Posted on 12/13/2006 4:57:35 AM PST by CalcuttaIke
Mine usually come from the National Cathedral, and they have lovely Christmas messages.
https://commerce.cathedral.org/exec/ms/index.html
Thanks for the link. There were some interesting Nativity sets as well. The one I really liked was waaaaay above my price range but some Freepers could pick it up.
They do have beautiful things. They also have sales after the holidays - at the Cathedral Shop, at least, I'm not sure about the catalog. I like the 16" angels with the musical instruments, myself. :)
So did ASDA in the UK before Guy Fawkes or Halloween I think they came out at the beginning of September
Hi joesbucks,
Well, I was really hoping for a peaceful Christmas this year, but since I'm one of the folks fighting the "War on Christmas", looks like I'll have to take you on, too. (In the nicest sense, of course).
I personally believe the push to replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" isn't to keep from offending anyone. Sure, the elite will say that, but I believe the REAL purpose is to get the name of Christ out of everything. Getting rid of Christmas would be a real coup for them.
Oh, and not to add fuel to this fire, but I believe the whole thing is demonically inspired. Satan would love nothing more than further dilute the Truth.
Merry Christmas,
Brian
Thanks, I'll buy some traditional Christmas cd's. It is disgustingly hard to find traditional music and songs too.
Extremely well-written.
It reverberated in THIS heart.
How come it's necessary to kneel for contemplation? Why can't contemplating be done while sitting?
While I'm pondering (not contemplating, because I don't want to mess up the knees of my pants), why do ONLY charismatic Christians use "convicted" as a synonym for "convinced"?
Convicting is what happens to perps in court, if we're lucky.
Convincing is what happens to me when you make a great, salient, reasonable argument.
Kewl. I'll accept.
And Merry Christmas to you too. And may you enjoy the blessings of the holiday season!
It showed me personally some wrong attitudes I have had about the Annual Rite --especially in the USA -- of the "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" tug of war. After reading the article, what emerges is that it is really a tense, three dimensional, "trichotomy" after all. Some of those tugging on the pro-Merry Christmas side were/are tugging mostly for the secular meaning of Christmas. When, as a true Christian, the pure, simple essence of Christmas has nothing to do with Christmas trees vs. Holiday Trees, or Christmas carols vs. Holiday carols. It has to do with the essence of the Birth of the Savior, vs. all that secular "other". In a way, then, the battle truly is three way. "Nativity (including Advent)" vs. (Secular) "Merry Christmas" vs. (even more secular and non-grounded) "Happy Holidays". Of the three, I have maybe been more in the second camp than the first. The article brought this realization to my eyes. To summarize, in moral absolute terms but subjectively applied in my own case, the article convicted me of my error, the wrongness, of my past thinking.
Your own mileage may vary.
I think this Christmas is going to be a different Christmas for me this year as a result of that single article.
The Salvation Army is one of our favorite charities!
Read it again, only slower.
When I said Merry Christmas to my local Walmart checker she said, "yeah you too" NOT good enough for me. I promptly returned the $80.00 item and spoke to the manager and he said they can't make them say anything.
so I wrote this letter to the editor hopefully they will print as a guest column:
Where is the Spirit of Christmas? 12/5/06
In doing my regular shopping, I already notice, the stores aren't decorating for Christmas, nor are they wishing you a “Merry Christmas”. The retailers aren't even saying “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” anymore.
I remember when I was a child that no matter what store you would go into, there were lots of decorations. It was based in greenery, had ornaments or pinecones with red, green & blue lights and even angels. It usually started after Thanksgiving, and all stores competed for you to shop at their place. Every clerk wished you a “Merry Christmas” before you spoke.
The removal of Christ from Christmas started before I was born, They had to get God and religion out of Christmas so they invented a happy, jolly man who “knew what you were thinking and doing” at all times. He knew if you had been good or bad. Then Christmas decorations started having Santa and the reindeer crowd out Christ and the nativity scenes. Christmas just became about the gifts and glossed over what it was all about.
Then the “Merry Christmas” greeting had to go. When I was a child, every single person who worked retail would wish me a Merry Christmas. Tired shoppers would get in the spirit and wish each other a Merry Christmas and we would all take a deep breath and remember why we were rushing around doing all that shopping. We tried to be more polite in the spirit of the season.
But then the stores started having their clerks say “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”. Because there were several different religions who had Holy Days in December so rather than only mention one, that would include all together. Funny, I never had a Jewish friend hesitate to wish me “Merry Christmas” and I was always glad to wish them “Happy Hanukah”.
Fast-forward 20 years and Santa has to go, because he is that good, kind, all-knowing, all-seeing man who is just a little too much like… Christ? We can't have any morals, or inducement to “be good” to get our presents. Some Santa's have had their regular visitations at schools canceled and the schools have Frosty the Snowman instead. I have heard some schools won't allow red or green napkins at the “Winter Break” party. It isn't Christmas break anymore, even though it always includes December 25th and of course the kids can't sing Christmas songs at the “Winter Concert”.
