Xmas

[reverbbb]

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Xmas.

I cannot think of a more empty word. Perhaps it is best that Xmas is used in place of Christmas. After all, Christmas is not a word, that is what it means. As our pastor pointed out today, everyday is Christmas, not just Dec. 25th.

Dec. 25th was actually a day that was declared by the sun worshiping pagans as the day of beginning the new season of longer days (inaccurately chosen since Dec. 21 is the actual day). The early church obliged the European pagans by combining winter solstice and Christmas to be celebrated at the same time. It seems that the pagan celebrations/traditions (decorating trees, gifting, feasts, lights, etc.) have over-shadowed the recognition of the birth of Christ for many centuries and continues to be gaining ground.

Xmas - makes more sense than using the word Christmas.

[Crunchyriff]

This season has been extremely droll and spritually empty in a national way.

I'm very grieved over it.

My work puts me into three different cities and their outlying areas on a
monthly basis. I've had plenty of time to observe people's lives and, more directly, their homes.

My main peeve in all this is as follows:

In the over 2500 homes I've visited in these last 10 days (10 measly days!) I have seen all sorts of "Holiday Displays"- blow-up Santas, Snowmen, Nutcrackers, the ever-present wire reindeer chocked full o' lights grazing the lawns, etc...

In all these homes' yards (2500+) I've seen ONE nativity scene/display.

One.

Lord have mercy on us.

[Wally]

In all these homes' yards (2500+) I've seen ONE nativity scene/display.

One.

Lord have mercy on us.

:cry:

Wow - I can see 4 in my living room from where I am sitting in front of my computer....

[Mr. 336]

Anybody else hate trees?
Okay, we have one. It's a fake tree, so as to be environmentally friendly & not a fire hazard. But I HATE trees. My wife likes the family tradition of decorating it, & this year it was a big event because my oldest daughter is w/us for the holidays from YWAM (w00t) & most all the ornaments are like Baby's 1st Christmas, so on & so forth. This year we decorated it as soon as she got into town.
But I HATE trees! They are so pagan! I feel like some closet druid or something. I've tried to talk her into putting up the Nativity & putting gifts around it instead, but I think we are too far gone. Trees it is for us.
Other than that (it comes up about ever year now), it has been a pretty rich Christmas for me & my family. This whole season God has been impressing on my heart the concept of friendship w/Him. That is the whole point of our existence:
"...that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Jn. 17:3
That's why He was born!

[Crunchyriff]

The Christmas tree in and of itself does not bother me per se'. YMMV. To me, it's all how you look at it. I'm not pagan. IN this vein I could rebel against the roman Calendar & the Clock we use today; the current traditional Sabbath we observe (Sunday) and so forth- if you want to get down to brass tacks.

I am, however, a Child of God like you, and perhaps I may view a Christmas tree as a reminder of eternal life the Jesus' payment on the cross affords me. Some may not. Again, YMMV.

What bothers me is every iteration of "Jolly St. Nick"; 'holiday savings' papers in my mailbox, all sortsa focus on 'GIVING' (read: SPENDING); and focus on every flippin' thing BUT Jesus, The Christ.

grrrr...

Of course- in all this, we should not be surprised, my brother.

Peace be with you!

[Teleguy]

I think we as Christians are feeling very marginalized and disenfranchised by all the legal movements against showing any connection between God and State.
It makes Christmas very frustrating for us.

God and God's people have always been under attack by The World.
It puts us in good company, but I still mourn the loss as I see us now firmly in the post-Christian age, at least here in the US.

But the Gospel is engineered to be spread under persecution, so I guess mostly I'm just grieving the loss of our Comfort Zone.

It's so different now, than when I was growing up. But God leads us forward.

"...forgetting what lays behind I press onward..."
-Paul of Tarsus

[reverbbb]

Just to clarify, I don't 'think' I started this thread as a holiday season bashing or set up a basis for depression.

I use the word 'think' because perhaps my Freudism was kicking in when I wrote it and I did not realize it at the time.

