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To all of my Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim,Atheist, and Agnostic friends and anyone I might have left out, I wish you a mighty Happy Holiday Season, as I do my Christian friends.

...couldn't have said it better Pam.

Happy Holidays, EVERYONE!

"Christmas" didn't exist until 357AD. It was a construct, political in nature, and placed where it was to supplant other holidays, such as the Saturnalia.

I always thought that the holiest day of the Christian calendar should be Good Friday. That is the day a G-d sacrificed his human self 'for our sins'. The whole resurrection thing was just to make the mission meet the two thousand years of prophecy, hype basically. Much of the hoopla around Christmas is hype - the kings and their gifts, for example. Not in any book of the modern NT. The advent ring is stolen from early Nordic and Germanic traditions. The Christmas tree is stolen from older Germanic traditions.

Mind, I like the holiday. Egg nog, presents, singing carols, angels and elves: what's not to like?

Happy Hannukah, Good Kwanza, Happy Tet and Happy Eid. Merry Christmas.

Good spiffy cadence and beat. Christmas itself, ie the actual holiday is based on the winter solstice. The solstice was rich in meaning to pagans in northern Europe and the early Christian Church incorporated this time into their own holiday. It was a celebration of the rebirth of the sun, the giver of life and warmth. No one knows when Christ was born but to make perfect sense it might be imagined he was conceived around March 25, which corresponds to the Spring Equinox.

Well, I think perm and JB about covered it.

I thought it was interesting that a song about Christmas didn't have a Christmas scene until the end.

And, frankly, this is a nation about religious freedom, with a separation of church and state.

If we think about some of the symbols of Christmas we can understand the pagan origins. Holly in its' greenness is a promise the sun will return. Some argue Christs' crown of thorns were made of holly and the redness of the berries is a result of Christs' blood.

The idea of Christmas being a time of merry-making and giving presents springs straight out of the Roman saturnalia festival. Evergreen trees could be attributed to St. Boniface who in the christianizing of Germany replaced the oak tree, sacred to the pagan god, Odin, with a fir tree in the eighth century.

The roast pig with a piece of fruit in its' mouth symbolizes the offering made to the gods to encourage a fertile season. The turkey replaced the pig in the 16th century.

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with both the Xmas carol and the cradle scene of the nativity with the ox, ass, sheep and images of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.

Santa Claus is associated with St. Nicholas in the 4th century. The one we know now was created by Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist in 1863.

The Puritans were acutely aware of the pagan origins of Christmas and under Oliver Cromwell the festival was banned in England in 1642. This was carried over to the New England area where Xmas did not become legal until 1856.

Christmas, like all holidays, is fun. It's a time when I give presents to people I love who wouldn't ordinarily buy such stuff for themselves. I'm hoping for a new fry pan, a butchers' cleaver and / or something else I can't think of right now. Like Thanksgiving there's tons of food and everybody is pretty happy. I like Christmas.

This was on another forum and I couldn't resist sharing it here

The HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY

Office Memo:

Subject: Fw: You're invited to the Holiday Office Party!
---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

> Company Memo
> > FROM: Mary Smith, Human Resources Director
> > TO: All Employees
> > DATE: October 1, 2009
> RE:
> Gala Christmas Party

> I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at noon in the private function room at the Grill House.

There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks!

We'll have a small band playing traditional carols... feel free to sing along. And don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus!

A Christmas tree will be lit at 1:00 PM. Exchanges of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets.

This gathering is only for employees! Our CEO will make a special announcement at that time!

> Merry Christmas to you and your family,

> Company
> Memo
> FROM: Mary Smith,
> Human Resources Director
> TO: All Employees
> DATE: October 2, 2009
> RE: Gala Holiday Party
>
> In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday, which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year.

However, from now on, we're calling it our "Holiday Party."

The same policy applies to any other employees who are not Christians and to those still celebrating Reconciliation Day.

There will be no Christmas tree, and no Christmas carols will be sung. We will have other types of music for your enjoyment.

> Happy now?

> Happy Holidays to you and your family,
>
>
> Company Memo
> FROM: Mary Smith, Human Resources Director
> TO: All Employees
> DATE: October 3, 2009
> RE: Holiday Party
>
> Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table, you didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads, "AA
> Only," you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody?

> And sorry, but forget about the gift exchange, no gifts are allowed since the union members feel that $10.00 is too much money and the executives believe $10.00 is a little chintzy.

> REMEMBER: NO GIFTS EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.
>

> Company
> Memo
> FROM: Mary Smith, Human Resources Director

> To: All Employees
> > DATE: October 4, 2009
> RE:
> Generic Holiday Party
>
> What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20th begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon at this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps the Grill House can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party or else package everything for you to take it home in little foil doggy baggy. Will that work?

> Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Weight Watchers to sit farthest from the dessert buffet, and pregnant women will get the table closest to the restrooms.

Gays are allowed to sit with each other.

> Lesbians do not have to sit with Gay men, each group will have their own table.

> Yes, there will be a flower arrangement for the Gay men's table.

> To the person asking permission to cross dress, the Grill House asks that no cross-dressing be allowed, apparently because of concerns about confusion in the restrooms. Sorry.

> We will have booster seats for short people.

> Low-fat food will be available for those on a diet.

> I am sorry to report that we cannot control the amount of salt used in the food. The Grill House suggests that people with high blood pressure taste a bite first.

> There will be fresh "low sugar" fruits as dessert for diabetics, but the restaurant cannot supply "no sugar" desserts. Sorry!

Did I miss anything?!?!?

> Company
> Memo
> FROM: Mary Smith, Human
> Resources Director
> TO: All F*%^ing Employees
> DATE: October 5, 2009
> RE: The F*%^ing Holiday Party
>
> I've had it with you vegetarian jerks!!! We're going to keep this party at the Grill House whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death," as you so quaintly put it; and
> you'll get your f*%^ing salad bar, including organic tomatoes. But you know, tomatoes have feelings, too. They scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right NOW!
> The rest of you f*%^ing weirdoes can kiss my *ss. I hope you all have a rotten holiday! Drive drunk and die.

> The B*tch from H*ll!!!
>

And we can't forget that coinciding with Christmas there are those who celebrate the African American holiday of Kwanza. That holiday was dreamed up by a guy serving time in prison. But yet there are those who celebrate it in lieu of Christmas. Go figure.