Merry Christmas!

In article ,
says...
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 12:41:37 -0800, Karl S
wrote:

And a Merry Christmas to you as well!

Some would say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays", but if there
was no Christmas I really don't think there would be any widely popular
holidays in December at all. So much for a season of them.

Holidays is derived from Holy Days. So, if you don't believe in a
diety (especially Jesus Christ), there is no sense in saying Happy
Holidays.

The original holy days were all associated with the sun and the moon.
Solstices and equinoxes were very important holy days. One doesn't even
need to believe in a diety to have holy days in a farming society. Only
those who have lost touch with the original meanings need the crutch of
a diety.
- Ken

wrote:
In article ,
says...

Some would say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays", but if there
was no Christmas I really don't think there would be any widely popular
holidays in December at all. So much for a season of them.


Time to brush up on your cause and effect.....

Christmas is in December because christians attempted (succeeded in?) to
steal the highly popular pagan winter solstice festivals. Which is why
we have christmas trees and yule logs.

Christmas has become primarily a secular holiday, and a very expensive
one. In fact, it's become a parody of mindless consumerism, to the point
that a good retail Christmas season is vital for the economy. Is there
ever a time of year when more money is spent on stuff that no one will
ever use? If I were a Christian I wouldn't want the name of the Son of
God even to be associated with it.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

rw wrote:

Christmas has become primarily a secular holiday, and a very expensive
one.

Yea, and it makes me laugh to hear all these right wingers go after
walmart for not saying "merry christmas." Yea, that's a great idea..
let's make Christmas even MORE commercial. I'm sure they'd be so happy
if walmart used Jesus in their advertising.

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 12:41:37 -0800, Karl S
wrote:

And a Merry Christmas to you as well!

Some would say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays", but if there
was no Christmas I really don't think there would be any widely popular
holidays in December at all. So much for a season of them.

Where's the ad RW mentioned? Maybe my browser blocked it. I sure don't
see it.

The ad was for a Website pushing a book. It's at:

http://www.outrageousmastery.com/

For a book that seems to be about Christian prayer power, all I see is
testimonials from the kind of people who ask for things only for
themselves and their immediate families, mostly money, with a side
glance at health.

You might want to learn the history of some other religions.

The solstice has been celebrated in many countries for many religions.
I think it would have been more appropriate to have put the
crucifixion and resurrection at the winter solstice and the birth
thing at Easter. The church probably would have, but for the Gospels
mentioning the whole crucifixion coming around Passover. It may be
when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, but I've not seen a
single Biblical scholar agree that he was born at this season. Not
that that matters to a religious holiday. Or even an ordinary
birthday. If you want to celebrate your birthday on the first of
October, go for it. Regardless of what your birth certificate says.
That will become your de facto birthday, except in legal matters, like
your driver's license and when you can collect social security.

Were it not for Christmas, we'd be celebrating a Druidic or Mithran or
Wiccan holiday then, if not one to the old Roman gods.

I have tried go to Happy Holidays to everyone except family many years
ago as a greeting. I have no idea what religion some of the people I
know are and simply hope that if I goof and wish a Jewish or Wiccan or
agnostic or atheist friend a Merry Christmas, they'll take it in a
forgiving spirit (or say, "I always knew she wasn't sharp enough to
notice."). But I'm aware that I'll be closer to the mark if I go with
Happy Holidays. One of which is New Year's Day. Not exactly a
Christian holiday the last I heard.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

"rw" wrote in message
nk.net...
Wolfgang wrote:

i mean, does ANYBODY really still believe that december 25th marks an
important birthday?

Sir Isaac Newton was born on December 25.

And?

Wolfgang

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 05:37:44 GMT, rw wrote:

wrote:
In article ,
says...

Some would say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays", but if there
was no Christmas I really don't think there would be any widely popular
holidays in December at all. So much for a season of them.


Time to brush up on your cause and effect.....

Christmas is in December because christians attempted (succeeded in?) to
steal the highly popular pagan winter solstice festivals. Which is why
we have christmas trees and yule logs.

Christmas has become primarily a secular holiday, and a very expensive
one. In fact, it's become a parody of mindless consumerism, to the point
that a good retail Christmas season is vital for the economy. Is there
ever a time of year when more money is spent on stuff that no one will
ever use? If I were a Christian I wouldn't want the name of the Son of
God even to be associated with it.

Since Christmas is on Sunday this year a couple of the largest churches in the
Atlanta area will be closed so their employees and parishioners can celebrate
"in their own way".
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 21:27:44 -0800, wrote:

In article ,
says...
Some would say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays", but if there
was no Christmas I really don't think there would be any widely popular
holidays in December at all. So much for a season of them.

Time to brush up on your cause and effect.....

Christmas is in December because christians attempted (succeeded in?) to
steal the highly popular pagan winter solstice festivals. Which is why
we have christmas trees and yule logs.

BTW, all the best holidays came from the pagans. Easter, Christmas,
Halloween.
- Ken


Mayday!

"Hooray hooray its the first of May
Outdoor screwing begins today".

Or is that just a Norwegian thing?

g.c.

Who wishes people good-bye even though he doesn't necessarily think
that God will be with them and who goes to work on Thursday with very
seldom a thought to Thor and who bets that when the Brits go on
holiday they spend very little of it praying.

vincent p. norris wrote:
If it's good enough for Druids
Running nekkid through the wuids,
Drinking strange fermented fluids,
Then it's good enough for me!

A salutary and salubrious solstice, 'specially with a soupcon of
silliness, to one and all!

Thanks for that, Vince! One of my favorites!
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps

"George Cleveland" wrote in message
news

Mayday!

"Hooray hooray its the first of May
Outdoor screwing begins today".

Or is that just a Norwegian thing?

Nah, it's one of those high latitude thingies.......wherever the livestock
is brought indoors to survive harsh winters.......

g.c.

Who wishes people good-bye even though he doesn't necessarily think
that God will be with them and who goes to work on Thursday with very
seldom a thought to Thor and who bets that when the Brits go on
holiday they spend very little of it praying.

Gesundheit!

Wolfgang

Wolfgang wrote:
"rw" wrote in message
nk.net...

Wolfgang wrote:


i mean, does ANYBODY really still believe that december 25th marks an
important birthday?

Sir Isaac Newton was born on December 25.


And?

And Jimmy Buffett.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.