Christmas

[Doug]

We know very well that Christmas is of pagan origin.  I was just wondering about some details associated with the whole thing;  the tree,  Saint Nick, flying reindeer.

 

I just learned of two interesting observations:

 

One fraudulent concept is that Santa can be everywhere at once.  Only God can be everywhere at once.

 

The other observation is that Satan (father of the lie) uses this so-called holiday to dupe parents into lying to their children, telling the children Santa is real.

 

What other details about this Christmas can you share with the rest of us?

[Shawnster]

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of prostitutes.  

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/15857/5-weirdest-patron-saints

Saint Nicholas, commonly associated with Santa Claus, is said to have aided the poor father of three marriageable girls who could not afford their dowries. To save them from a life of prostitution (a common fate for unmarried women in third-century Asia Minor), he dropped three sacks of gold down their father's chimney late one night. (Sound like another St. Nick we know?) Thus, he is known as the patron saint of prostitutes.

[Doug]

The Bible is not describing a Christmas tree at Jeremiah 10:3 , but the principle applies. Jehovah commanded "Do not learn to go the way of the nations">

 

"It is the work of a craftsman's hands.  He cuts down a tree in the forest with an ax, he adorns it with silver and gold, he fastens it with nails and a hammer."

 

I think the symbolism of the pine tree, evergreen tree, in the Christmas winter season, is the idea of eternal life when other trees in the forest "die"?

 

Fun Fact:  Trees are in one of two categories.  They either have a leaf or a needle.

[daydream]

48 minutes ago, Doug said:

Fun Fact

https://www.konnecthq.com/how-can-you-tell-the-difference-between-two-types-of-trees/

 

Two main categories of trees: deciduous and evergreens

• Deciduous is usually hardwoods
• Deciduous can have heart, star, or oval-shaped leaves
• They shed their leaves in the fall

• Evergreens are softwoods
• They remain green all year-round
• Evergreens have needle-shaped or scale-like leaves
• Some evergreens are conifers with cones

Spoiler

 

[Girl81]

I found overcoming christmas was hard for me (due to many happy biological family memories) until i realized it's like poisonous candy that Satan waves in front of people's faces.  I think one taste hooks people and poisons their minds into allowing more false worship. 

 

Even before finding the Truth, I always thought it was very interesting that "Satan" and "Santa" have the same letters in their name just differently ordered.   And as for parents lying to their children for the first most impressionable years of their life about fictitious people to adore (santa, easter bunny, toothfairy, etc) I find it to be a poor establishment for future trust in the relationship.  Just my opinion. 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Michelle81

[jayrtom]

1 hour ago, Michelle81 said:

I always thought it was very interesting that "Satan" and "Santa" have the same letters in their name just differently ordered

Nothing there... It just works for English 😉

 

[Dustparticle]

I have many tall pine trees in my yard. If anyone want drop some chocolates under it, please do so.

[Friends just call me Ross]

X-mas, originating from a ginormous pool of lies, is just a fleeting facade of "peace on Earth" "good will toward men".

 

A perfect example of this fleeting facade of peace and Goodwill:

Quote

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/christmas-truce-of-1914

 

The Christmas Truce of 1914

 

The Christmas Truce

occurred on and around Christmas Day 1914, when the sounds of rifles firing and shells exploding faded in a number of places along the Western Front during World War I in favor of holiday celebrations. During the unofficial ceasefire, soldiers on both sides of the conflict emerged from the trenches and shared gestures of goodwill.

A few hours later, they went right back to blowing each other's heads off.  

 

 

[Doug]

8 hours ago, Michelle81 said:

I found overcoming christmas was hard for me (due to many happy biological family memories) 

Yes, unfortunately, it can be hard to help family understand that it has nothing to do with THEM.  We love them.  We hate lies and idolatry.

But they may feel that we are judging them , condemning their celebrations.

 

We are taught to find a good moment and tell our family we love them very much and let's plan to have a get together at another time.

 

Christmas is full of rituals and traditions and where these got started no one cares.  Yule logs, candy canes, elves, flying reindeer.  

[Geralyn]

My son who left the Kingdom Hall when he was fourteen just 10 years later told me I RUINED Christmas for him...   I said obviously I did not do a good enough job!  😬   He was sad that he did not have the childish joy that others have in the holiday! 😭

 

We did have a brief conversation this week that many of his "Patriot" friends do not BELIEVE that the December date is correct either but will still endeavor (expecially this year!) to reenact their familial traditions because they are clinging to the FREEDOM they imagine they have while they wait on their military and political saviours  to straighten out the WORLD mess...  SMH

[Amygdala]

I remember shaking my head as a kid because I once got an ugly sweater for Christmas from my aunt. It was a time to be ungrateful. 😂 We didn't fight during the holidays or Christmas parties, and some years I got what I wanted (doll house), but what helped me get over it as a pre-teen was how my actions of celebrating it would affect Jehovah and also my spiritual mom who knew how to shower me gifts (mostly her time) anytime throughout the year.

[Geralyn]

In the WAY BACK machine...  you can't share this with just anyone!   

