Taking Christ out of Christmas
- Thread starter Indy Gal
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{{{HUGSSS}}}
I too lost my mom this past summer and my daddy 2 weeks ago so I fully understand your pain and the your shedding tears. I wish I could give you hug in real life. :blowkiss:
Today, I have been blessed with both a loving, supportive family and the4 feeling of my parents presence.
I'm sorry philamena. That must be really tough. :blowkiss:
Yesterday was probably tougher in anticipation. Who are you with today?
I believe that your parents are with you, and watching over you. I can always feel my dad when I'm down if I allow myself to listen to the silence.
Merry Christmas to you too!
*Hug* and Thank you. :blowkiss:
My BIL gave one hardcover book to my husband, thinking that of course I was also reading the series. When he found out I wasn't, he gave my husband a used book that he'd already read, of a series I'm not reading, but at least of an author I don't mind.
My FIL hasn't given us a thing, and I'm betting he's given his other two sons something by now. FIL is a bullyboy jerk who wants everyone else to take responsibility for his messups, wants the females around to play Donna Reed and clean up after him like the pooper scooper behind the elephants at the circus parade. He says something once, offhandedly, doesn't make sure he's made eye-contact or gotten a verbal feedback to show the person heard him, then leaves it.
Example: He'd bought a little package of lasagna and garlic bread at Braums. This was to be the supper he was going to feed us all on Christmas Day. Not that it would have been enough to feed all of us and not leave us hungry, mind. (We board here, and he prides himself on providing holiday meals when he's not going to his Mommy's house for her to cook for him.) We didn't realize this, we didn't go with them to his Mother's house on the 23rd, so we thought he'd picked up the lasagna for us to have for that night for supper, just as a token "nice" gesture that he does sometimes. (He has done that before in the past.) Apparently he said the lasagna was for Christmas dinner to my husband, but my husband is notoriously bad about paying attention at times, you have to pin him down and get feedback to make sure he heard you. (FIL knows this, apparently his family are proud of this "family trait".) Yesterday, we brought up the fact that nothing would be open in this town, and that the stores would be closing early, so what was his plans for Christmas dinner. He said nothing, didn't seem worried at all. (He usually subsists, he and my BIL on a diet that consists entirely of fast food. I won't cook for them, that would be enabling the slob.) If he had bothered to ask my husband yesterday "Why are you asking, you know the lasagna is there for Christmas dinner?!" we wouldn't be in this pickle. LUCKILY, there is a Chinese restaurant open today, and we have just enough money (money given to us by his grandmother and from friends) to take them out to buffett, since now we must pay for Christmas dinner. I feel wretched.
This is the fellow who threatened to evict us because I dared to ask him to get up out of his chair in front of the television and walk into the kitchen to look at what was wrong with the stove, since an entire pot of pasta had "walked" off the stove. This was pasta that I'd bought with my disability money, that I was cooking up to share a meal with everyone, mind. He'd just cheaped out and bought the stove secondhand and put it in, after months of not having a functional stove, and YEARS without a functional oven. (His wife did all her baking, she loved to bake, from a toaster oven. She'd bake dozens of cookies too.) Turns out, it's one of the old kind where if you don't put the burner covers on properly, they will be slanted wrong and the pots will slide off the stove. My astigmatism couldn't discern this, and the Mr. had never in his life seen a stove like it before. He'd already checked to see if the stove was level or not, and he couldn't figure it out. This is the same fellow who'd rather suffer, and let his underage child suffer by not being able to have easy to heat frozen food to nuke for quick meals and not buy a microwave for everyone to use in the kitchen rather than provide one since "You guys use it the most." The oven doesn't work right now, only the stovetop does. :furious: I don't like him at all. I stay up in our room most of the time, just so I don't finally snap and tell him exactly what I think of him. But, for now, I have to think peaceful thoughts, so I can choke down Chinese buffett turned into sawdust because I'm around a heavy smoker (The fact that this arsehole didn't quit smoking when his eldest son was a child and very, very, very ill with asthma says a lot about how selfish he really is. I mean as in the Mr.'s Mother told me he was deathly ill, bedridden, she was afraid he'd die. His youngest son, whom he dotes on and favors also had asthma, yet he still smokes like a chimney, chain smokes.) whom I loathe. Fortunately, the Mr. takes after his Mother, and his Maternal Grandfather who were decent people.
Those are always the people who make me feel better.
Philamena
I hope the New Year is better for you. I will keep you in my thoughts today and know that I am so sorry for your losses.
Texana
Overreaching
KatK, I am sorry you are dealing with so much as well with your FIL. I am sure it makes you miss your mother even more.
