# It's that time of year again. the fictional "War on Christmas" begins..



## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

It's started on my FB feed...  people posting garbage about not being able to say "Merry Christmas"...  So I ask... "who the heck is stopping you?"   I'm sure I'll be unfriended.. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this is NOT a Christian Nation... we are secular.. and that there are Americans of every religion.. Christian and Non.   Here's what was posted..







It'a also time for FOX Noise to jump on their annual War on Christmas bandwagon.. if they haven't already..  what is wrong with these people.. ??


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## Fern (Nov 8, 2015)

Who says they can't.?


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## BobF (Nov 8, 2015)

I see nothing wrong with saying the US is a Christian nation, as it is in fact a Christian nation.   Today we are about 70% claiming to be Christian's.   Our country was started by Christians back in the 1600's and 1700's by immigrants from Europe.    But in recent years lots of other religions have arrived and many do not claim to be Christians any more.   We are still a Christian nation, like it or not.    Per our Constitution we have no national religion like some countries might have.   But by population interests, yes, we are a Christian nation.   For those political correct folks, they are once again wrong in how they want the people of the US to think and act.   Christianity has holidays, Jewish believers also have holidays, the US has holidays, and as long as they exist the people should be allowed to enjoy them to their pleasure without being told their holidays do not exist.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_United_States

Christianity is the most popular religion in the United States, with 70.6% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2014.[SUP][1][/SUP] This is down from 86% in 1990, lower than 78.6% in 2001,[SUP][2][/SUP] and slightly lower than 73% in 2012.[SUP][3][/SUP] About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation.[SUP][4][/SUP] The United States has the largest Christian population  in the world, with nearly 247 million Christians, although other  countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations.


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

Australia is not very Christian at all but we all say "merry Christmas" and send Christmas cards to our family and friends. We received our first one last week.

I find it very odd that people who live in a country that has freedom of speech specifically guaranteed in its constitution think that that they are unable to utter a very innocuous greeting to others. I think it is actually a chance to take a shot at people of other faiths.

The same thing pops up over here but it is usually centred on Christmas displays in shopping malls and end of school year celebrations. No-one is stopping any of these but each year the Muslims get an undeserved serve.


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## AprilT (Nov 8, 2015)

Yes, that time of year to show how very Christian the people are indeed nothing like Merry Christmas to bring out the best representation.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

Ho HO HO!!  Tis the season....


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## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

I'm laughing at my FB thread... there' a whole bunch getting all worked up about not being able to say "Merry Christmas".  Not one single person commented on that thread complaining about them saying "Merry Christmas"...   I keep asking them why they can't say "Merry Christmas?"   no one is answering me..   They are talking to themselves and getting all upset....  It's hysterically funny...


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## Bee (Nov 8, 2015)

This from The Muslim Council of Britain in answer to people that say they are not allowed to do anything to do with Christmas in case it offends the Muslims.

http://www.mcb.org.uk/keep-calm-christmas/


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

Dear me April. That is appalling. I didn't see the spirit of Christ manifest in any of those video clips.

I'm over it now but in the past I have been enraged by so called Christmas parades that were nothing more than occasions for merchandising. I have no problem with the parade, just nominally associating it with Jesus of Nazareth.

I have often muttered that we Christians should simply move the date of the celebration of the birth of the Redeemer to another time of year and keep it a secret from everyone else. It hasn't always been celebrated on 25 December and another date could be chosen for Christ's Mass.


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

Bee said:


> This from The Muslim Council of Britain in answer to people that say they are not allowed to do anything to do with Christmas in case it offends the Muslims.
> 
> http://www.mcb.org.uk/keep-calm-christmas/



Good answer but it doesn't seem to matter to people who are determined to believe the untruth.

Yesterday I visited a young Muslim woman in Islamic dress who specialises in henna body decoration. She will be taking part in our next church Market Day by offering to decorate people's hands or feet. She also does personalised bookmarks and showed me some that she has made with Christmas symbols. I ordered four to give as Christmas presents but told her not to bother with the Christmas symbols because I would prefer more exotic designs. Who needs more images of Christmas trees and baubles?

