Christmas or "Holiday"? Letter of the week, 12/31/07

[David]

Merry Christmas?
Editor:

It seems like Merry Christmas has gone. My question is, "Where did it go?" Did it go to China? I'm sure China is quite happy with Merry Christmas; after all, almost everything we bought for Dec. 25 was manufactured in China. Also gone is the Christmas tree, replaced by the Holiday tree. The stores no longer have signs wishing us a "Merry Christmas." Now they are wishing us a "Happy Holiday." What holiday? Washington's birthday, 4th of July? I'm confused.

Obviously, in our never-ending desire to be politically correct, and so as not to offend people who are offended by Merry Christmas, the religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ has been transformed into a secular generic holiday. If anyone is offended by my celebration of "Merry Christmas," my reply is "So be it."

We need a backlash movement, and we must be prepared for next year. Send letters to the major stores requesting that their holiday signs specifically say, "Merry Christmas." Do not wish anyone a "Happy Holiday." Wish everyone a Merry Christmas (unless you know that they do not celebrate Christmas). Decorate the outside of your home with “Merry Christmas” decorations.

If anyone is truly offended by my celebrating my religious holiday, I sure would like to know why.

RALPH POMPANO, MERIDEN

[Fit 2 Print]

[B]I fully understand Ralph's point, but at the same time, I wonder how non-Christians (or non-believers) feel about being told to "HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS" when it gives the sense that someone else's religious belief is being forced upon receipients of that salutation...B]

[eds]

I believe in Jesus' gift. I would be called by some as Christian though I prefer Hebrew Christian.

I will say that I am offended that when people think of religious symbols, they include the Christmas tree. The Christian cross sure, but never a tree. BTW, its just fine to use X-Mas since X is an early Christian symbol that refers to the Cross and Christ much like the fish symbol does.

Celebrate Christ yes. But Christmas has become something other than a celebration of Christ. The entire season is offensive because we get so consumed with shopping, getting gifts, and we introduce a foreign concept called Satan, oops, I mean Santa. The kids get just a drop of Christ and whole outpouring of Santa.

Think about this. There are people who go to church on Sunday and the rest of time they never even think about what they learned. They figure they went to church, gave their 10% and that's that. Much like Christmas day. G-d wants 100%. Some go to mass the evening before, or the day of, but it is usually an encumbrance in getting to opening presents. Again, 10% for Christ, 90% for humanity.

Therefore I do not celebrate Christmas at all in the religious sense. Christ never was born on Dec 25, Christmas trees are banned as part of the Bible so why insult G-d? But that's just me. I participate much like I do any other holiday like Thanksgiving.

In a recent post I posted my take on when Jesus was born and the Christmas celebration.
http://forums.ctrecord.com/showpost.php?p=3448&postcount=8

So yes, I am offended by the Christmas season. But not because someone says Merry Christmas to me. I usually respond in kind or I say Happy Chanukah. They are just being nice and trying to make peace with me. A total non-threat. I celebrate Chanukah because it is not just a festival of light, it represents the conception of Jesus, the Light, whose birth would be approximately 40 weeks from Chanukah during the Sukkot festival. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus also said, "He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

People of the Jewish faith celebrate the miracle of the oil for the Temple Menorah to be lit for 8 days with oil that would not have lasted but one. Also the celebration was to last 8 days because Sukkot could not be celebrated during that year and it was to make up for it. Though, Chanukah involves a military victory accomplished with the help of G-d against superior forces, Jews do not celebrate that type of victory because it involved the downfall of another man.

That celebration is meant to keep in focus the miracle of G-d saving His people, and the additional items Hebrew Christians add to it involve the saving once again of man through the gift that is Jesus.

The people have lost track of that over time and have become as those who worship idols. The people hold the Christmas tree to be a sacred object and are offended that it be used in vain. We take offense to the removal of Christmas from the vernacular when it never belonged there in the first place. The people are offended over a non-holiday whose existence only trivializes Christ. The people are offended for the wrong reaons!

To truly understand Jesus, who was a Jew, and His disciples, who all were Jews, including Paul, who all still kept mitzvot, one must understand Jewish faith and then the Church Jesus started in the first century A.D. will make sense.

So yes, I am offended at what the general populous has done to associate Christ with an overly commercialized, and very sinful celebration. When you have the dichotomy of Santa and gifts juxtaposed with Christ and His gift of salvation it trivializes Christ's gift as just another gift. It does not give it the reverence that it deserves; that Christ was born and without His birth their could be no death, no salvation. Mixing the two just waters down the message. Its as if you were invited to a friends wedding and then while you were there, started to celebrate someone else's birthday. To make matters worse, we serve HAM on Christmas when even Jesus despised that food. Jesus destroyed a heard of pigs with evil spirits. If they were food, Jesus would have respected the pigs as food just He respected the fishes and loaves and let not even one crumb go to waste. We have all been misled by Satan.

It time to take Christ out of Christmas, out of the Christmas that represents greed, sloth, and envy, and put Christ into our hearts and lives where He belongs. Its time to celebrate His gift as a proper celebration and rite separate unto it own and give it the respect it deserves.

[Chriss P]

I could care less about the religious ins and outs of Xmas. I enjoyed it for what it was (fun, kindness, toys, a time to feel safe in a cruel world, looking at constelations, magical things happening). Im with bringing it back full steam. Just enjoy the time for peace as there aint many.

[eds]

There's always Festivus for the Rest of Us. :D

[Chriss P]

Festivas makes more sense than Happy Holidays; and best of all, its celebrated with honesty. lol.

[eds]

See...now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Honest celebration.

[Wine Guys]

:) This was the first Christmas in over 12 years that we had a CHILD present. My niece had her 1 ½ year old boy at our gathering. It made me think…
For the last 12+ years… Christmas was a gathering of the clan to celebrate…
To celebrate What? The birth of Jesus the Christ? A side of Beef? With some nice wine?
For me Christmas is a time to decorate my house, to share some time with friends, to make Peace with the world and myself.
And the 1 ½ year old child was clueless to all of this. He just wanted to use the dogs as a pillow…
Youth is wasted on the young…
And the Holidays should be savored… For what they are… A time to put things in perspective…
Hey eds! We have different views on this, but I think we can agree to disagree… And…
Happy New Year to Everyone!

On to 2008…

[UNiRAC]

[B]I fully understand Ralph's point, but at the same time, I wonder how non-Christians (or non-believers) feel about being told to "HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS" when it gives the sense that someone else's religious belief is being forced upon receipients of that salutation...B] DAVID stated '' Obviously, in our never-ending desire to be politically correct, and so as not to offend people who are offended by Merry Christmas, the religious holiday celebrating the [[only to celebrate figuratively/ not historically]]birth of Jesus Christ has been transformed into a secular generic holiday. If anyone is offended by my celebration of "Merry Christmas," my reply is "So be it."'' Let it Be, Let it
Be :cool: I promise not to bomb a Masque during Rahmadan or whatever celebration y'all have ! you can even post a sign on public property stating ' Imagine No Religion at X- MAS TIME ! :cool: Lat part of hawaiin means Happy New Year ! [ not much LATIN spoken since 1962]