tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post5015675059745475268..comments2023-10-18T04:44:08.434-05:00Comments on tales of an ordinary girl: What Christmas Means to MeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429263099197981481noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-52161374192210271042007-12-18T15:35:00.000-06:002007-12-18T15:35:00.000-06:00I don't believe in Christianity, but I love Christ...I don't believe in Christianity, but I love Christmas. I probably refer to it as “the holidays” more often than “Christmas”, but I what I really like about Christmas is that it’s a time for stepping out of our normal routine and reality to do something different, and to do things with or for other people. It’s probably the only time I do any serious amount of frivolous shopping. <BR/><BR/>What other time of the year has its own category of music?? <BR/><BR/>Anything that breaks up our rat-race routine, and that’s really good for us. I just wish we had a big “summer holiday” as well!!Vistalunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17070075970612539409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-74648419868474146282007-12-15T15:35:00.000-06:002007-12-15T15:35:00.000-06:00Make of it, like life, what you will.As for Santa,...Make of it, like life, what you will.<BR/><BR/>As for Santa, I think it is pretty good to get your kids to believe. It's like a <A HREF="http://magicanimation.com/misc/SantaMyth.jpg" REL="nofollow">"gateway" belief</A>. I think it's like a trial run for seeing through the god myth. Eventually all kids get past it. Maybe once your kid figures it out, then you start encouraging such thinking towards other things, like the god myth.PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-61889434710794084292007-12-14T16:14:00.000-06:002007-12-14T16:14:00.000-06:00I am an atheist (leaning towards agnosticism). Th...I am an atheist (leaning towards agnosticism). This is quite new for me. Six months ago I was still an agnostic. So how do I feel about Christmas now?<BR/><BR/>I agree with you about Christmas being a time of traditions. My tradition, since my wife and I married, is to spend Christmas with either her parents (Florida, now) or my parents (Maine). <BR/><BR/>As far as the meaning of Christmas, I look at it as a time of rebirth and hope (via winter solstice), a time of family, a time to consider the 'teachings' of 'jesus' in terms of social liberalism, and a time to consider how to make the world a better place. We exchange gifts, eat too much, cook, bake decorate the house (my parents have a Darwin fish on their tree which has freaked out a couple of their friends) and relax.<BR/><BR/>Your post shows a truly caring person. I wish the ones decrying the desecration of Christmas could be similarly inspired.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-23387270886147388502007-12-14T14:24:00.000-06:002007-12-14T14:24:00.000-06:00if it makes you feel any better my parents did mak...if it makes you feel any better my parents did make me think santa was real but i don't even remember it. so I don't think you missed out on too much. i do, however, have vivid memories of pretending i believed in santa claus because i didn't want to make my mom feel bad that i no longer bought her little charade :)Mamacita Chilenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00591882075295087687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-11786187181567761182007-12-14T13:47:00.000-06:002007-12-14T13:47:00.000-06:00I like my Christmas tree too. It's nice to set asi...I like my Christmas tree too. It's nice to set aside a time to do something special, regardless of whether it has any religious meaning tied to it. I'm going to spend a quiet Christmas day at home with my family. What more could I want?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-90854314611749150752007-12-14T08:43:00.000-06:002007-12-14T08:43:00.000-06:00Great post. I think you are right about the meanin...Great post. I think you are right about the meaning of Christmas being what one makes of it. It also seems to me that this is a healthy attitude with which to approach each and every day.vjackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05868095335395368227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-50969820819320831312007-12-14T08:10:00.000-06:002007-12-14T08:10:00.000-06:00Regarding kids and Santa: I basically decided tha...Regarding kids and Santa: I basically decided that I'd rather tell my kids that Santa is just a fun story. That's what I've tried to do.<BR/><BR/>The funny thing is the my son Nico (6 years old) refuses to believe me -- he insists Santa is real. It's too funny: the atheist mom trying to spark his critical thinking skills ("So, are you sure Santa is a real person, or do you think maybe he's just a story?") and the kid presenting his arguments ("Of course he's real -- we saw him at the mall."). Actually, Nico brought up the question spontaneously this year ("You know, Mommy, some people think that Santa is just a dream, but he's real.") I think he's getting ideas from that song <A HREF="http://lfab-uvm.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-believe-in-santa-claus.html" REL="nofollow">I Believe in Santa Claus</A>. I've decided that I'm not going to push him or insist on my answer to this question -- I'll just let him decide for himself and see how it plays out.<BR/><BR/>I also like the tradition of looking at the tree and the lights and just feeling at peace, thankful for my family, my friends, whatever it was in my life I had to feel thankful for. That's one of the reasons I like Christmas songs that are about spending the holidays with your loved ones. Now that we have kids that are old enough to want a Christmas tree, we've taken to putting up a small Christmas tree. It makes a real difference in the holiday mood, and my little Leo just loves it...C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21863196.post-65261221510573561332007-12-14T07:00:00.000-06:002007-12-14T07:00:00.000-06:00What a beautiful sentiment, I really enjoyed it.What a beautiful sentiment, I really enjoyed it.tina FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10037896362034609151noreply@blogger.com