Clearly, within the limits of her faith she is attempting to accommodate mainstream Australians during our festive season.


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## AprilT (Nov 8, 2015)

Unfortunately, Warrigal, that is what it has become like and about for many here.  I don't know if you saw it, but even I was shocked to see the two men who had shot each other in that first video.  They didn't show the actual shooting, thank goodness, but, the clip was near the end of the video. just crazy.  The joy and meaning seems to have disappeared from the minds of many who celebrate Christmas, even some who fight over the semantics of the wording.


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

I didn't April, because I couldn't bear to watch it to the end.

Over here the sales begin on Boxing Day (Dec 26). I have never bothered to take part. Boxing Day is a good time to keep Christmas alive by socialising with extended family or friends that we were unable to see on Christmas Day. Definitely a good day for a BBQ.


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## BobF (Nov 8, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> I'm laughing at my FB thread... there' a whole bunch getting all worked up about not being able to say "Merry Christmas".  Not one single person commented on that thread complaining about them saying "Merry Christmas"...   I keep asking them why they can't say "Merry Christmas?"   no one is answering me..   They are talking to themselves and getting all upset....  It's hysterically funny...



Doesn't anyone have an answer for QuickSilver's question?    I know there are those that keep saying don't this or that, not just at Christmas but for other events too.    I always just considered it to be more of the political correctness nonsense that keeps getting out of hand.    I have seen such on TV but never really worried about it and who is pushing this nonsense all the time.    Anyone have the answer for QuickSilver?   I would like to know too.


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## AprilT (Nov 8, 2015)

Maybe no one hasn't an answer because for the most part it's a non-existent issue for most people, so far all the people I know, say whatever floats their boat on the matter and get on with their day.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

AprilT said:


> Maybe no one hasn't an answer because for the most part it's a non-existent issue for most people, so far all the people I know, say whatever floats their boat on the matter and get on with their day.



One just repeated the myth that saying Merry Christmas is forbidden in Public Schools.. People really believe these things.  It's pure nonsense.. but some swear by it. 

http://www.thewordout.net/pages/page.asp?page_id=56687


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## BobF (Nov 8, 2015)

It appears that much of the nonsense going on is because of this political correct movement.   It makes no sense at all but is creating lots of confusion.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...tical-correctness-bah-humbug-column/20411673/

Ah, the perils and pitfalls of the Christmas ... er ... _holiday _season.


Like  the stockings hung over the fireplace on Christmas morning, my  newsfeeds and inbox have been full of holiday-related controversies and  things to fret about in this most festive time of year.


One sign  of the times was this news tidbit from Montgomery County, Md. In  response to a request from Muslim community leaders, the education board  voted this fall to change "Christmas break" to "winter break" — making  Montgomery one of many educational systems and institutions to go with the generic seasonal moniker rather than the C word.


For  the record, this is not quite the outcome the area's Muslim leaders had  in mind. They had asked for official school days off in recognition of one of their major holidays.  But rather than accede to that, the school board decided to secularize  all holiday breaks, Christian and Jewish alike, as if to wash its hands  of the whole darn mess (while creating a new one in the process, judging  from the criticism that has followed).


*Workplace rebranding
*

Even  some of the most secularized and consumerist expressions of Christmas  are being judged inappropriate in some quarters. Some workplaces and  social circles are calling their gift exchanges "secret snowman" rather  than "secret Santa," as if the gift-bearing fat man bore too close an  association with Christianity to make his presence palatable.


Congress is another "workplace" where holiday politics are getting  weird. The congresswoman in charge of House mailing standards, Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., has reminded members that it's now OK to use greetings such as "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanukkah" in mailings to their constituents, thanks to a rules change enacted last year.


The catch: This applies only if the greetings are "incidental." That means no Christmas cards at taxpayer expense and, as the House administration rules page specifies,  no Christmas-ey allusions through "colors, illustrations and greetings"  on the calendars some members like to send out. I guess we won't be  seeing much red or green on those 2015 calendars from Congress!


