Christmas dead?

I was just wondering if this is a localized or widespread event. What I mean is Christmas in general, all that holiday cheer etc. I think it's dead because in my neighborhood, only 3-4 houses put up lights. and it's been on the news that no one is shopping. I mean, is it just me, or do people just skip the season now? Has this been happening elsewhere? May be it's just he locals returning to the "true meaning of Christmas" or maybe it's contrails. I don't know, just wondering what others think?

I pray that it's people returning to the True meaning of Christmas. That's what I did this year. I sent out cards to loved ones and painted gifts for a handful of them but didn't purchase gifts. I opted to stay home in prayer and thanksgiving, thinking about the true meaning of Christmas rather than subjecting myself to what Christmas has become - pure materialism at it's finest.

I'd say I did the same. Justs seems a little depressing not to see any lights out.

Focusing on all that you have to be thankful for, big and small, and giving thanks and praise for it helps with that feeling of depression that likes to try and worm it's way in every now and then...

Gorman91,

I dont celebrate Christmas. No intrest in it. Nor do I decorate with lights or other means. Not intrested in this or other holidays nor all the dressing up. Nor Birthdays either. All days are the same to me. Not one above another.
'
The significance of the Worship of Jesus The Christ for remission of sins is His death and for whom he died..not his birth. Somehow many seem wont to replace this with festivals. This is a pagan custom. Birthdays. Birthdays are self glorification..setting one day above another. All Glory is to God 24/7 and 365 days a year ..not to us as humans.

No instruction is in the Bible for Hebrews in the Olde Testament to celebrate a birthday....ever. This was however a pagan custom among the nations surrounding Israel. Same with other festivities.

Ironically many preachers are not wont to teach this history. I suppose it would lower their collections.

Of intrest to me is the books covering this history and the dates in which this holidays became official in the various states. This can be found if sufficiently researched.

Also of intrest to me is that close to me is the City of Williamsburg, Virginia where the early colonialists founded a capital. There is a historical re creation of the olde city. Quite a tourist attraction.
Occasionally the news media will interview the Colonial Williamsburg historians on the topic of Christmas. They will make the mistake of asking these historians how the early colonialists decorated thier homes for Christmas. They will hem and haw around the question so as not to admit that the early colonialists did not celebrate Christmas. They will substitute with "We dont have records of how the early Colonialists decorated thier homes for Christmas but we think they decorated like this"...and they will go on to dramatize the event.

I am not against giving gifts to others nor charity..I just dont get involved in this "holiday." No intrest in it nor others. All days are the same to me.

That is just the way I am.

If people want to decorate thier houses ..that is their buisness. I dont hold it against them. I just dont do it. No intrest. Same for other holidays. Conversely if they dont want to decorate ..that too is their buisness. Why would you be concerned with whether others decorate their homes or celebrate in the manner or default beliefs of yourself?? My concept of this is Private Property..the privateness of property. Not the publicness.

One can be cheery without all this added tradition of men.

I see this guy Hannity on Fox news lamenting this stuff and I turn the channel on the remote. What a airhead.

The rememberance of the death of Jesus the Christ for remission of sins..is 24/7..365 days a year...not one day of birth. I sometimes wonder how we as humans got so much backwards by our traditions.

Orangetom

all I was saying is there are less lights now. I saw more then ever amounts of people in church, just no lights put up.


And no one knows when Jesus was born, that's why they chose a pagan holiday, just to make people happy.

Originally posted by Gorman91
all I was saying is there are less lights now. I saw more then ever amounts of people in church, just no lights put up.


And no one knows when Jesus was born, that's why they chose a pagan holiday, just to make people happy.

When I meet with other believers..be it on the web or in person we are having church...we meet in His name. Church is not the building..it is the assembly. THe church meets and the church goes home.

Im not a big one for organized religion. I dont know how many folks were in assembly over this holiday. Not my buisness.

Also as stated ,I am not one for decorating up with lights and other goodies.
If you want to do so ..no problem. I predict that at the rising costs of energy people will be doing less and less of this kind of decorating with lights.

A pagan holiday to make people happy...wow!! So we are instructed to mix olde wine with new...leven with unleven?? Light and Darkness??
Strange to me Gorman91.

Very Strange...

Thanks,
Orangetom

No real difference around here...

