What holidays do YOU celebrate this time of year?

Is this thread just for Jews, or for other people who don't observe Christmas? There's Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, all kinds of other non-christians/non-christmas-observers.

I'd be interested to hear about what people do on Christmas that don't celebrate it.

I have Christmas duty. So not gonna be a fun day.

Wow.

Cult? Don't think so.

John, did you even READ the Bible story?
I think you're right about the Roman government ordering the census, a mistake on my part.

I made this thread to remind everyone what the reason we have a Christmas in the first place.
Wow.

Originally Posted by Midna Fan

I made this thread to remind everyone what the reason we have a Christmas in the first place.
Wow.

Because we celebrated Yule and someone changed the name. There's no Christ in Christmas in the first place, basically. The poor guy just ended up there due to people twisting his words.

Originally Posted by John

Santa Clause doesn't predate Christianity. Yule and Saturnalia did, though.

Alas, a mistake on my part - I shouldn't had mix up "traditional" yule and commercialized Yule.

I don't think it's a good idea to get wrapped up in semantics. Whatever the day means to you and your family personally should be the end of discrepancy.

Originally Posted by Midna Fan

John, did you even READ the Bible story?
I think you're right about the Roman government ordering the census, a mistake on my part.

Oui. I have read it. I've also performed in pageants, done scenery and costume design for pageants and been tech guy for pageants. My mom, for years, wrote the scripts for my church's pageants. I've got a wee bit of experience with the story.

However, the story as its become told doesn't match up with history or the Bible. It's become its own entity that mixes elements of both and invents others out of whole cloth.

In real life Herod couldn't have been the king and a census doesn't explain Joseph's pilgrimage to Bethlehem.

In the Bible the wise men show up several years after Jesus is born.

I'm not trying to attack the holiday or anything, I just find the way the story has grown into its own thing to be fascinating, and wanted to share.

Originally Posted by Midna Fan

Wow.

Cult? Don't think so.

John, did you even READ the Bible story?
I think you're right about the Roman government ordering the census, a mistake on my part.

I made this thread to remind everyone what the reason we have a Christmas in the first place.
Wow.

Religion doesn't bode well with zu.

If this thread doesn't turn into a **** storm then consider yourself very very lucky.

Also according to this definition cult seems fairly accurate any negative connotations you associate with the word is just your interpretation and has nothing to do with his argument.

Also I say we revive Saturnalia. A whole week purely devoted to screwing around and having fun seems like a great idea to me.

Originally Posted by Danger

I get the feeling Midna Fan needs to do "some" research. We've celebrated Yule over here in Scandinavia before the cult of Christianity was even invented.

Christianity is certainly not a cult, but yes, many Christmas traditions predated the birth of Christ. That is, after all, how the holiday came to persist-by combining pre-existing celebrations around the solstice with a recognition of a Christian event.

Originally Posted by Apollo

Religion doesn't bode well with zu.

But this is GCC, not SD!

Originally Posted by Apollo

Also according to this definition cult seems fairly accurate any negative connotations you associate with the word is just your interpretation and has nothing to do with his argument.

Also I say we revive Saturnalia. A whole week purely devoted to screwing around and having fun seems like a great idea to me.

Cult is a technical term and Christianity doesn't qualify.

Catholicism is the closest sect to being a cult, and in a few decades may end up classed as one, but its not there yet.

So, no, "cult" is not an accurate term.

I'm going to say this to all of you: Leave this thread alone and go enjoy your Holiday, be it Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, the Solstice, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or whatever it is you celebrate this time of year. Don't worry about other people's reasoning for celebrating, just celebrate and be happy about it.

Besides it's a rather sad testament to your life if you're using your holiday season to debate why your holiday is legitimate over the internet. Go celebrate and enjoy the holiday.

Originally Posted by Snow_Storm

I still haven't given up my faith in God and why we celebrate Chirstmas.

This. Everyone celebrates it for different reasons, so you can't tell me why I celebrate is wrong.

Please do not turn this thread into another theological discussion. We have enough of those in SD. If you'd like that, create a new one there.

Lets leave this thread for the discussion of how people celebrate the holiday season. =)

And John, if Catholicism becomes a cult in the near future, I'm roasting you on a sacrificial spit! <3

Originally Posted by Margar

Is this thread just for Jews, or for other people who don't observe Christmas? There's Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, all kinds of other non-christians/non-christmas-observers.

I'd be interested to hear about what people do on Christmas that don't celebrate it.

Not necessarily. In fact, this thread was merely a little thing that we Jews like to do: make fun of ourselves. The only people society is perfectly okay with in terms of making fun of Jews...are Jews! Although it would be great for Jews that don't go out for Chinese and a movie to post whatever they do, as well as atheists, Hindus, whatever! Feel free!

Originally Posted by Breeze

Please do not turn this thread into another theological discussion. We have enough of those in SD. If you'd like that, create a new one there.

I'm backing up Breezypoo here, if any other further discussion is carried out in a thread NOT in the Serious Discussion section, about the politics, history and/or theology of Christmas or any other winter Holiday it will be deleted, and if I'm feeling moody and/or drunk there will be warnings. This is ridiculous.

That being said, Its 11:20 Christmas eve, I just got home form a little family get together, and now its time for the real party.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

Hey, did you guys know that Santa isn't only associated with Christmas? He's also a figure of St. Nicolaus Day, a German holiday which comes on December 6. On that day, I think, kids get little gifts in their shoes.

Originally Posted by John

Herod, IIRC, didn't order the census. The Roman government did.
It's also worth noting that Roman censuses did not require people to return to the town of their birth, so why Joseph went to Bethlehem is not entirely clear.

Also of note is that in most of the Bible he's called Jesus of Nazareth, and they were usually referred to by the town they born in. It's most likely Matthew/Luke (can't remember which) said Bethlehem because that was the town of David. It was just another connection they tried to make to Jesus and humans. That's also why Matthew included the genealogy of Jesus in his Gospel.

Oddly enough, there is, IIRC, no biblical backing for the idea that Jesus was born in a stable. A manger, yes, but not a stable.

He was more likely born in a cave than in a stable, seeing as that's where farmers kept most of their animals around that time.

Actually, the Magi didn't show up until several years later. Certainly not while Jesus was still an infant.

Another fun fact: Only two of the Gospels talk about Jesus' birth. Matthew's has I think just a verse about Jesus being born and also includes the Magi coming but nothing about the shepherd. Luke's Gospel has the story of the shepherds and the heavenly host, and more detail about Jesus' birth.

Ran-

That's true. Santa Claus is in some cultures St. Nicholas. And on St. Nicholas' day, the children put their shoes outside the house, and he comes by and fills them with goodies and candy. Sometimes you could hear his bells ringing too. It was so magical!

I don't celebrate Christmas, but I do celebrate on Christmas day.

Never been much into the Christian fable.

Originally Posted by Breeze

Ran-

That's true. Santa Claus is in some cultures St. Nicholas. And on St. Nicholas' day, the children put their shoes outside the house, and he comes by and fills them with goodies and candy. Sometimes you could hear his bells ringing too. It was so magical!

Actually, you have to but your shoe in front of your chimney, and he goes down the chimney to fill your shoe.