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## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

I work for a Faith based corporation..  I regularly get religion, public Prayer, and Christmas and Easter thrown in my face...  I don't like it... but I can't say anything because I have chosen to work for the Corporation...  So while I'm forced to sit an listen to the praying and the singing... I tune it out and bow my head and make out my grocery list... Or think about what I'm going to make for dinner that evening.   People working for a public corporation should do the same.. If you don't like it... work somewhere else.


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

Well Bob, if you investigate a little by 
#1 opening the USAToday link then
#2 following the link to the school in Montgomery

you will find that the report is not exactly accurate.

This is what I found -



> The backlash was intense Wednesday to the Montgomery County Board of Education’s decision to scrub Christmas and other religious holidays from its published school calendar — without disturbing the days off.
> 
> It came by e-mail, tweets and Facebook messages — passionate views, along with some confoundment. Several Montgomery school board members reported that few people of any faith seemed happy with their Tuesday vote.
> 
> ...



So, who started this exercise in chauvinism? I think Ms Smondrowski exercised the wisdom of King Solomon.


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## fureverywhere (Nov 8, 2015)

Oy, that we celebrate a bit of everything...drawing the line at Kwanzaa, even some black friends think that's a bit over the top. Happy holidays and I wear blue and silver nail polish. If you want to wear red and green, yaaay let's all party together!


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## Susie (Nov 8, 2015)

This thread is dampening my Xmas spirit---why are "some" of the comments so negative?
If you don't like Xmas, avoid it: Go on a cruise
to Vladivostock; sulk in the corner; fight with your neighbor, but don't spoil Christmas for those who love everything about it!   :hiteachother:


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

My auntie hated Christmas and avoided it but then she hated just about everything.
And just about everyone. :grin:


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## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

Susie said:


> This thread is dampening my Xmas spirit---why are "some" of the comments so negative?
> If you don't like Xmas, avoid it: Go on a cruise
> to Vladivostock; sulk in the corner; fight with your neighbor, but don't spoil Christmas for those who love everything about it!   :hiteachother:



Where have you gotten the idea from this thread that anyone here hates Christmas?  I think the idea is that there IS no war on Christmas..\

However, I have to admit that I don't understand why people get their panties knotted when someone says "Happy Holidays"   Makes no sense to me... They are giving you a positive wish..  so what's the problem?


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## Butterfly (Nov 8, 2015)

Well, I've always said Merry Christmas and will continue to do so.  I've also said Happy Hanukkah to folks who celebrate that.  I do want friends to have a happy whatever they are celebrating.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 8, 2015)

Butterfly said:


> Well, I've always said Merry Christmas and will continue to do so.  I've also said Happy Hanukkah to folks who celebrate that.  I do want friends to have a happy whatever they are celebrating.



That's my feeling... People should say whatever greeting they choose at the Holiday.. and quit taking offense to someone saying something different.  So long as they aren't telling you to go to hell... take it as a positive thing.


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

I greet Muslims with Have a good Ramadan and Happy Eid at the appropriate times.

On a side note, I find Happy Easter greeting a bit jarring if delivered before Easter Sunday because before then Lent is not a time that is characterised by happiness and Good Friday is actually a painful day for practicing Christians. But I don't comment on it. At best I respond with, "You too".


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## imp (Nov 8, 2015)

*It Happened to ME*

*"I find it very odd that people who live in a country that has freedom of speech specifically guaranteed in its constitution think that that they are unable to utter a very innocuous greeting"

*Telling the story of my burned face being wrapped up by an Oriental intern. Family Doctor removed bandages, said, "The Chinaman should not have wrapped this." He KNEW the intern personally, so I imagine he often referred to the guy thusly.

I received 20 lashes from forum members chastising me for using the word "Chinaman", claiming it was offensive, even to them, non-Orientals.