I don't "hate" Xmas trees. But it has definately become the centralized icon of Xmas. It is the object that attracts the family gathering, the object of destination for St Nick, it is the storage place for the presents, it is the center piece of decorating our home.

I actually think that there are a lot of human attributes that are associated with Xmas that are not only for good character, but are also important. Without Xmas, what other universally selected time would such familiness, benevelance and kindness occur? (I know, these are also fundamental teachings of Christ - At least the world recognizes that humanity needs these attributes).

I simply think that we should recognize the two coinciding events as - two coinciding evenets and call them what they are - Winter Solstice Celebration (Xmas) & Jesus' Birthday (a.k.a. Christmas). It is unfortunate that they are both inaccurately portrayed on the same day (but who is to say that is not the way God planned it?).

I don't worship the sun. However, I do recognize that God created our sun and is of fundamental importance for our existance. We should be thankful that God gave us the sun that brings change, yet balance to the core of life on this planet.

Thank God we have Xmas and Christmas!

[MrMike]

On the up side, our church has done a "Singing Christmas Tree" program for the last 25 years. It was decided that this would be the last year for it, as the auditorium staff has encouraged us to start bringing professionals in from New York to help with the staging because the production has grown so large. At each performance, a very clear, unequivocal Gospel message is presented by our pastor. While some "secular" Christmas songs were included, such as "White Christmas", the 2nd half of the program is very clearly and unabashedly evangelistic in nature. We did a total of 7 performances in a 1500 seat auditorium and every one of them was completely packed. Keep in mind that this is in a town of about 40,000. The response has been overwhelming. I got to play in the Jazz Band- not my particular forte`, but a whole boatload of fun nonetheless. We did a swing version of "Jingle Bells" with an incredibly funky percussion breakdown in the middle, with me soloing a la Gary Moore over it. The ought to be a law against having so much fun.

[TheViking]

I know why I celebrate Christmas. My neighbor might not know why, the guy running the video store across the street might not know why, the shops on my street might not know why, but I do.

I have snow men, reindeers, Santas and Christmas ornaments in my store, I have Christmas specials, I have ginger bread cookies and coffee for my customers and yeah I'' even throw in a tree a couple of days before Christmas.

My mailbox gets filled with brochures, ad magazines, and extra special Christmas offers and so on. To most people in my hood, and probably to most people all over the world, Christmas is a holiday. It’s a reason or an excuse to pamper yourself and the ones you love. Yeah spending and giving is crucial to most, and I do not see the harm in that. What can be better than spending time with friends and family, sharing good times, good meals and exchanging presents?

So ok, pagans celebrated Yule, had trees and presents, but why should they get monopoly on that? I love my Christmas tree. I love the memories it brings to decorate it. I love the fact that my family has done so in generations. I enjoy the old food traditions, the prayers and Bible reading before the Christmas dinner. I still look forward to singing carols and spending time with the ones I love.

We can’t expect a non Christian community to embrace or even understand why we celebrate Christmas. We shouldn’t get aggravated, irritated or annoyed because people focus on gifts and stuff. Christmas is an excellent opportunity to share what we believe in. Bring a box of cookies over to your neighbor, sit down and chat. Invite people to your home; sing them some good ole carols. Take a few moments to share the joy of salvation with your fellow man.

Last weekend I was booked playing in a piano bar at a local hotel. A lot of companies bring their employees out for a Christmas dinner to mark the end of a business year. Needless to say at these parties it’s all about drinks food and fun. I was a bit reluctant to accepting this job, but I went ahead with it. I played all the standard xmas songs, but kept on putting in stuff with a Christian message as well, before I went home 2.30 in the morning I had prayed with 3 people. People who were sick and tired of all the emptiness around the commercial xmas celebration; people who wanted something more. I told it straight up to the hotel and they did not mind at all, actually they have asked me back.

So brothers and sisters, let’s try and see this Christmas no matter how empty, shallow or hollow it may be to most, as an opportunity to share the gospel

[Mr. 336]

Well said.

[OlsonAcoustic]

Anybody else hate trees?

We have 5, (five) cats. There is no way in the world we could have a tree. I don't think we have put one up in 10 years. The first year we did, the cats had it down before the decorations were even all up!

