Christmas Tree

[Kwahati]

Great cartoons. I love the snowmen and the bunny! :p:

In defense of diversity, though, why should everybody have to wish you a Merry Christmas? Do you really want one of your holiest days of the year commercialized like that? (I'm aware they're doing it anyway, but using your shopping dollars to leverage the further commercialization of it seems a little silly to me...:confused :) I love the holiday season (happy second night of Hanukkah to me!) and I am very happy to be getting ready to put up a nice pagan symbol with my roommates. Oh yeah! That's right...I guess nobody told you, but there aren't a whole lot of pine trees in Judea (just like there probably weren't a ton of rabbits passing out chocolate eggs when that guy got nailed to a cross. I saw the Mel Gibson movie! Not a single rabbit or chocolate egg in it!) By the way, the reason I know about your holidays and none of you would know about mine without googling them is that we keep our holidays holy rather than commercial and we don't go around pressing our beliefs upon others...except for asking them not to press theirs on us! Anyway, I know the story Linus tells in the Peanuts special is a little different, but to me, the holiday season is special for reasons of family and friends and how they make a little light in the darkness of winter and of life. My roommates have been giving me tokens of affection for Hanukkah and we will all give gifts on Christmas as that is how they were raised even though they are completely non-religious. I know I'm outnumbered in thinking about it that way, but it seems to me that begrudging me the right to enjoy a day of peace with my family in whatever way I see fit simply because I say Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas wouldn't be a very Christian thing to do.

So I proudly, say: I hope you all have a very happy Holiday Season! May you and yours find peace and joy in the coming days and the New Year! :)

Edited to add: I thought this thread was going to be about something else...I can't wait to get our tree up (well...first we'll have to actually go get a tree!) We've been collecting Disney ornaments for the last few weeks and we've just ordered a very nice tree skirt that will be personalized for us with the words "Family Holidays 2007" commemorating our first holiday season in our new house. This will be our first tree together as we've always lived in military dorms or, last year, a very small apartment since we've been a "family"! I'm very excited...I'm a huge fan of pretty glass balls and little twinkling lights!

[Randy B]

I agree with both of the recent opinion pieces. I agree that using a religious occasion to make money is not a good idea. Of course if the religious practices include a tradition to give gifts, a merchant who doesn't do everything in thir power to attract as much business to their product or service is soon to be an ex-merchant.

I also agree that it is wrong to outlaw any mention of the most prevalent religious holiday simply because not everyone is of the same faith (while not also outlawing the name of every other religious based holiday).

I guess I am not a "normal" person as I am not offended if someone wishes me peace and happiness with a time frame referrence based on a religious holiday. So I am not offended for someone to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, or a Merry Christmas, or a Joyous Kwanza, or even a Peaceful Solstice. I don't flinch at mentions of Easter, Halloween, Sovan (a wiccan version of Halloween), or any Ramidan. Of course this may be because I can accept these references as a designation of time frame as much as a religious designation. So outside of a church service or religious observation ceremony "Christmas" is about as emotionally charged as "4th of July" (actually I prefer the 4th as I am crazy about fireworks and marching bands).

So, I am wishing a Peaceful, and enjoyable Annual Late December Seasonal Celebration to everyone everywhere. Heck I'll even include the SGs as they may actually need the luck more. And if it wasn't for them, we woudn't have near as much fun subjects to talk about. :D:

Randy

PS, Just went looking and noticed that we don't have a smilie wearing a red velvet santa hat. Time to break out photoshop. :D:
R

[Kwahati]

(actually I prefer the 4th as I am crazy about fireworks and marching bands).

Well, I had a bunch of friends in High School who had to do Marching Band to be eligible to play in the Jazz Band. They all said they hated it, so I have a kind of negative association there, but fireworks? Fireworks kick ass! I even love Chinese New Year for the firecrackers they set off. I heard that's to scare the evil spirits away or something like that...I hope it works for them...all I know is they make loud bangs and I love every second of it! (And don't get me started on Disney fireworks...the way Disney does beautiful fireworks choreographed wonderfully to beautiful music...Honestly it makes a tear come to my eye a little more often than a grown man probably should...)

