Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

:)

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Yes. Go away. Come back December 24th. :D

Christmas. The holiday for reprobates.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I'm sending you a Christmas card. :smack

I like chocolate and coffee.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

It doesn't take much to get you to compromise! :heeheehee

Re: Is it to late to argue about Halloween?
 

Ha funny I was going to ask
what pagan holiday Halloween is a remnant of...feels RCC?
Anyone?

LOL. I was anti Xmas before I was Apo. I wasn't dogmatic about it. To each their own.

I never stopped attending family gatherings. Thanksgiving and Xmas were really the only times that I'd see most of my family members.

Shallow Eve's Day???

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Huh? Oh, wait, no, I mean
"Um." :lol

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

We've been looking at churches on the internet before we go check them out... Surprising to me how many have up big colorful ads for their Halloween celebrations... Trunk or Treat, Hallelujah parties, Fall festivals... all including costumes, candy, etc. Just be real and call it HALLOWEEN!

It has made it easy for me to see how a holiday that was outlawed by the Puritans (Christmas) because of it's pagan origins and sinfull practices eventually crept into the Christian culture. We just refuse to be denied anything at all...even evil spirits, ghosts, gobblins, witches, monsters, blood and guts aplenty... Nope, it the next door neighbor kids have it no one will deprive MY children... uh-uh! As a matter of fact we'll just have it at the chruch and call it... OUTREACH!:heeheehee

Yes. Christian contradiction. Imagine that.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Well, our church is one of the guilty ones. I think the idea behind it is to provide a safer, wholesome alternative for the neighborhood kids. Our church isn't in the nicest area of town, and I would hate to think of some of these kids going door to door around that area. I don't personally care if my kids get candy or not, or whether or not they get to dress up. Our pastor does stay consistent with the wholesome theme, and stipulates no scary, bloody, gory or evil costumes.

I realize there are cynics (like you, obviously :blink), but it really was done with the community in mind. Our kids never participated in Halloween until our church launched Trunks of Treats (or whatever it's called--I can't ever get it straight), so we didn't do it for them. Other parents who did participate in Halloween now complain because they want to take their kids to other neighborhoods. Others opt out altogether. Those who stay in the parking lot with their trunks up and hand out candy ARE the ones who are interested in interacting with the neighborhood. In fact, most of them are older people who don't even have children at home.

Personally, Halloween is my LEAST favorite holiday. It doesn't even belong in the "least favorite" list because I don't like it at all. I don't see anything Christian about it whatsoever. However, I don't think it's right to refuse to hand out candy to kids, either. I don't think they "get" that it's a principled thing, so what's the point? They just think it's mean. The only people who get the statement are other Christians. Are they the ones to whom we're supposed to be making "principled statements?" Other Christians?

Whether or not we participate in Trunks of Treats, we have always handed out candy from our door. If someone knocks and asks, they are going to receive, to the best of my ability. It doesn't matter to me if it's Halloween or any other day.

To me, this is no different than my Dad's behavior around Christmas when I was growing up. He was staunchly opposed to Christmas. Wow, talk about a Scrooge. Hum a Christmas song and you'd get a lecture a mile long. :blink However, he also tried to make sure that we did something as a family during the Christmas holiday. We'd go to Silver Dollar City or Eureka Springs, AR, or SOMETHING. IMO it's okay to try to offer alternatives so your kids don't feel left out or resentful. I can tell you, there were a couple of things that happened because of Christmas when I was growing up that I did resent. My Dad overreacted, and it really was NOT that big of a deal. Unless someone is going to end up in hell over it, I say live and let live.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

You dad was a good man. :)

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

According to my neighborhood store, who has their Christmas stuff up, it's NEVER too early. ;)

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

We always took our kids out for ice cream on halloween.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I'm a live and let live girl myself. I just have to do what is right for me and mine :) We simply told the kids that Halloween was not OUR holiday, like Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. They had some Jewish friends and some black friends, so that seemed to work for us.

