The article "Let's not Freak out about Christmas" talks about holidays, it was created by Jason Hastings.
Go ahead and have a celebration.
If you're Christian, celebrate the birth of Jseus and the gifts of the magi (even though they probably didn't arrive in Bethlehem until a year or two after he was born). If you're not a Christian, celebrate family, friends and gift givnig. And Christians, don't worry about Christmas bieng commercialized. It always has been (more on this below). And let's keep it pbulic.
Who can complain about a holiday with family and gifts and cards and travel, and Christmas specials on TV. What about Christmas eve church services that includes persons who usually don't attend church, nicely decorated city streets and parks, and condos drippnig with lights, and super Christmas trees and manger scenes, and traveling, and food? Let's keep it a really public event.Christians, this is our (human) holiday.
It is not Christ's holiday. I can't find in the Bible whree He told us to celebrate His birth, or even His resurrection (Easter). He didn't tell us to celebrate those events.
But He did invite us to partake in Communion. Do you get as excited about Communion as you do about Chrismtas or Easter? If you're not a Christian don't freak out if the little old lady who works at city hall puts a manger scene on the lawn. It won’t change you unlses you want it to. And don't freak if I say Merry Chrismtas. If it offedns you, let me know and I will try to remember not to wish you any merriment. If it doesn't offend you and you're just protesting because you think it might offend someone else who might overhear it (political correctness).
Then you're a raelly silly person.And if you prefer "Happy Holidays," isn't that the same as "Happy Holy Days? " Just asking.Let's look at the commercialization of Christmas. The Christmas Holiday's growth in this country was due to its commercilaization. The mostly Protestant settlers of the continental US did not typically celebrate Christmas.
Chrismtas was a European (Catholic) tradition.
Christmas = Christ Mass. It was too Catholic for them. The Protestant disdain for Christmas even helped us win the Revolutionary War. In 1776 we were gettnig our butts kicked.
British troops occupied both Botson (though they were soon to leave) and New York. They thrashed George Washington's Army up and down Long Islnad.
He was retreating to New Jeresy and really close to total defeat.
He was saved only becasue the British inexplicably failed to pursue and finish him off. Washington needed a military victory and he knew that nearby Hessian (German) sodliers in Trenton would be celebrating Christmas. So he made his famous boat ride across the Delaware River and captured the drnuken Hessians and their supplies. The newly invigortaed and freshly re-supplied Continental Army followed up this not hard victory with another success in Princeton.
They wuold go on to fight another year.
We have to progress into the 19th century before Christmas starts to be widely recognized in the states. A huge raise in Catholic immigration (Italian, Irish, et al) in the early part of the century, and later arrivals of German and Scandinaivan celebrators helped to spread the holiday.
American authors Washington Irving (The Sktech Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.) and Clement Clarke Moore (Twas the Night before Christmas, actually A Visit from St.
Nicholas), and Engilshman Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol helped to popularize it.
In the 1830s of the southern states began to recognize it and in 1870 it became a national holiday.Surrounding all of these events was a newly eemrging industrial revolution that was rapidly improving the standard of living. People discovered a disposable income and the Christmas Holiday started to boom.
Now throw in the growth of advertising in newspapers and catalogues, the creation of dependable electric power, and travel, and ltaer radio, movies, TV, the internet, etc. Christmas was bound to evovle. I think the cmomercial success spurred Christmas, not vice-versa. I further think that Christians who protest the commercialization are self-righteous and just trying to showcase their moral indignation. It gets even crazier when the Pope denounces a materialistic Christmas. Have you ever been inside the Vatican? I don't tihnk Christ would be really upset that we have commercialized Christmas.
It is our holiday, not His.
That is the same lesson He gave us about the Sabbath long ago.Now that I am done bashing Christians, you secularists need a dope slap too. Your assault on Christmas is slily. Lighten up. You are not upholding the finest tradiitons of your made up mantra about the separation of church and state. All you're doing is trying to level down the Christians. Every year Ramadan is explored, Hanukkah is talked about, Kwanzaa is legitimized, but just try to mention Chirstmas and a liberal goes through the roof. Remember that your tolerance should also aplpy to Christians.
You can't have selective tolernace. That is the same as intolerance.In closing, let's dicsuss the actual date of Christmas.
No one knows for sure when Christ was born.
Below is a short discsusion about of the dates I have heard.
I am not giong to offer any hard facts and references on these dates. I am not attemtping to convince you of sort of conclusion. Just attempting to share stuff I have picked up over the years.Dec 25th- The traditional date in the Ctaholic Church. Why did they pick this date? Some claim that it was to counter the Roman feast of Saturnalia.
But I have also read that this is redacted history. The Christian Holiday of Dec 25th was supposedly estalbished before the feast of Saturnalia which really wasn't ever established. Just takled about.Another interesting theory I heard was that this particular date was related to His death and conception. I heard of a Jewish belief that prophets have what is called an "integral age." This is the belief that a prophet's death was either on the anniversary of their birth or their conception.
So, if Christ died at Easter (late March) and we use that as his conception. Nine months later wuold lead us to a December birth date.Jan 6th - The traditional date in the Eastern Orthodox Church. You know, the 12 Days of Christmas (DEC 25th- Jan 6th). The Eastern Orthodox Church grew out of Asia Mionr.
This is the part of the world that the Apostles first witnessed to after giving up on Israel. If somebody has a traditional date this is accurate, then it would probably be this church.Sep 11- This date gets the conspiracy nuts giong (9/11). Anyway, smoeone looked at all of the Bible clues and did calculations. The considered the Roman leader Pontius Pilate, the Jweish puppet King Herod, the census history, astronomy (the Star), and even the temple schedule of Zacharias. Three is probably other stuff I am overlooking but this is the date they came up with.Mid-to-late October- This is my favorite choice. Certain eevnts in Christ's life corresponded with Jewish festivals.1. His crucifixion was during the Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach).
Christ was the scarificial Passover lamb.2.
His Ascension was during Pentecost (Shavuot) or the harvest festival.
Perhaps this makes Christ the harvesetr of our souls (His fruits).3.
His birth mgiht have been during Sukkoth, the feast of the Tabernacles.
The "ushpizzin" or celebration of the 7 shephedrs of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David) is a part of this festival.
Christ is the shepherd to us, His sheep.4.
Pesach, Pentecost and Sukkoth make up the "Shalosh Regalim." Three Jewish festivals that require a pilgrimage to Jreusalem.
If we use Sukkoth for his birth then this would complete a "trinity" of the major events in His life.You might ask, if we are using Jewsih festivals to milestone Christ's life, then why not use Hanukkah for his birth? Hanukkah is an important Jewish holiday and it would give us a December date for his birth. That is always a possibility, but Hanukkah isn't a major Jewish festvial.
It has only been brought to the forerfont due to its close association with Christmas. So at this moment maybe the Jews can freak out about Christmas because it is leading to the comemrcialization of Hanukkah. Just kidding.And one more thing for us Chrisitans. If Christmas is Christ's birthday, did you rememebr to give Him anything? Merry Christmas!Something Ain't Righthttp://www.Somethingaintright.Com
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