Josh *still cheers when Mickey reappears in Fantasmic* ua

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

They also use dragons to scare away evil spirits.

[Big Wallaby]

Honestly it makes a tear come to my eye a little more often than a grown man probably should...)

You should see me when they do perimeter fireworks. I can't wait to go to Christmas Illuminations... was supposed to go tonight... :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Princess Susi]

I agree with both of the recent opinion pieces. I agree that using a religious occasion to make money is not a good idea. Of course if the religious practices include a tradition to give gifts, a merchant who doesn't do everything in thir power to attract as much business to their product or service is soon to be an ex-merchant.

I also agree that it is wrong to outlaw any mention of the most prevalent religious holiday simply because not everyone is of the same faith (while not also outlawing the name of every other religious based holiday).

I guess I am not a "normal" person as I am not offended if someone wishes me peace and happiness with a time frame referrence based on a religious holiday. So I am not offended for someone to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, or a Merry Christmas, or a Joyous Kwanza, or even a Peaceful Solstice. I don't flinch at mentions of Easter, Halloween, Sovan (a wiccan version of Halloween), or any Ramidan. Of course this may be because I can accept these references as a designation of time frame as much as a religious designation. So outside of a church service or religious observation ceremony "Christmas" is about as emotionally charged as "4th of July" (actually I prefer the 4th as I am crazy about fireworks and marching bands).

So, I am wishing a Peaceful, and enjoyable Annual Late December Seasonal Celebration to everyone everywhere. Heck I'll even include the SGs as they may actually need the luck more. And if it wasn't for them, we woudn't have near as much fun subjects to talk about. :D:

Randy

PS, Just went looking and noticed that we don't have a smilie wearing a red velvet santa hat. Time to break out photoshop. :D:
R

Interestiong and cool thoughts Randy! :D: Yeah, the reason for the season has DEFINITELY been changed over the years. I had a Jewish room mate for 10 years after college and we celebrated both Chanukkah and Christmas. She was not a strict Jew, one of her and her father's favorite things was pork. They loved ham and bacon simply because it tasted so good! :D:
But it was nice to have the candles and the tree and share the history and traditions of both. I could not get into the Gefilte Fish though...just couldn't do it...

I like the shiny holiday lights, decorations and snow! (women love shiny things!!!! :twisted: )

We spend the holidays at DL because the inlaws and outlaws would all fight over who *gets* us for Christmas day. So we go to see all the inlaws and outlaws in February. It works. We have a peaceful Christmas with 50,000 new friends at the Park :D: and don't have to deal with the usual parental unit *advice* which they still love to dole out over the holiday dinner table. Oh! The Thanksgivings I could tell you about! :twisted:

Have a wonderful Holiday season filled with the Magic of Mickey and Showers of Pixie Dust!!!!!!!!!!!

:xwin: and :newyear:

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

....I like the shiny holiday lights, decorations and snow! (women love shiny things!!!! :twisted: )

Thats why we like to decorate trees and outside of houses, it gets your mind away from OTHER shiny things!!!

[Princess Susi]

You mean like Diamonds..... :D:

Here a few more Christmas cartoons:








I still have a few more to share at a later time...ho ho ho....
Enjoy! Have a Magical Christmas!
susi snowflake

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

You mean like Diamonds..... :D:

I still have a few more to share at a later time...ho ho ho....
Enjoy! Have a Magical Christmas!
susi snowflake

PLEASE us guys NEVER utter the "D" work around the holidays, and I mean ALL holidays...arbor day..presidents day...boxing day...continuim transfunctioner day...

[Big Wallaby]

PLEASE us guys NEVER utter the "D" work around the holidays, and I mean ALL holidays...arbor day..presidents day...boxing day...continuim transfunctioner day...

Ha, you didn't mention Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey Day! I can wait.