My son, who is not a Christian, despises the myth of Santa Clause because he considers it lying. He tells his kids that under most Santa costumes is a fat bum who is probably homeless because he only works two weeks a year, and that toys are made in China not the North Pole. My grandsons are 5 and 6 and have always known it this way. They are not the least bit sad about it. They do presents but not decorations... Grandma doesn't do either but she cooks great and makes pies and tells the Jesus story all year. :) I don't consider that they are missing anything.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I do agree with your son about Santa Claus. We've never lied to our kids about Christmas. Personally, I think the true stories and even legends read as precisely that (simply legend) are much more charming. :)

I got an angry phone call from another Mom when my middle daughter was in pre-K. Her daughter and mine got into an argument over Santa Claus and of course my daughter had known forever that Santa Claus wasn't real. (Other than being the blown up caricature of a particularly generous Catholic priest.)

However. That said, I do understand that some parents see this as playing a pretend game with their kids, albeit extended. Eventually all children discover that it was a game and that their parents were actually the gift-givers. I'm not a fan of the idea, but I do stop short of calling parents liars.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I like Christmas and presents and decorations etc. But most of all I love having all our family together.

Right. I noticed that some stores had Christmas stuff out late September.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

My stance that Christmas celebrations come from pagan origins has not changed from last years big debate. I will not participate in the tradition. We do have family gatherings though since it seems like that is the only time family gets together.

However, like Ms. B and Titus2woman, I am a live and let live person. If one wants to celebrate all the pagan holidays with their children, I will leave that up to them and God. At the very least, I am an advocate that the children should know the pagan origins of these holidays and perhaps it should be taught in the church system?

I did all those dumb things when my children were young because I did not know how evil halloween celebrations really were and how ignorant I was about the christmas and easter holidays.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

:thumbsup Ditto

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Me too! I have my mother's nativity set from when I was a child. I've had trouble keeping the manger steady and ran across this idea I will use to display my idolatry this year. :heeheehee

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/...n/DSC_0560.jpg

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Very creative PO!

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Love it!

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Herein lies one of the most unsavory parts of the whole X-mas business for me... I don't want to have to lie. That is exactly what this mother expected you to do. Good for you for not giving in to the pressure.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I still have a warm spot in my heart for the Nativity. :)

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I know. I told my husband that sometimes I feel nostalgic for the Catholic Church. He said, 'What?! You want to be a Catholic again?!!" :heeheehee

NO! I just spent half of my life there and have many happy memories - the nativity at Christmas time was beautiful!!! Midnight Mass with candles all around - the choir softly singing. Beautiful!

We had 13 ft ceilings in our house and put up a 12 ft tree - hanging one piece of
ice cicle at a time (tedious!) or we would be in big trouble with my mother.

My sisters and I would take turns putting baby Jesus in his crib, at the base of the tree, singing Silent Night - crying the whole time. So dramatic! :heeheehee

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I bought a cloche months ago and didn't know what I was going to do with it. Just thought since it was on sale..... :heeheehee Now I know! :thumbsup

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Or this

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N7FiXwKHEh...n+via+blog.jpg

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Renda, Here ya go for your office party! :heeheehee

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/...LfUVh9y0_c.jpg

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Good grief.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Better on a cookie? :heeheehee

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/...BEHAN9a4_c.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/...MmeJ9SN1_c.jpg

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

I really want to look into the pagan customs of Christmas and other similar holidays. Does anyone know of any good books agains them?

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Just because my stance hasn't changed, it doesn't mean that I do not enjoy the nostalgia of the pretties even though I do not participate in them. There is not a more beautiful time than Christmas. :)

I just wish it truly could have been dedicated to our Savior.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Pagan Traditions by Dr. David A. Ingraham is a good one.

or DVDs

America's Occult Holidays by Doc Marquis

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Just do a search online for Christmas-Pagan. Should turn up hundreds of articles.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Much better. Although I use to wear a lot of Christmas jewelry. Those nails could be considered art I guess.

Re: Is it to early to argue about Christmas??
 

Here is my official comment on the whole "Christmas issue" ---- "no comment"