that's it

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this is tha whole point...for you its one thing...for me its a COMPLETELY different thing...why do Christains have to get there way but other groups cannot...thats the reason governments should have NO religious material on public land...

lol Stef
there is nothing wrong w/ buying gifts I was just saying I understood Alison's point about the real meaning of christmas being forgotten, not by everyone but by many

many sit around the tree and open gifts all day but probably do not even think of God, not all but some do I am sure

ETS: I was on the phone w/ Amy and typped Amy instead of Alison twice! sorry