That was a very informative link, but I still don't truly understand how "In god we trust" is okay but "One nation, under god" isn't. Wouldn't both be wrong? And about Christmas I found a very interesting link myself. Christmas: Religious or Secular? I am not going to hide the source it is by an athiest/agnostic section of about.com. But it is still very interesting.
Posts: 3771 | Location: ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha | Registered: 18 October 2004
Well since this thread is entitled "Christmas, this may be the best place to put this. It is officially December, and I would like to wish everybody who contributes to this site happy holidays, merry Christmas, etc., etc. Just because I don't agree with how the government treats it, doesn't mean that I don't know how important it is for many individuals.
Merry Christmas All!!!
Posts: 3771 | Location: ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha | Registered: 18 October 2004
Everything Christian is just stolen from the Pagans anyway.
________________________________________________________ "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." - Hunter S. Thompson tinymixtapes.com / The Skinny / PopMatters
I'm from the bottom of the planet so our Christmas' is a real incongruous mix of Northern Hemisphere symbolism, and days at the beach, roasting in the sun.
Christmas is a pagan festival co-opted by the Catholic church for its own ends. Originally it was a way of celebrating the winter solstice, and the imminent arrival of tanning weather, but bein' as how we will be standin' around our barbies in our bermudas holdin' a tinny the whole thing always seemed a bit wierd to me.
And another thing. Why do we have to have a day in which we all pretend to be nice to each other? Why can't we pretend to be nice to each other all year round?
Posts: 406 | Location: The fifth level | Registered: 05 December 2004
In exactly 3 months it's christmas and i cought myself thinking about having some good time in family and....eat and do nothing! So, is christmas an important or funny or depressive holiday for you? What do you like or hate about christmas? Am i the only one who would like to be three months in the future? Let it go.
The older I get, the more I dislike Christmas. I know it seems very Scrooge-like to hate on a holiday that is so based on the spirit of giving and spending time with your family.
But it seems like it's always such a stressful affair. I hate trying to figure out what gifts to buy people. I hate having to worry about whether I'm spending enough on someone's gift. I hate shopping for people who are difficult to shop for. I hate when people ask me what I want for Christmas. I absolutely hate going anywhere near a mall between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
----- Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.
Posts: 5347 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 19 June 2005
Originally posted by ericg75: I hate trying to figure out what gifts to buy people. I hate having to worry about whether I'm spending enough on someone's gift. I hate shopping for people who are difficult to shop for. I hate when people ask me what I want for Christmas. I absolutely hate going anywhere near a mall between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Wow, that is very scrooge-like.
But seriously, there is a lot involved with the holiday that I also despise. I like to get my shopping done early because I do also hate shopping for people that are hard to shop for. Sometimes you want to just get them a gift card, but then that isn't very "personal." Then, they don't like what you got them and they want the receipt to exchange/return it, but then they will know how much it costs!
I do like just sitting around, relaxing, eating good food like tamales and baking stuff and well, doing nothing though. That is a really great part. But I just try to do the more difficult tasks early to get them out of the way.
----- If you don't love me, I'm sorry.
Posts: 5872 | Location: Texas | Registered: 27 December 2005
Originally posted by FragileKidA: I do like just sitting around, relaxing, eating good food like tamales and baking stuff and well, doing nothing though. That is a really great part.
I don't mind sitting around and eating and playing games, that's fun. But, I think I could do without the gift giving at this point. Especially with my dad's side of the family. We all give and receive the most painfully useless gifts. I've pitched ideas such as "let's not get each other gifts this year", "let's take a trip instead", or "let's give the money we would've spent on useless crap and donate it to charity" in recent years. No one seemed enthusiastic about any of those ideas.
----- Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.
Posts: 5347 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 19 June 2005
Originally posted by ericg75: I don't mind sitting around and eating and playing games, that's fun. But, I think I could do without the gift giving at this point. Especially with my dad's side of the family. We all give and receive the most painfully useless gifts. I've pitched ideas such as "let's not get each other gifts this year", "let's take a trip instead", or "let's give the money we would've spent on useless crap and donate it to charity" in recent years. No one seemed enthusiastic about any of those ideas.
christmas is my favorite time of year but i hate the materialistic part, sure i like getting presents but getting too much makes me feel bad for others who don't get nearly as much as me (africa, sigh). My mom and I want my family to do a three present limit (two from parents and one from another sibling) and that way each present is more thoughtful and we don't have to waste so much on "useless crap".
also, ericg, my family and i worked at a soup kitchen last year for thanksgiving (similar holiday, i guess) and it felt great. that might work for you.
Posts: 456 | Location: On the Road | Registered: 20 January 2007
Originally posted by The Friar: also, ericg, my family and i worked at a soup kitchen last year for thanksgiving (similar holiday, i guess) and it felt great.