Our neighborhood and my friends have participated in the yearly outdoor light unofficial contest.. (I never win)

The stores are PACKED and it was a madhouse on the highways...

Went to see the inlaws, had a great Christmas and Wonderful Prayer session...

Nope...

Everything is about normal I would say...

Here anyway..

Semper

I personally wish to ‘break tradition’ and avoid celebrating Christmas altogether!

But I belong to a family where attending midnight mass, cooking and baking foodstuff, buying over-priced and over-commercialized of mostly imported goods, gifting friends and strangers alike, and visiting certain ungrateful relatives who ‘play plastic’ can be loads of ‘white knuckling’ fun.

As for putting up indoor and especially my favorite activity of outdoor lightings, ours happens to be the brightest bling for one-quarter mile on this strip of road in my neighborhood.

Besides the high cost of living, my area is mostly non-Christian so this may be another reason as to the apparent dead appearance of Christmas.

As for chem-, err, I meant con-trails, those will continue to make our Christmas as white washed as our skies above. But this is another topic to discuss elsewhere, eh?

the true meaning of xmas to me is not about religion or buying materialistic items, its about family.

we are all adults over 35, and all put a maximum of $50 on what you buy for someone and you have to provide a list of items you want.

come late nov, we know what everyone wants that costs under $50 which makes it very stress free to get it done early and it also keeps the total costs right down too.
of course we are a smallish family of 9 so that does make it a little easier.

Then a few close uncles/aunties come later in the day for the family gathering at meal time.

IMHO the very best part should always be the family gathering at meal time. Everyone enjoying good simple foods (bbq + salads for us this year) and best of all enjoying each others company.
This also makes it easier for the cook to enjoy the day instead of spending all their time in front of a hot stove indoors, while everyone else is laughing away outside under the pergola.

no prayers or church, no xmas stress with last minute shopping and 24 hour cooking. Just some delicious "burnt offerings" (aka bbq) with great company. Some years we do a simple roast instead of the BBQ.

its can be as simple or stressed out, as good or bad as what YOU and those around you make it to be.

I don't give so much importance to Christmas. After all, it is but a pagan tradition. No offense meant, but thats the fact.

I'm an evangelical Christian. Most of them celebrate it. However, my conscience bothers me whether to celebrate a pagan tradition in order to go with the majority of the flow, to feel not left out , or to be free from all these pagan traditions and stand firm to the truth.

I choose freedom and truth. With all the explanation that it is ok to celebrate Christmas still doesn't convince me. I will not even sin if I exclude X'mas as my salvation is not reliant upon it.

Jesus is God. He is eternal. Without a beginning and an end. Without birth nor death. He was in the beginning. He just became flesh, suffered for our sins, killed on the cross was dead and after 3 days, God resurrected Him and is siting at the right hand of God. He conquered death and gave the gift of life eternal to those who love and believe in Him.

It is in error to say He has a birthday, for He has no beginning at all to start with.

The symbol for X'mas is a star, like below:




Most of us don't actually know the true significance of these symbols and what they actually represent. It is a very offensive symbol.

The first one is the symbol of the pagan goddess Ishtar, thus the word "star". Kindly note, a star is a spherical ball of plasma and its shape is round not five pointed. The five pointed symbol is used for magick arts to invoke the evil spirits after repeatedly praying a prayer formula.

The second one is the symbol of the Pentacle which is associated with Wicca, Ritual Magick, Satanism and Masonry (Eastern Star).

The third is the combination of the Mendes Pentacle or Sabbatic goat and the Satanic Pentacle.



You can all do a research about these symbols and what they truly represents. It is a satanic symbol used in Ritual Magick. Combined that with the pagan birthday of Dec. 25, you have one whole complete package of paganism and satanism wrapped up beautifully. Even the symbol of the satanic and pagan star is placed on top of the x'mas tree for everyone to see how exalted the symbol is.

If you still want to associate Jesus with these satanic symbols after learning the truth, it is all up to you whether you want to serve the table of demons or to obey God. Do not be deceived. You won't loose anything if you don't celebrate the satanic festival. You would gain more insights to the truth and it will set you free.

Now you know why I don't celebrate X'mas.

