Christmas

[In the Kitchen]

What is your reason for celebrating Christmas?

 

[kitchenelf]

mmmmm...... I'll see where this one goes

 

[crewsk]

First & foremost, our Christmas celebration revolves around the birth of Jesus. Secondly, is kids. My hubby & I usually only get each other 1 or 2 gifts & the rest are for the kids. We get much more joy out of seeing them happy& enjoying themselves.

 

[GB]

I am Jewish and my wife converted (not for me, but for herself. She had been planning on doing it before we even met). Her family celebrates Christmas so we celebrate with them. They do not do it for any religious reasons at all. It is just a reason to get family together and have a good time and good food (like we need an excuse for that LOL).

 

[SizzlininIN]

The birth of Christ and a celebration of that with family and friends.

 

[wasabi]

The birth of Christ and a celebration of that with family and friends.

Amen

 

[buckytom]

well said sizz...

 

[Bangbang]

Its for the kids. I hate Christmas. Just think Inlaws. I also have a multi-racial family.


native american+afro-american+caucasion(redneck)+arab-american=social disaster

 

[chesterchippy]

Six years ago, when the kid just turned 7 and Christmas followed, I realized he had Jesus and Santa Clause on equal footing. I decided we had to join and church and put him in Sunday School to give him a foundation - if for no other reason than to have something to rebel against. How can he make decisions without background and information? He has to know if and why he wants to leave how we're raising him.

 

[tweedee]

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our lord and savior. And has absolutely nothing to do with getting presents.

 

[buckytom]

the gifts are supposed to represent the gifts of the magi (SP?)

gold, franenstein, and rosemary infused oils...

 

[mudbug]

Christmas is also the time of year to express love and seek peace with one's fellow bu...er, beings.

 

[Bangbang]

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our lord and savior. And has absolutely nothing to do with getting presents.

Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas. Almost all cultures have some concept of a magical figure who brings gifts to the worthy and judgment to the unworthy. As the Christian church expanded through Europe, Scandinavia, and the British Isles, these pagan, mythological figures were supplanted by the Christian gospel. God alone is the Sovereign, it is from Him that all blessings ultimately flow, and it is His judgment that we should fear. He gave the greatest gift of all, the life of His Son on our behalf according to the scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4). But the church also took the opportunity to use the life and death of one of its early leaders as a type of Christ, as an exemplary Christian life or role model by which we are reminded of what it means to be a Christian. Nicholas, a Christian bishop in what is now Turkey, came from a wealthy family but gave up his social position and wealth to dedicate himself to preaching, teaching, and evangelizing for the Gospel. He lived in the fourth century, was a defender of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity at the Council of Nicea against the heretic Arius of Alexandria, and eventually was martyred for his faith. During his life he repeatedly sacrificed for the sake of others. One old story told of him is that he secretly paid the doweries of three young women whose father could not afford to dower them. Tradition tells us that late at night Nicholas went to the window of the house, from which hung the family stockings to air, and dropped the dower money through the window into the socks. Nicholas was declared a special saint long after his death, commended by the church as a fitting role model of Christian charity and dedication to the gospel. St. Nicholas, who is especially honored at the beginning of December, became associated with Christmas because his gift-giving symbolized God's gift of salvation to us in Christ. St. Nicholas became the Santa Claus with which we are now familiar. On our coffee table each Christmas season we place a large plaster statue of Santa Claus kneeling before the Christ child in the manger, his cap off, his hands folded, worshiping His Lord and Savior. Certainly it is not historically correct, but theologically it is profound.

 

[Lifter]

Obviously, we celebrate "The Greatest Gift of All", in accordance with our Christian Faith....

If "Nicholas" should have been a Turkish Bishop, or should the story line have "mingled" with "Kris Kringle" of Holland, (I believe?) the Season certainly is one where all can find it in our hearts to give, if not "for once" then at least a little more generously...