[Crunchyriff]

Anybody else hate trees?

We have 5, (five) cats. There is no way in the world we could have a tree. I don't think we have put one up in 10 years. The first year we did, the cats had it down before the decorations were even all up!

May I suggest taxidermy? :poke: :poke: :mrgreen:

[Micter]

Bah Humbug!

I am sort of joking but this Christmas season is just not what it used to be and I'm not liking it at all. I hate the commercialism and the secular/politically correct view our society tries to ram down our throats. Oh well, I know what this season is supposed to be. I'm glad to say that Jesus came into this world to set me free from the laws of sin and death and that I have eternal life.

[Old Believer]

I don't mind the Christmas trees, outdoor lights, and the blow up lawn ornaments. Our Christmas tree is full of memories of past Christmases (sp.) and family members that are no longer here on Earth.

I don't like all the commericialism.

It is very discouraging that some churches are not having services on Sunday, December 25. What a perfect day to go to church, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. It would be like cancelling a Resurrection service.

[Pearly Gator]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/pearlygator/peepwall.gif

[Barry]

I'm with Old Believer. Christmas trees, decorations and family get-togethers have been a part of my family since before I was born. Like Thanksgiving, it's a reminder of family gatherings with grandmothers, grandfathers, mom, dad and when my siblings and I were knee-high.

I also dislike the secular commercialism that's all but taken over what the real reason for the season is - That of the birth of our Lord and Savior. It saddens me to see that, with each year that passes, the mad rush to buy, buy, buy and put up the decorations gets earlier and earlier. It wasn't that long ago that nobody put up trees before Thanksgiving and that, in my memory at least, Christ was still the universally accepted meaning of Christmas and the most popular light displays were the elaborate nativity scenes, crosses and "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" spelled out in colorful lights.

Now ya gotta be "PC" and say "Happy Holidays". And "Xmas" means sales figures, parties and a new car with a bow on top in the driveway. Yep, if you've got all these things, you'll be happy. Pretty shallow.

[Ravindave_3600]

I was just forwarded an intriguing article (link below) about the origins of Christmas. For years and years I've heard that the church took over mid-winter pagan festivals and "Christianized" them. Now, a professor from Concordia Seminary says otherwise. You might find it interesting.

http://www.worldmag.com/geneedwardveith/veith.cfm?id=18584

Also, for my note taking I use chi and theta as shorthand for Christ and the Father. So if I abbreviate CHRISTmas it comes out Xmas and doesn't bother me a bit. On the other hand, people who do it without thinking irritate me.

Bonus points if anyone can decipher this bit of theological shorthand: T/0

[Strat-tastic]

Ravindave_3600
Bonus points if anyone can decipher this bit of theological shorthand: T/0

That's easy if you live in the north of England. It stand for t'oly Spirit lad!
;)

[Ravindave_3600]

Ravindave_3600
Bonus points if anyone can decipher this bit of theological shorthand: T/0

That's easy if you live in the north of England. It stand for t'oly Spirit lad!
;)

That made me laugh, but since when has Hertfordshire been in the NORTH? Wor people are all Geordies from Tyneside.

(oh, and it's not t'oly Spirit, marra; try again)

[Crunchyriff]

T/O= TIMEOFF???

I too, have recently been educated about the true origin of Christmas, and it's ANYHTING but pagan, bruddah. This stuff in your link is exactly the truth.

I love it. Satan tries his deception again, and gets exposed....

[Mr. 336]

Bonus points if anyone can decipher this bit of theological shorthand: T/0
My (re)search turned up "the beginning of time", but that was a physics reference.

[Ravindave_3600]

Bonus points if anyone can decipher this bit of theological shorthand: T/0
My (re)search turned up "the beginning of time", but that was a physics reference.

The trick here is to remember that this is MY shorthand, for MY notes, with no relationship to anyone else's thoughts. For me chi (X) stands for Christos, so T/0 stands for the cross and resurrection. The cross (T) is probably obvious, but the 0 stands for a great big empty hole :mrgreen:

ain't nobody in THAT grave! :angel