Posted on 11/09/2005 12:47:42 PM PST by FeeinTennessee
Edited on 11/09/2005 12:59:15 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Gannett publication, title and link only.
How hideous. They really have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. What's next? Upside down Nativity scenes? Oh, wait, that would be a direct religious reference, so, never mind....
And, lol, I don't know about you guys, but there seems, every year, to be that one person, usually a relative, who succeeds in toppling or almost toppling the decorated Christmas tree! With this 'upside down' tree, they're already halfway there.
Too wierd.
A significant part of Christmas is tradition. This tree is anti-tradition.
There are things in this life which are simply stupid. This is one of them.
Regards, Ivan
Inversion? The way this country is going- look for "invasion"
MMmmmMMmMmmm...margaritas....
As screwed-up as this country is, I suspect this will be a big seller. I'll bet they're made in France
My mother used to freak if she saw the light cord on or under the tree.
Celebrate Christmas properly. Go out and kill a tree.........
I know some people who are religious that do this, as did their parents etc. They claim the first Christmas trees were always hung upside down starting in the Middle Ages in Europe. It was supposedly a symbol of the Trinity. People started standing Christmas trees up in the 1500's according to them.
I nope so, too.......
China... nothing is made anywhere else but China... how else are they gonna take over the world?
I like tradition, and this just looks wierd, so while I don't think I'd go this far, it's a tempting thought.
No more trying to keep the dog from drinking out of the tree stand (with all that preservative junk in it), no more trying to keep the dog from 'previewing' the presents. No more ornaments as playtoys on the floor.
It just might work at this house:P
They are making a mockery of Christmas.
And there is always hope, but I just hate to see these stupid trends come about.
I'm thinking of "upside-down crosses"...but Peter didn't come to mind.
It's still SICK any way you look at it
Christians don't know anything about their own traditions. Don't sully anyone's outrage with your facts.
Like the fact that Christmas trees used to be hung upside-down in Central Europe.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/150/52.0.html
Somehow I can't see the self-styled "Satnaists" with their inverted pentagrams and all, sticking one of these trendy monstrosities in their living rooms. Especially since most of them are non-self-supporting teenagers or young adults, and it would their PARENTS' living room.
This particular brand of silliness is likely to appear only in the homes of self-conscious yuppies who try to impress their friends by always having the latest "in" thing. Those who bankrupt themselves by following this course, can save the trees and park them right side up next year, when they can't afford to buy a new one.
Never heard of that before....this dating back to the Middle Ages in Europe. But then the Middle Ages were screwed up too.
Like the fact that Christmas trees used to be hung upside-down in Central Europe.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/150/52.0.html
Some origin stories of Christmas Tree
Many legends exist about the origin of the Christmas tree. One is the story of Saint Boniface, an English monk who organized the Christian Church in France and Germany. One day, as he traveled about, he came upon a group of pagans gathered around a great oak tree about to sacrifice a child to the god Thor. To stop the sacrifice and save the child's life Boniface felled the tree with one mighty blow of his fist. In its place grew a small fir tree. The saint told the pagan worshipers that the tiny fir was the Tree of Life and stood the eternal life of Christ.
Another legend holds that Martin Luther, a founder of the Protestant faith, was walking through the forest one Christmas Eve. As he walked he was awed by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen trees. So taken was he by this beautiful sight that he cut a small tree and took it home to his family. To recreate that same starlight beauty he saw in the wood, he placed candles on all its branches.
Yet another legend tells of a poor woodsman who long ago met a lost and hungry child on Christmas Eve. Though very poor himself, the woodsman gave the child food and shelter for the night. The woodsman woke the next morning to find a beautiful glittering tree outside his door. The hungry child was really the Christ Child in disguise. He created the tree to reward the good man for his charity.
Others feel the origin of the Christmas tree may be the "Paradise Play." In medieval times most people could not read and plays were used to teach the lessons of the bible all over Europe. The Paradise Play, which showed the creation of man and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was performed every year on December 24th. The play was performed in winter creating a slight problem. An apple tree was needed but apple trees do not bare fruit in winter so a substitution was made. Evergreens were hung with apples and used instead.
Another story comes from Germany about spiders and Christmas trees. Long ago families allowed their animals to come inside and view the Christmas trees on Christmas Eve. Because the Christ Child was born in a stable, they felt that the animals should take part in the Christmas celebration. But spiders werent allowed because housewives didn't want cobwebs all over everything. of course the spiders were unhappy about this, so one year they complained to the Christ Child. He felt sorry for them and decided that late at night He would let them in to see the trees. The excited spiders loved the Christmas trees and all night long they crawled about in the branches, leaving them covered with webs. On Christmas morning the housewives saw what the spiders had done. But instead of being angry, they were delighted. For in the night the Christ Child had turned all of the cobwebs into sparkling tinsel. And even today, tinsel is often used to decorate Christmas trees to add that same sparkle the Christ Child gave the cobwebs long ago, in Germany.
"no more trying to keep the dog from 'previewing' the presents. No more ornaments as playtoys on the floor."
LOL. I don't think anyone's going to be sticking the presents to the ceiling, and the law of gravity will not be suspended along with the tree, so I'm curious ... what do you mean here?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.