The War On Christmas Just Got REAL!

[Red]

V

What does "Rudolf's" red nose....and "Eggnog " have to do with the birth of Christ anyway?

Eggnog I don't know, but Rudolph and Santa, I'll bet that has old roots. Obviously from far northern climes. Anyway, the Christmas tree was added as well....


https://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thepastinthepresent/storybehind/whychristmastrees.html

The sun begins it's return northern journey on the Winter Solstice. Solstice means "stand-still". The sun rises and sets in the same spot for a few days. It stands still. But, then it begins it's return journey north, and all is well. The world was saved, because the sun would now return with it's Spring warmth, and bring with it the ability to grow food again. This is why the solstice was celebrated and viewed as so important by ancient people. The sun was reborn, the world would continue.

And what better way to symbolize everlasting life then with an evergreen tree?

Edit: well, here's a possible origin for Santa and Rudolph's red nose! I've seen this explanation offered before. Was Santa a psychedelic mushroom eating shaman?

https://www.livescience.com/42077-8-ways-mushrooms-explain-santa.html

Well, but really, Santa does not actually appear until 1822:

https://www.npr.org/2010/12/24/132260025/did-shrooms-send-santa-and-his-reindeer-flying

"The Santa Claus we know and love was invented by a New Yorker, it really is true," Hutton said. "It was the work of Clement Clarke Moore, in New York City in 1822, who suddenly turned a medieval saint into a flying, reindeer-driving spirit of the Northern midwinter."

And Moore brought that beloved Santa Claus to life in his poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," otherwise known as "The Night Before Christmas."
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I remember one Christmas Eve, as a young child, I saw Santa and his sleigh flying through the night sky! Decades before my first psychedelic mushroom, lol...

 

[carolinajazz]

Eggnog I don't know, but Rudolph and Santa, I'll bet that has old roots. Obviously from far northern climes. Anyway, the Christmas tree was added as well....

The Santa Myth—Breach of Trust?
“I don’t believe there is a God,” seven-year-old John told his mother. A World Herald article explains why: “John, it seemed, had learned earlier that day that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Maybe God wasn’t real either, he told his mother.” Recalling his early disillusionment, 25-year-old John said: “When parents tell children Santa is real, I think that probably is a breach of trust.”

What to do about this delicate situation? Child experts disagree. One encouraged parents to tell their children the truth by age six or seven, warning that “it may actually be harmful to their psyches when parents persist in perpetuating the myth.”

In the book Why Kids Lie—How Parents Can Encourage Truthfulness, Dr.*Paul Ekman states: “There is no doubt that you as parents have a major influence on your children when it comes to attitudes, beliefs, and social actions such as lying or cheating.” Ekman continues: “Relationships may not be the same once a lie has violated trust. The loss of trust is difficult to repair; sometimes it is never reparable.”

One child researcher asserted: “I think children are more traumatized by parents lying to them and deceiving them than they are about finding out that Santa Claus isn’t real.” Dr.*Judith A.*Boss, professor of philosophy, states: “The intention of adults .*.*. is to deliberately mislead children about the nature of Santa Claus. .*.*. In telling children Santa Claus is a real human, we are not engaging children’s imaginations. We are simply lying to them.”

 

[carolinajazz]

THE Bible shows that Jesus was 33 1/2 years old when he was impaled in the early spring of the year 33 C.E., at the time of the Jewish Passover. This means, counting backward, that he was born in the early fall of the year.

Pagan Rome’s celebration of Saturnalia, the birthday of the invincible sun, was some three months later. How did the celebration of Jesus’ birth get pushed forward to December 25, to make it coincide blasphemously with the pagan celebration of the birthday of the sun?

The ever-shorter days of December stirred up superstitious panic among the sun worshipers, who feared that their god was dying. They burned candles and lit bonfires to help revive the ailing deity. It seemed to work. Following the winter solstice of December 21, the sun-god appeared to regain his strength as the days grew longer.

“December was the major month of pagan celebration, and Dec. 25 was the high point of the winter revelries,” explains Church Christmas Tab. “Some believe the bishop of Rome chose Dec. 25 as the birth date of Christ in order to ‘sanctify’ the pagan celebrations. What resulted was a strange mixture of the pagan and the Christian festivals that the world now calls Christmas.” The article admits: “The word ‘Christmas’ does not appear in the Bible. And Scripture gives no mandate for celebrating Jesus’ birth.”

