[xzins]

We'll start here:

I wrote:

Is it the basis of all these traditions you see in our culture? Does it inform Santa Claus (St Nicholas), mangers, wise men, in any way whatsoever? No. It does not.

This cultural celebration is about Christmas. The traditions are founded in Christianity and the Christmas story.

You shortened it to:

The traditions are founded in Christianity and the Christmas story.

So, you think that St Nicholas, manger, wise men are not part of the traditions about Christmas???

You're not serious are you? Or did you just misread what I wrote?

[discostu]

They are NOW a part of the traditions of Christmas. But they all have versions that pre-date their inclusion in Christmas. Santa Claus was Odin, coming from the same NON-Christian source as the “Christmas” tree. There’s plenty of pagan deities born in barns. And wandering magi pre-date Christianity also. So again, just like I said before, these tradition are not FOUNDED in Christianity. That’s the important word in that sentence, nowhere have I denied this stuff is part of the Christian tradition, I’m pointing out they weren’t FOUNDED in the Christian tradition. Most of them don’t become part of Christian tradition until over a thousand years after Christ, and all of them were included in a non-Christian traditions before Christians grabbed them up. They were all FOUNDED outside Christianity.