So I  ask you  then:    "Chinese" is the acceptable term? Then, Englishman is also forbidden, I am to say "Englishese". And Irishman, now Irishese. Frenchman, Frenchese. 

If I am wrong about "Chinaman", please explain it to me.   imp


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## imp (Nov 8, 2015)

*Freedom of Speech, Self-Expression*

About 2 of every 10 old retired guys seen around here wear caps sporting various claims: "Viet Nam Vet", "WW-II Vet", "Retired Veteran", etc. Usually, the raucous, occasionally-disgusting phrases, are confined to Tee-shirts.

But once, an old gentleman I spotted coming out of the restaurant, had this emblazoned in big letters across the front of his cap:  MUSLIM IS THE PROBLEM

What sort of complete bigot could possibly wear that in public?   imp


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

The family doctor could just have said "I would have preferred this wound to have been left open".

The names used to describe people of different races is a continuum of acceptability IMO

Chinaman sounds less respectful than Chinese man but both are better than Chink or Chow. Once people used the term Western Oriental Gentleman which may or may not have carried a sarcastic undercurrent but the acronym WOG is definitely disrespectful.


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## Warrigal (Nov 8, 2015)

imp said:


> About 2 of every 10 old retired guys seen around here wear caps sporting various claims: "Viet Nam Vet", "WW-II Vet", "Retired Veteran", etc. Usually, the raucous, occasionally-disgusting phrases, are confined to Tee-shirts.
> 
> But once, an old gentleman I spotted coming out of the restaurant, had this emblazoned in big letters across the front of his cap:  MUSLIM IS THE PROBLEM
> 
> What sort of complete bigot could possibly wear that in public?   imp



Someone we would call a bogan in Australia. They're coming out of the deep caves at the moment over here to protest against proposals to build mosques in various locations around the country. They are usually well outnumbered by the counter protesters.

This is what they look like


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## fureverywhere (Nov 8, 2015)

Oriental is for if you were born before 1940 and don't know any better. But as far as the war's go...people's prejudice can cut pretty deep sometimes. My Mom lost friends at Pearl Harbor and addressed the Japanese in crude terms her whole life. I've known Vietnam vets...same thing, after all these years unless you're writing war memoirs...It's not Charlie or all the other colorful terms anymore...let it go.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 8, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> It's started on my FB feed...  people posting garbage about not being able to say "Merry Christmas"...  So I ask... "who the heck is stopping you?"   I'm sure I'll be unfriended.. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this is NOT a Christian Nation... we are secular.. and that there are Americans of every religion.. Christian and Non.
> 
> It'a also time for FOX Noise to jump on their annual War on Christmas bandwagon.. if they haven't already..  what is wrong with these people.. ??



I think it's crazy QS, there is no war on Christmas, and yes I have heard it over and over again each year on Fox news, what a way to get everyone in the holiday spirit.    And you're right, although many Christians would love it to be, and by repeating it hope to convince others, America is not a Christian nation, and never was.

More here.




> Fundamentalist Christians are currently working overtime to convince the American public that the founding fathers intended to establish this country on "biblical principles," but history simply does not support their view.
> 
> The men mentioned above and others who were instrumental in the founding of our nation were in no sense Bible-believing Christians. Thomas Jefferson, in fact, was fiercely anti-cleric. In a letter to Horatio Spafford in 1814, Jefferson said, "In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty.
> 
> ...




Founding father quotes to consider here.


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## oldman (Nov 9, 2015)

I don't shop on Black Friday. In fact, I am generally done shopping by that time thanks to Amazon and one local big box department store.


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## BobF (Nov 9, 2015)

I said it early on in this thread that the political correct movement is the problem as too many folks get confused and wonder if what they are saying is offending.    We need to back off that political correct stuff and speak as we feel without personal attacks or profanity.   I do agree with the several that have said, say what you want and mean.   Merry Christmas is OK for one.   Political correct is not OK as it is distorting free speech and from one language to another, especially English language, expressions mean different things within a large country like the US from on area to another area or from one English speaking country like the US and Australia or England or Canada.   There just is no 'one way' to speak a language.