Philamena, I am so sorry for your losses this year as well. This must have been a difficult holiday season for you. I am so sad even at the thought of enduring that. ((())) Hugs.
Philamena, I am so sorry for your losses this year as well. This must have been a difficult holiday season for you. I am so sad even at the thought of enduring that. ((())) Hugs.
Texana
Overreaching
You are welcome, but I wish that was enough to make it better for you.
Hope it does help a little.
I'm a day late - but, on a holiday created from a patchwork of other holidays, it'd seem tolerance should be the name of the day.
I wouldn't wish a happy Good Friday to anyone other than someone I knew to be Christian, a happy Ramadan to any other than a Muslim - to me, Happy Holidays seems the best way to share my joy, to wish them well.
I've never seen anyone upset at being wished "Merry Christmas" - I think it's a little unaware of the variety of people in the world when used on a stranger - but not offensive. I have seen, and been present during the sermon when the preacher told his congregation to get in people's faces who dare to say "Happy Holidays", then got the wonderful pleasure of sitting through my MIL talking about how she enjoys shoving that in some store clerks face.
I wouldn't wish a happy Good Friday to anyone other than someone I knew to be Christian, a happy Ramadan to any other than a Muslim - to me, Happy Holidays seems the best way to share my joy, to wish them well.
I've never seen anyone upset at being wished "Merry Christmas" - I think it's a little unaware of the variety of people in the world when used on a stranger - but not offensive. I have seen, and been present during the sermon when the preacher told his congregation to get in people's faces who dare to say "Happy Holidays", then got the wonderful pleasure of sitting through my MIL talking about how she enjoys shoving that in some store clerks face.
Thought people who are following this thread would enjoy this video.
NOTE, there is use of the f-word, if that offends you, then please don't click on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2jFqCpZio
NOTE, there is use of the f-word, if that offends you, then please don't click on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2jFqCpZio
This is what I do, I did take a minor exception the day after Thanksgiving this year, when someone wished me a Merry Christmas. That smacked too much of commercialism to me, since it wasn't even December yet. Instead of pitching a fit about it though, I let them see me do a bit of a doubletake, paused a beat, then said "Well Merry Christmas to you when it arrives, and have a Safe and Happy New Year also." and let it go. They seemed to be thinking about what I said, and maybe I shook them out of a little bit of that "BUY MORE NOW!!!" trance the coporate advertising campaign seems to induce from November on nowadays. *wry*
iNTERESTEDWOMAN
I'll trade you a bushel of corn for a barrel of oi
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I read this thread this morning and pondered it all afternoon. You see, I must be naive, I always thought the peaceful Pagans rejoiced in sharing their wonderful winter celebration with the Christians. I never realized the Christians told the Pagans they could no longer celebrate their festival of winter because they where taking it over. Never knew the Pagans where furious about it and turned against the Christians. I always thought the Christians took many holiday traditions (including Easter) from the Pagan's because they thought they where great ideas and perfect times to celebrate. (if you can't beat them join them) I find it amazing that two such peaceful religions made a war over such a trivial thing (as in timing). Interesting.
My understanding of Jesus Christ is that he would have never wanted any of this. He would have wanted us to show respect for him by showing respect to others, such as welcoming their traditions, honoring God and others and celebrating what has been given to us. The earth, sun, air, food and water.
Nova
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
Per Wiki, the earliest celebrations of the Nativity were in the early 200s C.E. I seriously doubt Christians of that era held enough power to "force" pagans to do anything, much less drop their traditional holidays. And pagans of the early Christian centuries (particularly the Romans) were rather famously diverse and (like the modern Japanese) often chose elements from many religions to celebrate. I suspect the reported "Jingle Bell" war was a minor affair at best.
(There may have been more conflict during later centuries of "forced" conversion to Christianity in some areas and maybe that's what the original poster meant.)
That is EXACTLY my understanding of Jesus Christ, at least before I learned on other threads here at WS that Jesus is in favor of capital punishment, gun ownership and preemptive wars.
I wonder where you and I ever got such a radical notion...
Dark Knight
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LOL! Well Jesus never, in His omnipotence, condemned crucifixion as punishment for crimes, including crimes far less than murder. (The 2 that were crucified along with Jesus are the best-known example of that. Well, so is Jesus, for that matter!) Given how horrific this method of execution is, if Jesus didn't recognize the State's right to mete out punishment as it sees fit for crimes committed, don't you think He would have said something?
ETA: And while they didn't have guns then, His Apostles did carry swords, apparently.)
Nova
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By the very same logic, we must conclude Jesus was pro-homosexuality. I'm glad you've finally come around on that, DK.