Posted on 12/12/2010 7:54:58 AM PST by Beaten Valve
He's a lost Claus.
A politically correct West Village YMCA has fired Ol' St. Nick in favor of Frosty.
Kids who once thrilled at sitting on Santa's lap at the 14th Street McBurney YMCA's wildly popular annual holiday luncheon will now suffer the icy embrace of a talking snowman and his sidekick, an anonymous penguin, at today's event.
Forget about bringing a list or checking it twice -- Frosty doesn't take gift requests, and doesn't care if you're naughty or nice.
YMCA officials, who say they are in the midst of "rebranding" the Young Men's Christian Association to "The Y," defended their decision.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
YMCA axes Frosty The Snowman after complaints from the "U.N. Conference On Man-made Climate Change".
UN officials complained that Frosty perpetuates stereotypes and sends the message that man-made climate change is not to be take seriously.
A YMCA spokesperson said Frosty will be replaced by "The Great Winter Solstice Pumpkins", a duo of gay and lesbian pumpkins.
Hey, I have an idea. If you want to change, and incorporate a really great character relative to the season, how about the baby Jesus?
Oh, forgive me. I was having one of my moments.
I have heard that in some towns, the Nativity Scenes do not even include Santa Claus!
It all started way back in 1959 when that secular commie Gene Autry recorded the song “Frosty the Snowman” instead of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” /sarcasm
Well from this Christian I’d put on a yarmulke and sing, “I wish you a happy hanukkah” to drive the point home.
The "re-branding" that the "Y" does is like the re-branding of ACORN -lipstick on a leftist pig...
Lots of other folks weren't there too including Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Suggest you read up on "St. Nicholas" and his transition from Greek Νικόλαος ο Θαυματουργός through the Dutch Sinterklaas to our Santa Claus. Most thoroughly Christian.
Though it's in a way an embarrassment that, more and more every Advent season, I'm told how much I look like Santa Claus. Small children now regularly see me that way -- boarding a recent flight a little girl lit up and excitedly waved at me; what could I do but smile and wave back?
Hm. Maybe they'll eventually try to ban me.
Santa Claus was a saint, but I don’t think he has much to do with the real meaning of Christmas. Particularly among Protestants.
St. Nicholas is still honored amongst us Anglo-Catholics and others, as a Greek bishop who became the original (model for) Santa Claus. And there is more to the tradition tied to him than what Wikipedia posts. One could say he is among the "accretions" -- but "real meaning of Christmas" is a definition so much left to the reader and thus completely meaningless that one can take any position and declare himself the definer. Until the next definer comes along.
If you don't think Santa Claus has much to do with the "real meaning of Christmas," in most part I agree with you (because Christmas is foremost the celebration of the birth of Jesus) and in part I reserve judgment -- because it all depends (again) upon the definition of the "real meaning of Christmas," a term for which you will not find agreement across what is externally viewed as Christianity.
In secular America Santa Claus has become pretty much divorced from Christianity, if not completely. IMHO the "Young Mens' C(an't say what we are, if we even are that anymore, and why are you asking?) Organization" is being stupid.
A Version of the 12 Days of Christmas from the NEA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_zasAMvuy18
My pastor would scoff at Santa Claus because he diverts attention from the birth of Christ, which is what it’s really about.
Ah. A Puritan. (Please, a jest and I pray no offense taken. ;^)
There are certainly plenty of accretions to the Christmas celebration and we don't reject (many of) them, but our issue is the beginning of the celebration of Christmas which for us begins on Christmas Eve --not ending on Christmas Day-- and continuing for the 12 Days of Christmas ending the evening before Epiphany. On Epiphany we celebrate the tradition of the arrival of the Magi.
Our Rector asked us this year to start putting off the Christmas "things" until their time. Which some of us have long done -- the tree never goes up until Christmas Eve. This year the music, well, I haven't even put on the Advent records yet, though that would be acceptable.
I think our goals are much the same: Christmas is about celebrating Christ's birth.
For us Advent is preparation for Christmas and elements of Christmas feed back in the preparation. Although our Lectionary (the defined Bible readings for Sunday Communion services) for Advent reads more like a preparation for Good Friday & Easter -- as in "THIS is the reason for the season," established many centuries ago.
btt
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