QuickSilver posted about school holidays.   I remember when I was a kid in school we had Thanksgiving Thursday and following Friday off.   For Christmas we had Christmas and the following day off.    For New Years day we had the 1st of January and the 2nd as well.   Easter we had Good Friday as an option day off with a note from the parents.   Now it seems that the school allow several days off during the Christmas and new year day season.

We started school on the day after Labor Day and ended the 1st of June.    Now I see kids going to school mid August and till later in the spring.   They are  getting long breaks for 'teacher days' or 'holidays' or 'spring break' or what ever they can call them.    Maybe we should just change to trimesters or quarters and let the parents choose the time for their children to make it easier to plan for the family days.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 10, 2015)

Can't believe I'm seeing this on the news already about the design on a coffee cup.   Starbucks can design their coffee cups whatever way they like, they're not refusing to serve Christians like some Christian bakers, wedding planners, clerks, etc. refuse to serve those who don't mirror their lifestyles and share their religious beliefs.  Look at this character, fine example of the love spread during the Christmas season.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...jesus-christian-says-in-viral-facebook-video/


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## QuickSilver (Nov 10, 2015)

SeaBreeze said:


> Can't believe I'm seeing this on the news already about the design on a coffee cup.   Starbucks can design their coffee cups whatever way they like, they're not refusing to serve Christians like some Christian bakers, wedding planners, clerks, etc. refuse to serve those who don't mirror their lifestyles and share their religious beliefs.  Look at this character, fine example of the love spread during the Christmas season.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...jesus-christian-says-in-viral-facebook-video/



Just heard Trump calling for a boycott of Starbucks..  Have these people ALL lost their minds??


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 10, 2015)

Yes!


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## QuickSilver (Nov 10, 2015)

I have also seen in FB the call to tell the barista that your name is Merry Christmas so they are forced to write it on your cup...  lol!!  How about if they just write "you are an idiot" instead?


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## QuickSilver (Nov 10, 2015)




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## SeaBreeze (Nov 10, 2015)

Always the victim it seems.


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## AZ Jim (Nov 10, 2015)

fureverywhere said:


> Oriental is for if you were born before 1940 and don't know any better. But as far as the war's go...people's prejudice can cut pretty deep sometimes. My Mom lost friends at Pearl Harbor and addressed the Japanese in crude terms her whole life. I've known Vietnam vets...same thing, after all these years unless you're writing war memoirs...It's not Charlie or all the other colorful terms anymore...let it go.



I am one of those who came before ww2.  During the the war and some time thereafter we all called them "Japs" or "Nips".  Penny arcades right up to the mid 50's had guns that allowed you to shoot a Jap or Kraut.  Ironic for me because after the war we had a lawn service owned and operated by Japanese.  I still have no regret in how I felt about the Japanese and Germans during that period.  War is  hell and one reaps what one sows.  I no long hold any animosity.


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## jujube (Nov 10, 2015)

I think I'll just send out a postcard this year that says:

 Happy __________ (please fill in the holiday of your choice).


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## Warrigal (Nov 10, 2015)

Barking mad reaction IMO. 
My reaction is to thank Starbucks for being one of the few enterprises not appropriating Christmas for commercial gain.


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## BobF (Nov 10, 2015)

SeaBreeze said:


> I think it's crazy QS, there is no war on Christmas, and yes I have heard it over and over again each year on Fox news, what a way to get everyone in the holiday spirit.    And you're right, although many Christians would love it to be, and by repeating it hope to convince others, America is not a Christian nation, and never was.
> 
> More here.
> 
> ...



I heard it today on NBC morning news.   Not fair to blame all this just on FOX NEWS.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 10, 2015)




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## Warrigal (Nov 10, 2015)

:lol: Quicksilver.

Thank you for your use of the inverted commas.


