Pretty much my view on Christmas...

That's pretty stupid. Nobody is forbidden from saying "Merry Christmas" or other expressions of faith, although the zealots who want to make Christianity the official state religion are making such claims.

It's only government that's not supposed to favor one religion over another. That means, for example, school teachers are not supposed to have their classes pray (and this might be extended to singing religious songs). But it does not mean those kids cannot pray or sing Christmal carols on their own.

And in fact Congress prays before every session, even though that's a pretty clear violation of the Constitution, and there are no moves afoot that I've heard about to end the practice.

 

This is silly in many ways, not the least of which being that Ramadan, at least for the foreseable future, will be falling in the months of August-October. I also wonder how many years old it is, given the Daschle reference.

Anyhow, it's (obviously) a chain letter going around, and has been thoroughly dissected in many sites, most completely at snopes. http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimat...9/t/002273.html

I did spot one response that invited reposting and I do so. Happy holidays!

(from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...ss=364x2823897)

‘Twas some weeks before Christmas, and all thru the town,
decorations were hung over trees not yet brown.
“Why the rush?†I did muse, “to be merry and gay,
when we’ve not even set our Thanksgiving buffet?â€

Yet the ‘Christians’ were out, and they dared to declare,
“You won’t let us be Christians! It just isn’t fair!
We want to hear 'Christmas' when we go to the stores,
To buy our big-screen TVs and dress our daughters like whores!â€

I puzzled a bit at their public distress;
Surely Jesus would not have endorsed such a mess?
It was He, after all, who was heard to intone,
“When you pray, go away, thou shalt do it alone!†(Matthew 6:5-6)

“You have every freedom in this land of ours,
To go pray in the courthouses, schools, even bars!
The problem, you see, is that if you had your druthers
You’d dictate the prayers that should be said by all others!â€

“But our nation,†they cried, “is a Christian-y land,
We’re being oppressed, you don’t understand!
The Founding Fathers were God-fearing all,
They would want us to celebrate Mass at the mall!â€

I puzzled some more, for a cursory glance
Through the History books showed a very slim chance
That the great men who founded our Nation would care
If you’re Christian or Jewish or something more rare!

Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Paine,
State-sponsored worship they all did disdain.
One can imagine just how much more
They would have detested religion pushed by a store!

“Besides,†I then thought, “I’m as Christian as you,
but have many friends – Atheist, Muslim, and Jew.
My ‘Happy Holidays’ doesn’t slight your belief,
But acknowledges theirs – so what’s your beef?â€

But my words of good sense fell on ignorant ears,
Who continued to rail against their imaginary fears.
So to you, dearest friends, these two words I transmit;
Happy Holidays to all – even stupid hypocrrites.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Dec 13 2006, 09:00 AM) [snapback]361423[/snapback]</div>

Original? If not, who wrote it?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MegansPrius @ Dec 13 2006, 09:46 AM) [snapback]361434[/snapback]</div>

That is CLASSIC. Thank you for posting that. You made my day.

Happy holidays right back atcha!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Dec, 06:47 AM) [snapback]361435[/snapback]</div>

Hmmmm, well if they're somebody else's words, but it appears as if they're MS's words, then MS isn't really the ventriloquist, he's the.... oh, nevermind.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Dec 13 2006, 09:32 AM) [snapback]361463[/snapback]</div>

Kind of ironic, seeing as you started the thread....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Dec 13 2006, 09:00 AM) [snapback]361423[/snapback]</div>

Yawn. If your enjoyment of Christmas depends on what others say and what others do, then you must not be comfortable with your own traditions. My Christmas season is rich and worshipful whether you say "Merry Christmas", "Happy Holidays", whatever.

 

Merry Christmas!!


For the thrill of many on here, especially Daniel, I relate the following:

I know a school teacher who is coming to realize the loss of Christ in Christmas at School. In her few years of teaching, it's gone from the Christmas party to the Holiday party. Memo's go out on what can and can't be displayed, etc...

Usually one or two parents a year complain about a book that's being read or a project that's being done that contains something "Christian" such as writing a story telling the steps to decorate a tree. Note that the project was not for the kids to tell about decorating a "Christmas tree", but just to tell about decorating a tree. Yet, the athiest or muslim parent complains. To which this teacher offers for this parent to come read a book explaining Kwanza to the class if she wants to. The parent never calls back or accepts the opportunity. (interesting).

With all of that BS, this teacher becomes irritated at how the politically correct are making things harder than they need to be. What could possibly be done to deliver a blow back to all these idiots who are so concerned about cleansing Christ from Christmas?

This is both brilliant and inventive... I LOVE IT!!

This teacher has never been out to preach the Christian Gospel to the class, but once the PC BS finally got to be too much, the following has become a yearly outflow of the process.

By Christmas time, the teacher pretty much knows the kids in the class, the parents, which ones belong to which faith, etc...

So, after Christmas break (oops... winter holiday)... this teacher has the kids write a story of what they did during their break. They are graded as a writing project and given back and then asks for volunteers to read their story. We only have time for a few, who would like to?

The teacher already knows the content of the stories, already knows the faith of the kids... When those hands go up, the kids who are ready to lay out the Christmas story in Gospel format are called on to read their story. When those kids are done, we're out of time.

