[TinkersDam]

I don't quite understand referring to it as anything but a religious or political symbol.

As I understand it, the Jewish holiday was a rather minor one that was invigorated solely as a political act to counter the unity that would result from untrammeled celebration of Christmas just as Kwansaa was an utterly invented holiday concocted solely to promote Black unity.

[crabapple joe]

I didn't see any reference to the lighting of a nativity scene or a cross on city hall property...so much for separation of church and state. My daughter came home from a public kindergarten class last week with menorahs she had been told to color in class...but no crosses or nativity scenes are allowed...so much for separation of church and state.

[dervish]

"As I understand it, the Jewish holiday was a rather minor one that was invigorated solely as a political act to counter the unity that would result from untrammeled celebration of Christmas"

Not so.

Observant Jews always celebrated Chanukah.

The current emphasis on gift giving is newly minted and has for some otherwise non-observant Jews become the be all just as it has become so for non-observant Christians celebrating Christmas.

Chanukah was always about celebrating and publicizing the miracle God made for the Jews by lighting the menorah and displaying it.

read more here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1546989/posts

[familyop]

"As I understand it, the Jewish holiday was a rather minor one that was invigorated solely as a political act to counter the unity that would result from untrammeled celebration of Christmas just as Kwansaa was an utterly invented holiday concocted solely to promote Black unity."

You can proudly say in all honesty that Christmas essentially came first! Most parts of the Christmas celebration date back over 2000 years--some practices over 4000 years!

Here's a history of Christmas (one of the rare Christian articles that actually contain citations to references and don't exclude most of the history) from a Christian University and from a Christian perspective.

Probe Ministries: Is Christmas Necessary?
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/christma.html

Here's another one from a Christian perspective.

Christmas
New Advent, Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm
Excerpt:
"More important, but scarcely better accredited, is Erbes' contention (Zeitschrift f. Kirchengesch., XXVI, 1905, 20-31) that the feast was brought in by Constantine as early as 330-35."

Constantine the Great
New Advent, Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm
Excerpt:
"It is true that the believers in Mithras also observed Sunday as well as Christmas. Consequently Constantine speaks not of the day of the Lord, but of the everlasting day of the sun."

And here's a history of Chanukkah.

Hanukkah
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=265&letter=H

Enjoy! [g]

There is, by the way, one biblical reference to Christmas trees (Jeremiah 10).