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## Butterfly (Nov 10, 2015)

SeaBreeze said:


> Can't believe I'm seeing this on the news already about the design on a coffee cup.   Starbucks can design their coffee cups whatever way they like, they're not refusing to serve Christians like some Christian bakers, wedding planners, clerks, etc. refuse to serve those who don't mirror their lifestyles and share their religious beliefs.  Look at this character, fine example of the love spread during the Christmas season.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...jesus-christian-says-in-viral-facebook-video/



I saw this, too.  Good grief!  Don't we have enough to argue about without getting riled up about what Starbucks' coffee cups look like??? Are we getting to a point where everything has to be plain white in order to avoid offending anyone?  Should we all start wearing uniforms so no one gets upset?  Maybe we should all stop trying so hard to find something to be offended by.  Geez!  What the hell difference does it make what Starbucks does with its coffee cups??


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## Butterfly (Nov 10, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> View attachment 23845



I thought she was a mermaid, for some reason.


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## jujube (Nov 10, 2015)

I'm not saying anything; I'm going to just pass out the following card:

HAPPY/MERRY/BLESSED:  

[ ] Christmas   
[ ] Chanukah 
[ ] Kwanzaa 
[ ] New Year 
[ ] Winter Solstice 
[ ] Diwali 
[ ] Tet 
[ ] Mawlid an-Nabi
[ ] Bodhi Day
[ ] Festivus
[ ] Holidays 
[ ] Other
[ ] All of the Above
[ ] None of the Above
[ ] Medicare Sign-Up Period
[ ] Relatives Coming to Visit
[ ] Mother-in-Law Going Home

Did I miss anything?


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## tnthomas (Nov 10, 2015)

Warrigal said:


> I have often muttered that we Christians should simply move the date of the celebration of the birth of the Redeemer to another time of year and keep it a secret from everyone else. It hasn't always been celebrated on 25 December and another date could be chosen for Christ's Mass.



I like that idea!


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 13, 2015)




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## Karen99 (Nov 13, 2015)

I personally love Christmas and I've happily celebrated the season as I see fit as long as I can remember.  Nobody has to celebrate or embrace Christmas in the USA but those who do shouldn't worry if others choose not to.  This Starbucks issue to me is just ridiculous.  I don't care about their choice of cups.  If you want a Christmas cup...stick a bow on it...but above all keep your sense of humor.  I love saying Merry Christmas and if someone wished me a Merry Super Bowl Weekend I wouldn't stop and give them a lecture on how nobody in my family watches it and the whole sport is too commercialized anyway (untrue..but you get the gist..lol)..  I respect everyone's right to celebrate and be merry about whatever.


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## The Inspector (Nov 14, 2015)

Besides the same music over and over and the gift giving and the bad Santa news stories,Christmas is ok.

It would be better to give out random acts of kindness and joy to the old and lonely


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## Warrigal (Nov 14, 2015)

The Inspector said:


> It would be better to give out random acts of kindness and joy to the old and lonely


And to the poor and downtrodden, the homeless, the addicted and the diseased. And not just in December. I believe that Christ taught that every time and season is the right time for peace, love and justice.


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## Karen99 (Nov 14, 2015)

Warrigal said:


> And to the poor and downtrodden, the homeless, the addicted and the diseased. And not just in December. I believe that Christ taught that every time and season is the right time for peace, love and justice.



I agree.  The best thing is to keep Christmas in our hearts all year. I also feel people in need are not always homeless or addicted...everyone in the world is in need...one way or another.


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## Warrigal (Nov 14, 2015)

You are so right Karen.

Right now people from Sinjar in northern Iraq are absolutely homeless. Their city was taken last year by ISIS forces after a siege that had the people bottled up and unable to escape. The world looked on in horror because we all knew what would happen to them if, or rather, when ISIS eventually broke through the defenses and took the city which has strategic value for their supply lines into Syria.

The Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were their only defence and they were able to get a number of people out of the city and lead them over the mountains to safety in Turkey but then they were overwhelmed and had to abandon the rest of the people in the city.

ISIS slaughtered the men and made slaves of the women. These people are Yashidis, a minority religion of that area and ISIS has no respect for any minorities.