Edit: added info


[edit on 25-12-2007 by amitheone]

Originally posted by orangetom1999

I dont celebrate Christmas. No intrest in it. Nor do I decorate with lights or other means. Not intrested in this or other holidays nor all the dressing up. Nor Birthdays either. All days are the same to me. Not one above another.
'
The significance of the Worship of Jesus The Christ for remission of sins is His death and for whom he died..not his birth. Somehow many seem wont to replace this with festivals. This is a pagan custom. Birthdays. Birthdays are self glorification..setting one day above another. All Glory is to God 24/7 and 365 days a year ..not to us as humans.

Amen to that bro! You sure have a deeper insight to the truth. Sadly, a lot of us are so passive, and just taking it in without considering the true origins.

reply to post by amitheone


There are so many things wrong in your accusations of pagan religions, it's not even funny. However I will not get into it because that's not what this thread is about.

I think the lack of lights and what not has many factors and reasons. Not neccesarily a lack of Christmas spirit, but perhaps because of higher energy costs or maybe because of more work hours making people too tired to put up lights. Perhaps people are trying to focus more on family and rest than all the flashy Christmas fluff.

I didn't put up lights on my house because my house is on a back lot on a private easement that isn't really seen by any of the roads nearby. If I did I'd probably just do the little single candle light in every window for a simple yet dramatic effect and to not waste too much energy. Maybe someday they will make multi-colored energy efficiant christmas lights!

reply to post by amitheone


amitheone,

I salute you in your understanding of the symbols. My understanding of Christianity is that there are no symbols. No animals..no Idols...etc etc.
Nor crosses either.
The cross comes from the vertical symbol of the male and the horizontal symbol of the female. The intersection of the two is the cross. This is ancient fertility symbolism.
I will wear no crosses...put no cuttings in my flesh nor symbols for the dead. It is my way...as it is His way.

IF others desire to do this it is not my concern. SAme with lights on thier homes..decorations. I have my views on this but if they so desire to do so or even dont desire to do so ...not my buisness. For I also believe in the privateness of property...ie ..private property.

We who Believe are not to make these images. We have only the Holy Spirit for which there is no symbol..no idol.

Snoflake Obsidian,

Your reasons for not putting up lights is your buisness. No problem with me. I understand you being far from the main road and not that visible.
To my knowlege lights are more energy effecient than in times past. However ...once again at current energy costs..I dont blame people for cutting back or not putting them up. It is not my reason..but I understand if this is thier rationale.
In a similar vein..I see alot of people putting up some kind of lighted inflatable gadget...Thanksgiving, Halloween, and also Christmas. INtresting gadget but I wonder how energy effecient this is. These seem to be more and more popular now days.

Also I did not think of the concept that people may be just to busy to bother. I thank you for this added information and consideration.

Thanks,
Orangetom



[edit on 26-12-2007 by orangetom1999]

Orange Tom,

His knowledge of the symbols are partially correct. A lot of Christmas symbolism come from Pagan origins. However to say that pagan symbols are satanic and evil are pretty subjective. Pagans did not believe in Satan and they believed in a natural balance of dark and light, good and bad. Most pagan cultures worshiped nature.

Perhaps I am just really sensitive to statements that condem other religions as I am agnostic and believe parts of all religions. AmItheone, you have every right to your opinion.

I celebrate Christmas because I feel it is a way to celebrate family and loved ones and all the things that we have to be thankful for in life. In my beliefs, I feel that God made this world for us (humans, animals and creatures alike) for us to live in, work in and to enjoy and I feel that holidays and birthdays are ways to celebrate in what God gave us. So I don't feel like I am going against God by putting up decorations and exchanging presents and all of that. I feel I am celebrating the life that God gave me.

reply to post by snowflake_obsidian


Good points, snowflake.

Pagan does not equal Satan. Satan is part of the Christian faith not mine. Let's review the symbols of the various faiths.



The custom of early Christians to communicate by drawing a portion in the dust was carried over from the practice of the ancient Pythagoreans, who discovered the shape's unique properties and made it an important part of their teachings.

In Pagan times, this glyph was associated with the Goddess Venus, and represented female genitalia.




To Christians, represents the cross of Christ's crucifixion.

To the Greeks, it represents the four compass points.

When folded, creates a cube, an ancient symbol of earthly authority.

Another use of the cross is as a magical charm, and depicts a crucified figure of Orpheus-Bacchus.

From Ireland we have Brighid's cross honoring a so called St. Bridget who never existed. St. Bridget was a cover for followers of the Celtic Goddess of the same name. The Brighid's cross and the Celtic beliefs pre-date Christianity.