Some work places are saying that the decorating for “Winter season” can't include Santa, reindeer, or nativity scenes and finally they decide they will allow snowflakes. Tell me what kind of Christmas spirit is reflected in snowflakes? It doesn't remind me of why I'm going to spend money for my Holiday. Oh, which one was that? That would be Christmas.
I'm joined by 85% of the people in the United States. 85% of the people living here celebrate Christmas. They buy presents for their loved ones and plan to give them on December 25th. That is the day that EVERYONE is opening presents. And what day is that? Yes, Christmas!
Polls say that 95% of shoppers are not offended by being wished a “Merry Christmas” That means that 5 percent of the people in the US are taking Christmas out of Christmas and the rest of the US is allowing them to take our Spirit away. Think about this, are those 5% are so mentally unstable they can't ignore a nice wish made to them, they get so offended that they can't allow the majority in this country to have a happy time once a year? So much for diversity.
Retailers who want me to spend all my dollars in their store before December 25th & won't even say “Christmas” in their advertising and think it is just fine to have their clerks say “have a nice day” instead of committing to wish me a “Merry Christmas” are crazy if they think I will spend hundreds of dollars in their store.
It just isn't going to happen. If retailers can't be bothered to do the decorating beyond snowflakes, encourage the spirit and pass a “Merry Christmas” on to 85% of the people spending money this month, then I, personally, will find somewhere else to spend my money.
We can and must preserve our heritage and traditions. The very 1st words of the 1st amendment of the Bill of Rights says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” That takes care of Congress, and the retailers only understand the removal of our money.
I know there are some stores out there who have the Christmas Spirit and I will find them. I encourage you to do the same and hunt for the Christmas Spirit. With encouragement it will grow and the Grinches who are stealing Christmas won't be here next year. We can preserve for our children the heritage of the yesteryears.
As a matter of fact, returning the item for lack of a "Christian response" was about as un-Christian as you can get.
I say Merry Christmas this time of year after every transaction. I've received some of the above responses. In some cases I've gotten none. My Christian sense didn't get my underwear in a thong and cause me to go go marching to the manager or on a letter writing campaign. There are so many more appropriate ways to express our love of Christ.
I have always wondered why at Christmas the "Triple P" people come out.
Triple P? Persistently Peeved People.
Some of the choirs from public schools submitted songs that had either outright religious songs or had tinges of faith in them.
Both of the sponsoring churches in my area are big "War of Christmas" churches. Yet their schools, which are outreach ministries, submitted secular songs. They did the same thing last year.
This shows me that all the talk of the "War on Christmas" is simply that.......talk. It's not a core value of these churches and their outreach.
Example 2. Our local contemporary christian station switched to Christmas music along with the secular stations around Thanksgiving. It's normal programming schedule is a "Fish" type format so popular in other cities. It is locally owned by a group of evangelicals. While listening the other day, songs such as Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, Here Comes Santa Claus among others were rotating through the playlist. They too have been discussing the "War on Christmas" on their morning show.
Third example, although from last year. Salem media is the largest Christian owned radio congolmerate. The "War on Christmas" has been a theme for the past few years. Last year, their Chicago station had a very touching help those less fortunate campaign to solicit contributions from listeners. It was framed as help those less fortunate this holiday season. No mention of Christmas. This year, they are not even doing the campaign.
Those are a few examples of why I am waging a war on those who are claiming their is a war on Christmas.
A local businessman wrote a guest editorial in our local paper a few years back and said he had received over 100 Christmas cards, but only one mentioned in any way why the holiday was being celebrated. I was the one who sent it, and his column made me simultaneously proud and sad.
So why is it that the switch to "Happy Holidays" is so recent and so militant? Can you find me a department store in the Thrities, Sixties or Eighties that threatened employees with disciplinary measures if they said "Merry Christmas?" Heck, I'll make it easy on you, and just ask if you can show me a store in those time periods that had a rule similar to Home Depot: You can say "Merry Christmas," but only if the customer says it first. Got any examples of stores during those time periods even having a rule on this matter?
Pretty much the same thing goes for schools, where one can find holiday concerts that have no Christian content whatsoever but mention Hannukah, Kwanzaa and secular traditions. The exclusion/marginalization of Christmas symbols and songs is recent and militant. That's the problem people have with it. Sure, Jerry Falwell might be asking people to whine about whether a store has a holiday gift guide or a Christmas gift guide, but most of us are reacting to the militant aspect. It's PC BS and there's no reason we should roll over for it.
Have to agree with joebucks here. How is you trying to force this clerk to your point of view any better than the actions of stores that forbid their employees to say "Merry Christmas?"
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