I bet it did! I caught Bill Clinton on Letterman the other week talking about his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. He made the comment that there's no better feeling than the feeling you get when you're able to help someone who needs it. It sounds cheesy, but it's so true.
----- Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.
Posts: 5347 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 19 June 2005
On my side of the family we made a rule: Christmas is for the kids. We go out of our way to make sure all the children in the family get everything they need (nn everything they want). My wife's side of the family, is another story. I can't figure it out. Just about everyone on that side is at least a half-social class higher than mine, but they still insist on giving each other stuff. I mean everyone can afford to buy themselves whatever the hell they want. I get gift giving, I really do. It is fun to buy the exact thing that someone wants, but not when they tell you. Yup, that's how they do it. They draw names and then everyone lists three things they want. Big woo. I am definitely the scrooge on that side, as I have not participated in the swap for a couple of years now.
_____________________________ Weep to Water the Trees.
"This is my main concern with Obama; what if he has been groomed since childhood to blend in with the zionists and infidels? What if he has been led along by a radical islamic terrorist organization and positioned to become an influential politician?
What if Obama gets into White House and turns out to be some crazy muslim terrorist? What do we do then? We'll be pretty screwed. It could happen." -- by some fucking nutjob
Posts: 1996 | Location: The Noog, TN | Registered: 08 April 2007
I LOOOOOOOVE giving at Christmas! In fact, I'm an excellent judge of what to grab for people. I'm actually Christmas shopping all year long, listening to what people around me express interest in. Alotta times they've forgotten they wanted it by the time I give it to 'em! I ALWAYS hear, "How did you know?" I've been purchasing presents since I was 16 and my mother couldn't afford it. I'd go and put a buncha stuff in lay-a-way and put money on it until a week before, then I'd pay it off, take 'em home, wrap 'em up, and watch the faces of my family as they opened their gifts up. I'll never forget the look on my brother's face when he opened his Vac-man, he started shaking and jumping up and down! He really wanted that thing! Last year, I surprised my best friend with the first 6 "Star Trek" movies. I'm talkin' the 2-disc versions. Oh, yeah! He was veeeeeerrrry happy! I'm never too concerned about getting anything special. When I was buying gifts for the family when I was 16, I made sure to buy myself a little sumpthin' too (Donkey Kong Country had just come out!), but I just love seeing joy on the faces of others.
"I can't live the buttoned down life like all of you! I want it all: the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles! Sure, I might offend a few of the blue-noses with my cocky stride and musky odor - oh, I'll never be the darling of the so-called 'City Fathers' who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards, and talk about what's to be done with this Monkey_Boy?!"
Posts: 2542 | Location: Springfield, Oh! Hi ya, Maude! | Registered: 01 January 2007
Originally posted by Monkey_Boy: I surprised my best friend with the first 6 "Star Trek" movies. I'm talkin' the 2-disc versions. Oh, yeah! He was veeeeeerrrry happy!
really really nice gift, you're a good friend, i'm sure he was veeeeeerrrrrry happy. this my favorite part of holidays and birthdays: gift giving. this year i gave my mother a new book she really wanted but she didn't even think about buying it! she was going to wait for it at the library. I got it for her and she teared up. And i got my sister the new Feist album, which I've found seems to be a nice introduction to indie music. Next year I gotta do even better.
Posts: 456 | Location: On the Road | Registered: 20 January 2007
Hey, guys! Wanna send a fun holiday email to family and friends? Try ElfYourself! Here's my family: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1112102163. I have a beard in that picture because I'd never been able to grow one out since I've always worked in the food industry. So, after I couldn't work anymore, I decided to see what I'd look like. Not as good as the goatee. Oh, and my wife would kill me if I didn't tell you she's lost weight since that picture! These pics are actually from months ago!
After the little vid plays, you can create your own! That's my son's voice, which is why I made sure it came out of his mouth! If you want a specific person to do the talking, make sure you do their elf first!
"I can't live the buttoned down life like all of you! I want it all: the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles! Sure, I might offend a few of the blue-noses with my cocky stride and musky odor - oh, I'll never be the darling of the so-called 'City Fathers' who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards, and talk about what's to be done with this Monkey_Boy?!"
Posts: 2542 | Location: Springfield, Oh! Hi ya, Maude! | Registered: 01 January 2007
He made the comment that there's no better feeling than the feeling you get when you're able to help someone who needs it. It sounds cheesy, but it's so true.
Here's my family: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1112102163. I have a beard in that picture because I'd never been able to grow one out since I've always worked in the food industry. So, after I couldn't work anymore, I decided to see what I'd look like. Not as good as the goatee. Oh, and my wife would kill me if I didn't tell you she's lost weight since that picture! These pics are actually from months ago!