The Celtic cross (not to be confused with the above cross) pre-dates Christianity by 5000 years.

The upside down cross is now used by Satanist. It's origin is that of a symbol of St. Peter's refusal to be crucified in the same manner as Christ.

The Tau Cross, our capital letter "T" was a symbol of the Roman God Mithras and the Greek Attis, and their forerunner Tammuz, the Sumerian solar God, the consort of the Goddess Ishtar.
Tammuz, like Christ, was associated with fishing and shepherding. A solar god, the death and resurrection of Tammuz were celebrated every spring. The custom of marking the forehead with a cross of ashes dates back to these rituals. Christian holidays are just revised versions of older holidays.




The Pentagram has a long and complex history as a religious symbol.

It was called the pentalpha by the Greeks, who believed it had magical properties.

For a time, it was the official seal of the city of Jerusalem.

In later times, it was used by medieval Christians to symbolize the five wounds of Christ.

It was not until the twentieth century that the pentagram became associated with Satanism. The Satanic pentagram is transposed, point downwards, to symbolize earthly gratification, or the triumph of the individual over dissolution.

In Wiccan/Pagan beliefs, the pentagram symbolizes the five elements- earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. The Wiccan emblematic pentagram faces point upward to symbolize the triumph of spirit over matter,

Originally posted by Gorman91Christmas in general, all that holiday cheer etc. I think it's dead because in my neighborhood, only 3-4 houses put up lights. and it's been on the news that no one is shopping.

i want to live where you live. seriously, i don't know whats worst(worse?) the traffic from people driving around looking at xmas lights or the traffic from all the shoppers.

seems like its getting more chaotic every year.

as far as christmas being celebrated how it was originally celebrated, well that has been dead for generations now.

[edit on 26-12-2007 by Roland Deschain]

Snowflake and others..

Yes..I agree...much of Paganism is in fact nature worship..I believe this is sometimes refered to as Panthiesm.

Along with this nature worship was the fertility rites. The coming of the seasons..etc etc. Very common in variations..both in symbolism and ritual. Much of this also falls under Occult Religions.

You are correct when you say many of these symbols were adopted by Christians.
The facet of this I find so intresting and sometimes disgusting is the number of my Christian bretheren who haven't a clue and have never done their homework. There is a high quantity of ignorance among my Christian Bretheren even concerninig Christianity.....or even Hebrew history....ie...their very Bible..both Olde and New Testaments. I must confess I have taken to looking at many of them as pagans without them even knowing it. They just keep on and on and on. No Clue.
I attribute much of this to their own Preachers/Teachers. THey are simply not sufficiently fed. It is as if many of my bretheren have been fed a sterilized diet of sugar based foods. They are no longer salty..but sugary.

Well ....I think you get my point.

Sanity Lost ..too has the pattern down correctly.

As I stated in a previous post. There are no symbols for Christianity. No symbol for the Holy Ghost.

I will wear no Cross..no dove...no symbols..etc.. It is my way..as it was His. Also No cuttings in the flesh or marks for the dead. My person is sufficiently scarred from my labors and occupational hazards.

Tanks for your post,
Orangetom

Sanitys lost, thanks for the explanation of some of the different symbols.

I would also like to add some truth about the supposidly Satanic upside-down pentagram.

This has origins in the Celtic pagan religion representing the Horned God Cernunnos who was the God of the forest. Of course early Christians have adopted the image and symbol of Cernunnos as Satan when in fact the Pagans did not see him as an evil diety.

If anyone is to research history on symbols (which are honestly nothing more than shapes) then you should research all mediums, not just the interpretations by one group of people (i.e. Christians).

Originally posted by orangetom1999
amitheone,

I salute you in your understanding of the symbols. My understanding of Christianity is that there are no symbols. No animals..no Idols...etc etc.
Nor crosses either.
The cross comes from the vertical symbol of the male and the horizontal symbol of the female. The intersection of the two is the cross. This is ancient fertility symbolism.
I will wear no crosses...put no cuttings in my flesh nor symbols for the dead. It is my way...as it is His way.

Yes, I totally agree with you there. No symbols whatsover. Fellow Christians should do a lot of research to find what these symbols represents and I don't want anything to do with it. Its purely of satanic origins. Its pure idolatry.