Why teach it him/herself when he/she can get the kids to tell the whole class about how the baby Jesus was born in a manger at Christmas time to one day grow up and save them from their sin. Perfect! LOL...

Awesome... I love hearing about this crap every year a similar but different version of this same thing... I know at the end of the whole road to Christmas that the end result will be this teacher beating the politically correct system in this way.

This would never happen if the PC people would just let Christmas be Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Dec 13 2006, 06:47 AM) [snapback]361435[/snapback]</div>

A Google search returned 269 hits for this "Christmas carol."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Dec 13 2006, 10:56 AM) [snapback]361486[/snapback]</div>

Depressing. It wasn't even good.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Dec 13 2006, 12:01 PM) [snapback]361491[/snapback]</div>

Christmas, as we know it, didn't even exist until about roughly 150 years ago. Somehow we humans have managed most of history without it. Whatever it changes to in the future we'll manage with as well. What is constant is that there'll be a celebration in December (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). That's been going on for millenia.

 

daronspicher, I have to say thats a horrible response, and rather biased. I have nor problem with a teacher having papers read aloud, even if they contain religious values or stories. But to select only those from one particular religion is precisely what the government and schools is trying to get away from.

I think it's going to far to ban all this stuff from schools just because someone could be offended that their faith isn't represented. But it's also going to far (in the other direction) to do as this teacher of yours is doing in only allowing the kids to read papers that agree with her religion. She should embrace all religions and allow them all to be read and discussed. It's people like her that are driving the whole "anti-christmas" campaign by forcing it down people's throats and not allowing other points of views to be discussed.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Dec 13 2006, 11:01 AM) [snapback]361491[/snapback]</div>

Considering it's become mostly about spending yourself into debt, that sounds pretty damn good to me. I'd like to be able to enjoy the weeks between Halloween & Thanksgiving without being assaulted by Christmas in every friggin' store I go to.

Of course it's awfully convenient that Jesus was "born" right around the time of the Winter Solstice. You don't suppose those trying to convert the Pagans to Christianity would have created their own religiously significant day to co-opt what the Pagans were doing, do you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Dec 13 2006, 11:54 AM) [snapback]361484[/snapback]</div>

I suppose it depends on what school you're in. .

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Dec 13 2006, 10:08 AM) [snapback]361500[/snapback]</div>

I'd say you're right... she should...

But, she's the teacher and she doesn't... And, what she's doing is "Constitutional" if I can play that card... Just kids presenting their projects to the class... Just a teacher taking a few volunteers... just like when you and I were in school, not everyone presented for every project.

Good luck getting the whole Christian cleansing thing down to such a science as someone actually monitors each individual classroom to make sure either no religion gets mentioned, or that all get equal time.

It was never this way until the cleansing of Christ from Christmas started. After a while it gets old to see how far it's gone or going, so I think this is a brilliant pushback on the whole movement.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Dec 13 2006, 11:01 AM) [snapback]361491[/snapback]</div>

Yawn again. Someone is keeping you from attending church? Stores are not accepting money for purchase of Christmas gifts and all manner of Christmas decorations? SWAT teams are busting your door down like you're a 83 year old granny with a medical marijuana joint and taking away your Christmas tree? Sorry, I'm just not seeing this "War on Christmas" that you seem all atwitter about.

 

Concerned Women for America does an annual study apparently to make a list of retailers and their position on Christmas.

If all the same people who made Mel Gibson a bizzilionaire would print this list and not shop at the non-Christmas stores and put their money into the "Merry Christmas" ones, we'd have a one sided "Merry Christmas" list next year.

The retailers are not out to prove anything with thier stand on Christmas other than to try to navigate the waters of the buyers. Some stores are convinced that when the cashier says Merry Christmas to someone buying Elmo that the customer will not be back to buy PS3.

None of the stores are operating based on conviction.... Maybe Hobby Lobby as the exception, and Chik Fila... They're all keyed in to the dollar stream.

Here's their list of who's naughty and who's nice..

Naughty and Nice 2006


NICE:



New! LL Bean - Released three Christmas catalogs this year!
Belk
Tractor Supply Co.
Starbucks
The Apple Store
Target
Kohl's
Macy's
TJX stores (TJ Maxx, Marshall's, HomeGoods, A.J. Wright, Bob's stores)
Walgreen's
SuperD Drug Stores
Wal-Mart
J.C. Penney's
Dillard's
Joann Fabrics
Linens 'N Things
K-Mart
Chick-fil-A
Hobby Lobby
Michael's
Farmer Jack (grocery)
Stater Brothers (grocery)
Kroger's
Denny's
In-N-Out Burger
Christian Brothers Automotive
Bath & Body Works

SCROOGES:



Best Buy - steadfastly refuses to mention Christmas
Old Navy
Home Depot - still hiding behind the "holiday" trees
Lowe's - clerks will only say "Merry Christmas" when it is customer initiated
Plow & Hearth - you might find Christmas in the fine print
Crate & Barrel
Eddie Bauer - doesn't want to offend anyone
Toys 'R' Us
Banana Republic
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Dick's Sporting Goods
The Gap
Safeway