Ok. Just curious...there's been so many posts lately on the holiday season, and how it MEANS this or it MEANS that...and there's been several posts stressing out about Santa Claus and would everything end or be ruined if someone stops believing. I'm not trying to judge, but I was like "what the heck? that's not even what Christmas is about!" But then I realized that Christmas (or the whole holiday season in general) really just means different things to different people. I'm curious: what does it all mean to you? I'd like to hear the different perspectives. What's it all about?
Loving reading everybody's views on it. I'm a Christian, I've been teaching my children since the beginning of time about what it meant to US. If interested, in our home: God loved us so much, He gave His son so we could be in right standing and have relationship with Him. Although Jesus was born in spring, we celebrate His birthday now (which is ok, because the 4 of us rarely have a party on our actual birthday either---the party is just when it works best for us). St Nick gave us an example of giving gifts (remembering what God did for us), and because Jesus loves people and wants us to love people. We can't give Jesus an actual present from the store, but we can make His day special by remembering Him and what we're celebrating, and doing what would make Him happy---loving on people and giving them gifts while remembering the "ultimate gift" as one poster said. We remember St Nick and what he did, which was to help us remember GOD and what HE did, so we show love for people by giving gifts also! It is fun to receive gifts, but it is wonderful to be so blessed that you can give gifts also, so Thanksgiving for us begins in November and continues into the New Year! But yeah---to us there's the spiritual side, and then reaching out to others while being grateful for our blessings, and the excuse of reaching out to friends we don't see or talk to often, and the coziness of family being together and ON PURPOSE spending time together, loving each other, making memories together. We get 1 picture of the kids with Santa every year (since they were infants) and every year I line the bar with the framed Santa pics----because it's so much fun to see all those pictures together and see how much they've grown and changed, knowing that it's the same week every year that they take that picture. We enjoy the food, the smells, the community events, the nicer moods and conversations with strangers on Black Friday and like today, the people in line at the Post Office were so friendly and chatting back and forth.....it's nice to see people excited and happy. I love being cold and warming up inside and out (cozy fire, nice lights, warm drinks, delicious food, and love, love, love). So yeah---the holidays mean SO MUCH to me! But if one factor was missing here and there (my mom can't come, I don't get the perfect gift, you don't get the part in the play, etc)....Christmas is still wonderful and magical as long as we remember Jesus and have each other. That's my answer to my question. Merry Christmas AND happy holidays!
To me Christmas means putting up with insane amounts of stress just for that one wonderful day when everyone still believes. I mean regardless of beliefs doesn't everyone just stop at some point on Christmas day, sit down with the kids and have that collective sigh of relief that it is all over. :)
If not you should try it. :)
To us, it's about celebrating the birth of Christ.
It's OK that it's not the "exact" day, it's OK that some people are not Christians.
It's about grace. And sacrifice. And redemption. And thanks.
It's too easy to let yourself get sucked into the commercialism of the season, but, in the end, Christmas is what YOU make it!
Merry Christmas!
It's the last major feast before the famine of deep winter.
Before modern farming practices and food preservation it was when excess animals were slaughtered so they wouldn't have to be fed through the winter - so fresh meat was available.
People were heating their living spaces anyway, so it was easy to smoke what could not be eaten now for future use.
It's when grains and fruits harvested earlier were completing their fermentation and ale/beer/hard cider was ready to drink.
It's about cookies and holiday baking and the wonderful smells that all of that brings.
It's about twinkling lights and fires and candles to light the way through the longest nights of the year.
Party hearty now because we all diet come January!
Christmas is about my kids..... and of course the family as a whole. But the time is meant to be celebrated in good spirits and making everything joyous and fun!! I have the best memories of Christmas with my family as a kid and want that for my children.
I know I have asked the whole believing in Santa type questions - but that is b/c that is the stage we are at with kids. It is new to me - so I have no clue what it is like to go thru it when a child realizes Santa may or may not be real.
And also to add - I (or others) may ask a question specifically about a gift or complaining about giving to a specific, but that doesn't mean as a whole I am a scrooge or anything like that. I LOVE giving, just I also want to make sure my family is taken care of as well. (And I hope this is read as bashing, I just mean in general some may ask in this form, or at least at times I know I feel this way, hehe)
I LOVE Christmas.. I love sending cards out and love getting them. I love my house decorated, love the cookies we make, and the time we get to spend as a family.
It's my son's birthday. It also happens to be a time of year when most of DH's family can get off from work and travel so that is when they all get together. For my side of the family that is Thanksgiving.
Amen Victoria W!
We do not attend church (although I grew up Catholic and in religious schools)... I have chosen not to continue that practice with my family. We still have "God" books (what my daughter calls the Bible), and I still refer to God as I think there are a lot of good messages within the Christian religion, (equally though, we have discussed other religions too, and how their intended messages are very similar to Christian) so I don't have a problem with keeping the positive messages in our home. But, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. The "magic" of santa is just sweet to see with children. I think my family does a good job of trying to balance the consumerism around this time of year versus the magic and extra time we get to spend with love ones. I think the fact that my 6 year old, for the second year in a row, asked santa to surprise her for Christmas, reminds me that I am doing the right things. She doesn't wish for anything specific from santa... it is just a nice time of year to let her know what a very special and fortunate girl she is, and also a time of year to reflect on those who are less fortunate and will donate/volunteer, etc more during this time. We have also made a family pact (extended family too) to buy local and made in the USA gifts only for Christmas... it is all intended to teach lessons and morals that we feel are very important to highlight over this holiday season :-) Happy holidays to all! Thanks for the opportunity to reflect on this issue.
For me, it's Sol Invictus/Yule/winter solstice. It's that point in the turning of the Wheel of the Year when the darkness of Winter begins to recede and the light of Spring begins to slowly make its way back.
It's having friends and family close by to offer each other companionship, comfort, and even joy through the cold and the dark.
I did the Santa thing when my daughter was little because it was fun for both of us, but it was not a tragedy when she figured out that I was Santa.
I have a lot of admiration for the carpenter-rabbi from Nazareth, but I believe he was no more and no less divine than every other person ever born, and I'm pretty sure that he was born in the spring or summer, not the middle of winter.
The same as Victoria W.
This time of the year to me is an important time to spend with your loved ones connecting and reflecting on the past year and the new year ahead. This time of the year to me does involve gift giving and holiday decorating but it doesn't overtake the true meaning this time of year has for me.
This is a time of year where I make certain to point out the differences of various cultures and religions and their celebrations to my children. Rather I do that all year long but this time of year brings the possibility of having a few of them more in the mainstream than not.
This is a time of year when I try to welcome all people of various faiths and beliefs into my home and life when they are, for one reason or another, ostracized from the loved ones in their lives. I'm a devout atheist who recognizes that everyone is free to believe and our differences should not keep us all from celebrating together in one way or another.
For me it means time with family and friends, awesome cold weather, parties, and giving and receiving new exciting things. It also means santa....yes, the mystery and delight of the idea of him for a kid is magical.
I cant wait to see my 3 year old's face when she sees that Santa drank the milk and ate the cookies and the reindeer took bites out of the carrots.
STRESS - Because everyone (around me) turns into crazy asses during the holidays.
I love getting presents for my kids though. I like trying to find something I know they will love and make their eyes sparkle like little kids.