[Geralyn]

On 12/18/2021 at 9:11 PM, Doug said:

flying reindeer.

I belong to a FB group for identifying mushrooms "safely!" and many point out  the red mushroom with white dots on the cap Amanita Muscaria that are a typical symbol in European nations of the holidays because the reindeer love to eat them and they are a known halucinogen.  Definitely a worldly celebration and ZERO relationship to honoring the Creator!   amanita muscaria and christmas — Amezcua (lourdesamezcua.com)

[Doug]

Santa is known to have been a successful Christmas advertisement created for a North-American beverage company in 1931.  During the 1950's some Brazilians tried to replace Santa Claus with a native legendary figure -  Grandpa Indian.  The result?  Santa Claus not only defeated Grandpa Indian but even "defeated the child Jesus and became the official representative of the feast of December 25."

 

Santa Claus supplanted JESUS as the central figure of the Christmas tradition !  

 

What do you want Santa to bring you this year?    -  'Cause you know Jesus isn't bringing you nothin'.

[Shawnster]

Mom was contacted in the door to door work and baptized when I was 4.  We were inactive most of the 80s.  My father was baptized in 1990.  So I've experienced what it is like to be surrounded by family at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Even after we returned to the truth it took a long time to completely break free of holiday traditions.  We still visited grandma and the family at Christmas, we just simply waited until after they exchanged presents before we stopped by. 

 

I got married in 2003.  My wife was an only child and she only had one child.  There were no aunts or uncles or cousins that lived close.  It was just the three of us and her parents.  All of us are in the truth.  

 

I didn't miss Christmas, but I missed getting together with family.  I missed spending the dat with family laughing and eating and talking and playing games.  There is nothing wrong with getting together with family and eating and having fun. 

 

Now, almost 20 years later, I finally have large family gatherings again.  My step son is married and my second grandchild arrived this past Thursday.  We love and have grown extremely close to my step son's in laws, my daughter in law has an older sister and younger brother.  We get together as one large family at least two or three times a year (including my mom and my wife's parents), plus several times a year we get together with some of the extended family.  We also spend at least once a month with my daughter in laws parents for a long relaxing Sunday. 

 

It's Christmas but not Christmas.  It is possible to gather together and enjoy family and friends in a relaxed setting with a meal and occasionally even presents. No holiday trappings, no pagan traditions, no false religious nonsense.  Just family enjoying each other's lives 

[Tortuga]

Its time for this video about the origin of Christmas 🤣

 

 

[Pabo]

Having been not raised in the truth but had to deal with Christmas was somewhat different for me. Firstly, I was born on December 24, and coming from a German and eastern European heritage on both sides of my parents, they celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve, which happens to be my birthday as well. We used to go to my mother's parents for lunch, then to my father's parents for dinner as my grandparents, as they only lived about 2km from each other.

 

By the time I was 9, I hated both Christmas and birthdays, as I knew not only I was getting short changed in presents, but also saw the hypocrisy of it all. By this stage I refusing to go to my grandparents for these celebrations, and it was only my father's mother who could understand why I didn't want to go. It wasn't the fact of being there as a family was the issue, but more of the banner of what Christmas is portrayed to be when it was really the opposite in reality.

 

So for me when accepting the truth was not an issue for me about birthdays, Christmas or even Easter or any other holidays. Even my worldly friends at the time knew I hated Christmas and birthdays, so they never pestered me about this time of the year.

 

My youngest brother too was born on Christmas Eve (13 years later). However, by the time he was born, we didn't celebrate Christmas as a family we had done when I was young, as by this time, my mother was baptised for over a year and my father was still opposed at this time, but had somewhat quietened down. However, my mother and I didn't go to my grandparents, but my father did take my 3 younger brothers during this periods for a couple of years until we moved 300km away some years after that. So my brother didn't get to see what I saw, but as he was partially raised in the truth but never made it his own (as did all of my siblings), he is just starting to work out why I hated this period of year, but he still celebrates it along with his wife and his kids, but they drop off the emphasis of his birthday.

Edited December 14, 2022 by Pabo

[Tortuga]

3 minutes ago, Pabo said:

My youngest brother too was born on Christmas Eve

In the USA that would be called good tax planning, both of you were tax deductible for the entire year you were born. 

[Pabo]

2 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

In the USA that would be called good tax planning, both of you were tax deductible for the entire year you were born. 

 

My wife was born on December 30, and my first brother was the December 8 the following year where we are the same amount of age in years for 16 days.

 

But we do not get tax deductions for having children in Australia, thus I don't have any myself.

[Qapla]

My brother commemorates Dec 25 each year and has done so for the past 57 years even though he is a JW ...

 

Spoiler

He was baptized December 25, 1965

 

[rocket]

6 hours ago, Qapla said:

My brother commemorates Dec 25 each year and has done so for the past 57 years even though he is a JW ...

 

  Hide contents

He was baptized December 25, 1965

 

 

We have something in common, I celebrated on the 24th of November this year and we didn't even cut a turkey.