Christmas

I have to say I am not impressed by Christmas anymore. All the money spent (that most people do not have), the bussel, the crowds, the ignorant behavior of shoppers...it just sucks. As for the Christian side I do not really see Christmas as that big a deal personally. To me its the death and resurrection of Christ that is the real gift..Easter to me is the only true Christian "holiday". What really gets to me is that at Christmas everyone wants to be so helpful and giving and nice but when its all over its back to the cold, stingy "screw you" attitude with most people...including Christians. God has showed me more than ever before this year that he wants us to be loving, giving and kind all year round. We should have the "holiday" love in us and on us all the time. just a thought...what does everyone else think?

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,"
Matt 24:12

I have unfortunately seen this get worse every year in my short 42 years on this planet. Elsewhere we are encouraged to not allow our hearts to be hardened (this is an area I've struggled with).

I think it's important for the Christian to shine to those who have the "screw you" attitude and be a witness to them of good cheer and hope.

Good points you bring up, and it helps me to check myself as well.

Hey BT, good to see you again. I guess I've gotten to the point where I'm not going to let other people steal my joy, so how other people treat the season isn't going to affect the way I do it. I agree that the resurrection is the main event, but to me Christmas is the beginning of that story. And absolutely:

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he wants us to be loving, giving and kind all year round. We should have the "holiday" love in us and on us all the time.

That's what I try to do too.
Don't let people steal my joy of Christmas.
I know people who do not believe celebrate Christmas on an other way than people do who believe.
Sometimes it's hard not to be involved in decorations, gifts and other Christmas stuff.
It's still God who has given us the most precious gift of all -- His Son Jesus.

I am pretty much over the commercial side of Christmas. Period.

As far as having a time to commemorate the Virgin birth, I think that's still important. Sure, the resurrection is what brings us new life. But, all the O.T. prophecies had to be in place as well--especially the Virgin birth issue. So, remove that, and Jesus would not be the true Messiah either. Without that birth story with over 300 O.T. prophecies coming true in a single event, there would be no death or resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let the rest of the world have the secular event of Christmas or Winter Holiday or whatever. I'm ready to just have a more simplistic celebration of Jesus.

Amen Alldat !

Good post Chris.

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
...
See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Price Chopper the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,

not Happy Holiday!
Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

TRuthfully, I am okay with removing Christ from Christmas. I doubt Jesus would really be impressed with our day to celebrate greed. With all the spending on stuff we mostly don't need, I just don't think the Lord is really the focus of the day anyway.

Good point. I recently watched a documentary on Christmas and all the traditions (as we all know) had their origins in non-Christian celebrations - only to be Christianized by the papacy. That said, I think the celebration of the Nativity is an important thing for Christians to remember. While the world does their thing, Christians should be more focused on the birth of Christ and the accurate account in Scripture (not singing about some mythical drummer boy who wasn't there). Family gathering, giving to the needy, and some celebration are great for remembering His birth (same with Easter, and how our focus should be on His resurrection), instead of all the commercial, greediness, and mythological fairy tales that shadow the real thing we should be celebrating.

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Christmas and all the traditions (as we all know) had their origins in non-Christian celebrations - only to be Christianized by the papacy.

I had a friend who was an unbeliever who told me once 'Us pagans had a good thing going at Christmas time until the Catholics hijacked it for Jesus. He was kinda right. I read the whole Christ thing was brought about in order to control people. The catholics didn't like their people celebrating pagan holidays so they created the Christmas thing to get the catholics at the time to do what the catholic leaders thought would be more holy.

When someone tells me that Christmas used to be a pagan holiday my attitude is ....."so what?" When I celebrate Christmas I celebrate the birth of our Savior (his coming to earth in the form of a child). I could really care less what some society celebrated 700 years ago at the same time of year. Heck people create new holidays all the time (remember Kwanza). So what is the big deal if "Christmas" as a celebration hasn't exsited as a holiday since 1 A.D.? I have also heard that according to the fact that the Shepherds were sleeping in the fields with the flocks that Jesus couldn't have even been born in December as it would have been too cold....again I say "so what?"

Actually, when you take into consideration that Israel is BELOW the equator, it is late spring there now. They WOULD have had flocks out to find new grass.

Again, all the facts show that the time, the rituals and the commercialism have nothing to do with why WE celebrate it. Why WE celebrate is cuz we want a time to recognize His birth and all that entails, just like we celebrate His rez and all that entails. If, in the process, some gifts are exchanged and some eggs are hidden for kids to find, whatever.

But it is good to be educated on the origins, for when the non-believers have their questions and comments.

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

..... Why WE celebrate is cuz we want a time to recognize His birth and all that entails, .....

Ok when I first sped through this sentence I thought you had written "those entrails" ........kind of grossed me out for a second.

.....

Staybrite wrote:

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

..... Why WE celebrate is cuz we want a time to recognize His birth and all that entails, .....

Ok when I first sped through this sentence I thought you had written "those entrails" ........kind of grossed me out for a second.

In other words, the goriness of His crucifixion?

danielbandfan wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

..... Why WE celebrate is cuz we want a time to recognize His birth and all that entails, .....

Ok when I first sped through this sentence I thought you had written "those entrails" ........kind of grossed me out for a second.

In other words, the goriness of His crucifixion?

No the "goriness" of his birth (the crucifixion came some 30 years later)

Staybrite wrote:

danielbandfan wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

..... Why WE celebrate is cuz we want a time to recognize His birth and all that entails, .....

Ok when I first sped through this sentence I thought you had written "those entrails" ........kind of grossed me out for a second.

In other words, the goriness of His crucifixion?

No the "goriness" of his birth (the crucifixion came some 30 years later)

How was that gory? (I've never witnessed a birth. )

Go check one out on youtube. There is a lot of fluid, sometimes blood, and a large organ (at least half the size of the baby or bigger) that comes out after the baby called the placenta....then there is the whole umbilical cord. The babies are usually covered in a slimy film. It can be kind of gross....but amazingly wonderful all at the same time.

Staybrite wrote:

Go check one out on youtube.

No thanks.