(Gently laughing) I can remember one of our first Christmases together, probably the second or third, where my wife and I stopped and bought Christmas "House Mouse" momento's for our "then" two daughters, on the night of the 24th, with about our last dollars...that they have clung to and preserved to this day, many years later!

Subsequently, that point where the families start "fragmenting" at the dinner table, and the year when we were the only couple, (albeit we had a 'selection' of grandkids, at this point!) that were prepared to spend the day with Marg's parents and mine...while the "others" wanted to "try Christmas on their own" at their own places...so we invited both sets of Grandparents, and an open "tag" to any others...of course, the rest chickened out, and we had the full throng through...resulting in us being a "bit short" of ingredients on Christmas Day...

well the Lord provided, with a box of "All-Bran" to bring up the stuffing, in absence of bread...my brother in law's "constitution" was unequal with the ingredient, and he spent Boxing Day on the toilet, which was JUSTICE, indeed, and my aunt, fortunately, hosts the hoards for an "At Home" on Boxing Day, and we got enough to eat there that the way the Masses cleaned us out didn't matter...

LOL!

It was a long while ago!

Again, its a time whee we should all consider our fabulous fortunes in being in good health, rich beyond measure by any other standard on Earth, in company or proximity of friends and family...and able to reach out and help the less fortunate...

What are people on this List doing to achieve that?

Are you

a) Inviting "singles" to your family Christmas dinner and celebration?

b) "Sponsoring", anonomously, a needy family, with the means for a full meal and gifts, such as you and yours are getting and giving? (Its a tax deduct...!)

c) Reaching out to servicemen and women, who are off on foreign service? Sending them something? Doinng something for their wives or families?

d) Doing something "environmentally correct" for your community, state or region?

e) Not just "doing something for the Church", but actively furthering Christianity outside one's own parish?

Such things might be "understood" by the Almighty to be a "Celebration" of the donation of his Peerless Son to our Salvation...and He had but One to give...

Give that some thought through "Thanksgiving" and "Christmas", let alone "Epiphany"...

Lifter

(will now take the dog collar off, but expect you may understand where I'm coming from!)

 

[SizzlininIN]

Wow I'm taken back by the posts. I remember as a child my father not being present when we opened gifts. I remember it a task just to get him to open his presents...he made no fuss about it. It wasn't till later in my early 20's that I questioned my mother why this was so and discovered that his mother had a stroke on Christmas Day and died the following day. He never could get over that. It left such an impression on him. Now that he's an elderly man he realizes that such a day is mean not celebrate the birth of Jesus but to be a part of the families celebration. My mother laid on her death bed in their home last Christmas. I moved my family in with them to care for her. Granted this Christmas will not be the same as 2 years ago before her illness but my mother is no longer suffering and is in Gods hands. Yes this Christmas will not be the same without her but I still have the other members of my family here with me. So I plan to celebrate Jesus' birth and yes I will buy my family members presents............if for nothing else then to see the joy on their faces to receive them.......maybe the gift will take their mind off of last years Christmas. I will make it a point that my children will not see me dwell in my grief over losing her at that of year and question later in life why I behaved that way.
So to all of you.............celebrate Jesus' birth............just enjoy the day as a family..........make memories while you still can.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Now that he's an elderly man he realizes that such a day is mean not celebrate the birth of Jesus

Clarification.....my computer is mucking up and my keyboard is not wanting to cooperate. What I meant to be typed was: Now that he's an elderly man he realizes that such a day is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Also, no matter what religon you follow this time of year should be a time to celebrate being with your family

 

[lyndalou]

What can anyone add to all of this? I knew you are all good folks, with more to share than recipes. Thank you and have a happy and blessed holiday season.

 

[chesterchippy]

Thank you, thank you for all you've shared.

 

[samurai_penguin]

I use Christmas as an excuse to roast innocent turkeys. What have they ever to us?! Save the turkeys!

 

[middie]

pretty much what everyone in here said sums it up