Anyone else not doing Christmas this year?

[El Naked Neck]

CHRISTMAS—NOT CELEBRATED BY EARLY CHRISTIANS

A person’s worship could be contaminated by false religion as it relates to popular holidays. Consider Christmas, for example. Christmas supposedly commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, and nearly every religion that claims to be Christian celebrates it. Yet, there is no evidence that the first-century disciples of Jesus observed such a holiday. The book Sacred Origins of Profound Things states: “For two centuries after Christ’s birth, no one knew, and few people cared, exactly when he was born.”


Even if Jesus’ disciples had known the exact date of his birth, they would not have celebrated it. Why? Because, as The World Book Encyclopedia says, the early Christians “considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” The only birthday observances mentioned in the Bible are those of two rulers who did not worship Jehovah. (Genesis 40:20; Mark 6:21) Birthday celebrations were also held in honor of pagan deities. For example, on May 24 the Romans celebrated the birthday of the goddess Diana. On the following day, they observed the birthday of their sun-god, Apollo. Hence, birthday celebrations were associated with paganism, not with Christianity.


There is another reason why first-century Christians would not have celebrated Jesus’ birthday. His disciples likely knew that birthday celebrations were connected with superstition. For instance, many Greeks and Romans of ancient times believed that a spirit attended the birth of each human and protected that one throughout life. “This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born,” says the book The Lore of Birthdays. Jehovah certainly would not be pleased with any observance that would link Jesus with superstition. (Isaiah 65:11, 12) So how did Christmas come to be celebrated by many people?

I'm a one of Jehovah Witnesses , and what I say is Thank you, (Matthew 7:12) 12 “All things, therefore, that YOU want men to do to YOU, YOU also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.

I respect their beliefs, just like Matthew says.
We don't get offended.



redhen wrote:

I've never had anyone get offended when i said Merry Christmas to them.. And i've been saying it for 37 years..
What kind of people get offended at something as innocent as a "Merry Christmas"??

Jehovah Witnesses!!​

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Quote:
I actually do send out Christmas cards each year, but I send them to the children on my swim team. I remember the excitement of getting mail when I was a kid and I figure modern children are no different. The cards are addressed to the children, not their parents. From the feedback I get, the cards are a big hit! It ends up being about 40 cards, but it is worth every penny and all the effort.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I actually do send out Christmas cards each year, but I send them to the children on my swim team. I remember the excitement of getting mail when I was a kid and I figure modern children are no different. The cards are addressed to the children, not their parents. From the feedback I get, the cards are a big hit! It ends up being about 40 cards, but it is worth every penny and all the effort.

KUDOS!

Kids LOVE getting cards! Makes them feel uber important!

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

I send cards to my elderly aunts and uncles, They love them as much as kids !!

 

[purr]

well if I offend any JW's by saying Happy Holidays or Merry Yule then oh well
I get really offended when they come knock on my door and refuse to leave when I say no thank you politely and they're still trying to shove their religion down my throat.
Now I know not all JW's are like this we had an Uncle in DH's family who was JW and I loved to visit with for hrs but he was not the pushy type.

 

[justuschickens59]

Pagan here and I don't do Christmas - we celebrate Yule, or the Winter Solstice.

I'm not in the least bit offended when somebody says "Merry Christmas," just don't be offended when I respond in kind with "Merry Yule" or "Happy Solstice."

What IS offensive is that a certain religion seems to believe that this holiday season belongs exclusively to them and that everybody and every institution on the planet should cater to them and disregard the others. There are many other "holidays" being celebrated at this time of year...not just Christmas. I find it very sad that one particular religion simply cannot accept that their way is NOT the only way.

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
I have to agree with the sentiments that I quoted above. This season is not the property of one group. As I said in another thread, if my idea of the proper way to celebrate the season is to put on nothing but body paint & an evergreen crown & dance around in my empty swimming pool to disco tunes, then so be it! Respect it. If you don't like it, don't peek through the slats of the privacy fence. If you catch sight of my evergreen crown over the privacy fence and don't like it, then avert your eyes. I'm not harming anyone, after all. So long as my disco is below the legal threshold for noise violations, then deal with it! I'll have frozen my tush off soon and be back inside. And, besides, I listened to your style of tunes yesterday at the store. (Now, who sells body paint in December....)

In reality, I celebrate three holidays this winter season: the Solstice, Christmas (though I celebrate a secular day), and New Years. How I celebrate, and what I celebrate on those days, may not be in alignment with the majority of people who celebrate those days, but it has meaning to me personally.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Quote:
So true. I guess I have a screwy Christmas card list. I seldom send them to the standard folk. When I do send them out it is to my mom's aunts and elderly friends. I figure my friends get plenty. My elderly friends and family don't get as many. It makes it more fun when the card isn't expected.

 

[featherbaby]

I won't be putting up decorations or doing "traditional" celebrating this year. When I got divorced 11 years ago, my heart just stopped wanting to do anything special. I am giving up the search for another husband, and that takes a lot of pressure off my expectations. I think one of the main sources of pain in the holidays is the unmet expectations we have. When I watch "heart warming" Christmas movies, I am saddened because I don't have those idylic things in my life. My circumstances are difficult right now. My 86 year old father is in a coma and I am caring for him until God calls him home. In the other bedroom is my 85 year old mother who has dementia and doesn't even know who I am. She has to be cared for like the 5 year old she is in her mind. My life is committed to caring for them 24/7 and I can't leave the house without paying a caregiver to be with them. So I am endeavoring to accept this season of service and sacrifice in my life, and let all other expectations go. I don't have siblings, relatives or a husband to share the responsibilities with, and my only daughter lives far away. I do have friends and a wonderful church which is a great comfort to me right now.

All that said, my advice to those whose lives are far from perfect right now: Accept what you have, find some peace in it, do what works to make you feel good, let the other stuff go. I was told by a wise friend once that the secret to being content was to be more pleased with smaller things. I have found that to be true. I went out and fed warm oatmeal to my small flock of silkies this morning. They were so funny and so sweet it brought tears to my eyes. I am going to make a big pot of warm Baked Potato Soup today and serve it with crusty toasted french bread. Ummmmmmm! I'm going to rent a couple of movies (comedies probably) for Christmas day and have leftovers that only have to be heated up for quick, no fuss meals that day. In other words, I'm going to be gentle on myself and smile more/worry less for just a few days. Who knows, maybe it'll be a regular thing!!!

Merry Christmas to all....and to all a Good Night!

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

Quote:
I know it is hard, but you are already Blessed. My mom lived with me for 6yrs, before she passed, So I know it is one of the HARDEST jobs a person can have. But now that she is gone , I miss her but feel blessed that I got the privledge of Taking care of her. And my daughter learned so much from the experience. So remember all the good times and have A Merry Christmas !!