 

[MVP]

“I don’t believe there is a God,” seven-year-old John told his mother. A World Herald article explains why: “John, it seemed, had learned earlier that day that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Maybe God wasn’t real either, he told his mother.”

Smart kid.

 

[carolinajazz]

Smart kid.

...obviously you were devastated by the lie and then "truth" about Santa Claus! However, unlike Santa Claus, (Romans 1:19, 20) . . .God made it clear to them.... For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.

 

[moevillini]

...obviously you were devastated by the lie and then "truth" about Santa Claus! However, unlike Santa Claus, (Romans 1:19, 20) . . .God made it clear to them.... For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.

one of the advantages to raising children in a diverse, multi-cultural environment is that they learn at a very young age that it's all just a matter of what you believe - - my kids had friends from the time they were born who did not celebrate Christian holidays and did not "believe" in Santa Claus - - so whether or not Santa Claus "really" existed didn't make much difference if you didn't believe in him anyhow or celebrate the holiday that he was part of...

 

[Gameface]

Trump calling for a boycott and saying the Starbucks in trump tower will not get its lease renewed.

Oh and he said that if he gets elected every business will be saying merry Christmas.

 

[Red]

Well, there is something a little strange about encouraging belief in Santa, only to pull the rug out from under the belief at some point. Or letting children find out from their peers. I have no personal memory of finding out Santa was not real.

The doctors cited(and one was a philosopher, not MD) might be a bit too concerned, methinks. Millions and millions of us have gone through this "trauma" without really being the worse for it. I should think. I think it might be a different situation if the parents were encouraging such a belief and there was absolutely nothing in the greater culture to support it. But, in fact, Santa is a cultural icon at this time of year in Western culture. So kids see it everywhere, not just their folks telling them "Santa is real".

But it is an odd thing, nonetheless. Disappointing to the kids to some degree. Light bulb goes off: "you mean I didn't really have to worry about being naughty or nice? All I had to do was hit you and dad up for the toys I wanted? Well, that sucks! Last time you catch me being nice for nothin!"


But seriously, I doubt the trauma is that devastating. Most of us seem to get over it. I think I was 38 when my parents told me, lol...

 

[Red]

Trump calling for a boycott and saying the Starbucks in trump tower will not get its lease renewed.

Oh and he said that if he gets elected every business will be saying merry Christmas.

i don't think he can issue an executive order forcing businesses to say "Merry Christmas". And Congress can't legislate it, that's for certain. But, the Donald knows how to tap into anger. Nobody better at that right now.

Judge: So, what's the charge here?
Prosecutor: Failure to say Merry Christmas to their customers, your honor.....

 

[carolinajazz]

Well, there is something a little strange about encouraging belief in Santa, only to pull the rug out from under the belief at some point. Or letting children find out from their peers.

Millions and millions of us have gone through this "trauma" without really being the worse for it.

But it is an odd thing, nonetheless. Disappointing to the kids to some degree. Light bulb goes off: "you mean I didn't really have to worry about being naughty or nice? All I had to do was hit you and dad up for the toys I wanted? Well, that sucks! Last time you catch me being nice for nothin!"

Some very good points and observations there! However, "millions upon millions upon millions" HAVE been effected for the worse by the "Santa Claus" lie/myth since they have since been influenced by or bought into the lie that "God is Dead" or "doesn't even exist" or "we are a product of mindless evolution" "survival of the fittest" etc. over the past 100 years or so!

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

Trump calling for a boycott and saying the Starbucks in trump tower will not get its lease renewed.

Oh and he said that if he gets elected every business will be saying merry Christmas.

Because Trump has had huge money all his life he's never had to learn a lesson most of us had to pick up at an early age. It is this:

Just because a thought occurs to you doesn't mean you should immediately say it.

 

[RandyForRubio]

I still haven't actually seen anybody be outraged by this.

I have seen a lot of people be outraged about the supposed outrage though, so that's amusing.

It's probably some Starbucks ploy to get people talking about them, and "supporting" them, by buying the blah red cups.

I personally won't buy any coffee at Starbucks because I dislike bad coffee. They suck.