The Kurds and Yashidi menfolk in Turkey vowed to return and drive ISIS from Sinjar. Allied air forces forces that had provided some protection from ISIS for the Yashidis as they crossed the mountains then turned their attention to the ISIS forces in the city. Steadily they reduced the city to rubble. There is hardly a building that isn't either destroyed or very badly damaged. Now the Peshmerga have  finally re-entered the city and have killed any and all of the ISIS fighters that remained behind after the others had left. 

Sinjar, at least for the moment, is free again but it is a devastated cityscape.

Some Yashidi fighters  are now planning to being their families out of the refugee camps in Turkey  and they plan to rebuild their former homes. Others has looked around and have decided that there is nothing to come back to and they are resolved to leave the camps and with their families they will risk the Mediterranean crossing hoping to find a new home in Europe.

Refugees are the ultimate homeless. Mary and Joseph were refugees, force to flee with the infant Jesus to a place of safety in Egypt. At Christmas time we ought not to be frothing (no pun intended) about the decorations on coffee cups or whether there or not is a big Christmas tree at the mall. This year we should think about people who are forced to cross mountains in the snow to escape barbaric slaughter or ****** servitude, of people who are languishing in appallingly overcrowded camps where the children have no future and remember the birth of Jesus by opening our hearts and wallets to support the UNHCR, charities like Medicins Sans Frontiers and the Red Cross and by welcoming the strangers that our governments have agreed to take in from Syria. When they arrive they will be a traumatised people and will need to be treated with kindness. They will need to be healed with loving inclusion into our respective societies but it is likely that they will get a hostile reception from many.

Let those who value Christmas and the values embedded in this celebration look with compassion on the homeless of the world, especially the people languishing in refugee camps. They aren't there by choice. They want to build a real home for their families just as we would if we were in their shoes. Christmas charity is something that they need every day that they manage to cling to life. 

Coffee cups are not a Christmas issue. People in need are.


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## fureverywhere (Nov 14, 2015)

Far too much happening in the real world to worry about a single Christian holiday


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## The Inspector (Nov 14, 2015)

The the addicted and the diseased need more then I and give. They need real good health care,

We can only do what we do.


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## Warrigal (Nov 14, 2015)

The Inspector said:


> The the addicted and the diseased need more then I and give. They need real good health care,
> 
> We can only do what we do.



We can support governments that are prepared to promote good universal health care plans. 
We can resist the lure of politicians that appeal to our selfishness.

Christmas isn't all about money. It is about values and how we are prepared to express them every day.
It is about mind set and heart set.


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## Shalimar (Nov 14, 2015)

Hmmm. Fur, I think it is the true spirit of this Christian  holiday--love, compassion, tolerance, generousity, that particularly resonate in times of fear and sorrow.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 15, 2015)

(story)

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. 

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. 

I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. 

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them 
to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.. 

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. 

"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on. 

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow 
Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? 

Yeah," I said, "Why?" 

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. 

"What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy." 

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern. 

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?" 

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. 

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out. 

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. 

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. 

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us." 

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it. 

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes. 

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa and I was glad that I still had mine. 

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones 
around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away. 

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will." 

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. 
Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny 
sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand." 

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the 
Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.


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## fureverywhere (Nov 15, 2015)

What a wonderful story, not just for Christmas but year round. 
Something I'm going to do this year. In the week of Christmas I'm going to call the shelter where we got Callie. It's a small facility, probably high kill due to lack of space. But I do know that for certain dogs and cats they'll go the extra mile in contacting rescue groups to come in. When we adopted Callie we were lucky he was there. 
An intact, adult, male pit bull...some shelters would have put him down immediately. But to share the love I'm going to call and find out how many dogs and cats are going to be there that week. Then I'll go to the thrift store for blankets and towels, you can get a bag of them for maybe three bucks. Then the dollar store for dog chewies and catnip mice. A happy holiday for some homeless creatures, wish I could bring them all home instead.


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