Christmas & Christianity

[fallenhope]

The other thread in here got me thinking. I know so many people celebrate it because somewhere along the line of there family they celebrated it and it became tradition, and those Pagan excuses (when most people who say that as an excuse are Atheist, not Pagan, anyhow). It just bothers me how much of a commercial holiday its become. People think I'm not in the Christmas spirit because it makes me feel all guilty when I get so much stuff... but I really am. I love Christmas.

My favorite Christmas memory was last year, I went to Christmas mass, (my priest gives the little kids a little toy each year relating to the sermon. I think last year it was a little plastic penguin, because it had something to do with Happy Feet) and then after we went to this beautiful restaurant, Christina's, and we ate. Then we drove around in the snow flurries and saw all the decorated houses.

I just can't deal when one of the most important holiday in my religion is just commercialized.

[quailfeather]

That is EXACTLY how I feel about it! I just hate how it seems like people only care about either making money or gifts gifts and more gifts. It irritates me. They had Christmas stuff out BEFORE Thanksgiving. But there is something else I want to say about it. I also get irritated about the whole "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays". The holiday IS Christmas so people don't need to get their feathers in a bunch about two words. And I heard some crock about the holiday is Winter Solice, the first day of winter. What? People are celebrating winter? Now I'm sorry but that does NOT make any sence to me at all. Oh it's the first day of spring lets give presents and say happy holidays, or first day of summer. I know I'm mocking those people but you know what, they need to get real. It has ALWAYS been Christmas and always will be. There is no getting around that, they are just trying to ruin it for eveybody else in hopes that the belief in God will die.....okay so I went a little extreme there for a minute. It's okay to say Happy Holidays but you know what, people shouldn't freak out over two little words so much along with "In God We Trust" and all the other junk people are trying to get rid of, and I'm not at all saying that anybody here is like that or that anybody who says Happy Holidays is like that. If somebody wants to say Happy Haunaka to me that's cool I respect that, or Happy Quanza, I respect that as well, but my beliefs in Merry Christmas should also be respected. That's what is going wrong with this world, there's little tolerance or respect anymore. And it's the smaller groups that blow things up anyway, MOST everybody still celebrates Christmas and still says those Merry Christmas. America has gone soft. We all need to stand up for out beliefs and not let them die away.

Seriously, sorry if I kinda blew that up to much, I just say what's on my mind....