Merry Christmukkah!

[CutiePie2000]

Leave it to Hallmark to find a way to make a buck. They also have a "America's Heroes" line coming out, to be sent to Soldiers in Iraq & Afghanistan.
http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/jump/nov04/276685.asp

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
It's interesting that you would mention paganism. Christmas, in and of it's self is intertwined with pagan traditions. Santa Claus and the christmas tree are both pagan traditions. It really hasn't been a pure christian religious holiday.

Easter "ain't" a pure Christian Holiday either...bunnies and chicks and all that stuff is Pagan in origin as well. The Hare was the consort to the Goddess, or something like that.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by CutiePie2000
...Easter "ain't" a pure Christian Holiday either...bunnies and chicks and all that stuff is Pagan in origin as well. The Hare was the consort to the Goddess, or something like that.

That is also true. The early churches decided to leave some pagan traditions mixed in with religious holidys was because they found it easier to covnert pagans to christianity if they could still "practice" some of their traditions.

[mmcat]

weekend today show had a segment where a shabby chic decorator did a house for hannukah and christmas. it was interesting. no tree. presents put around a working tiny train set.
lots of candles and mennorahs.

[Corsulian]

Originally posted by PhiPsiRuss
Christmas is America has been transformed into an intersection of Paganism and Visa/MasterCard. Now its being sliced, and diced, and pieced together into some Frankenstein of a holiday. It seems very silly to me.

Much of Christmas is actually derived from the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia (a 'Pagan' holiday) which involved slaves and masters trading places for a day, things being decorated with green trees and candles, people trading gifts for good luck, and a big feasts and singing.
Glad to see it's returning to its roots.

[Cardinal026]

I've just started a new job in a VERY diverse Mortgage company, and today they asked me to decorate the office, put up a tree & trim it, put up wreaths, etc. I was really surprised, because the two men that created our company are Muslim, and the man that helped me put the tree together was Jewish. Being raised Christian, I always associated Christmas with only my religion, and so I asked my co-workers how it was possible that no one was offended that more holidays weren't included. I got a similar answer from everyone - no one felt that Christmas was really a Christian holiday, as things like trees, lights and Santa Claus weren't religious, and so they had always celebrated it. Many said that as long as they had lived in the US they had celebrated it.

One woman told me that Christians put too much of an emphasis on Christmas, while Easter was so much more important to the religion. It definitely made me stop and think!