Christmas has been cancelled, official!!

[scorrie]

News has reached me that Christmas (as we now know it) has been cancelled for this year.

Without being at all flippant, and in fact supporting the notion of a true Christmas, I have to reveal that my correspondent has brought this message from "The Big Man" himself.

"Dear Brethren/Customers,

It has been brought to my attention that delivery services throughout the UK have been badly affected by adverse weather conditions. This has led to a situation where some people are in doubt as to whether their loved ones will receive their "statutory gift value" presents in time for Christmas.

When I first sacrificed my Son for the sins of the human race, I had high hopes that his day of birth would go down in History as a celebration of what is really important in life. As time went on and we moved into the commercial era, I lowered my sights and accepted that Kindles, Laptops and the usual range of high calorie foods and alcoholic beverages were the new meaning of Christmas.

Since the Courier companies have been unable to guarantee the delivery of these items, I feel it is only fair for me to cancel this year's Christmas in order that many are not disappointed in having to accept infinite redemption, through the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, as a poor substitute for plastic and flashing lights.

Merry Cashmas!!

The Big Man"

[Dadie]

Amongst the things Im waiting for are nativity craft kits for the children....
Thats whats so maddening, as, I wanted them before Christmas day, to help get the Christmas message across as the kids are really little and I thought that doing a craft activity and talking about it would help.
Ok they would have got the gifts at a party from Santa...but still...
The only carol Lauren had for singing at their "show" has been removed from the line up because of the lack of time...
So its not just hi tech gizmos that are missing.

[ShelleyCowie]

Honestly i wouldnt mind it being cancelled right now! Im buying what i can afford so i really hope people appreciate that.

Im spending more money on our Christmas meal, its when toys are left behind just for that hour to sit together and enjoy the day!

Although i do love seeing the kiddies faces when they open their presents! Thats if Athruns ones ever get here!

[Hoida]

Amongst the things Im waiting for are nativity craft kits for the children....
Thats whats so maddening, as, I wanted them before Christmas day, to help get the Christmas message across as the kids are really little and I thought that doing a craft activity and talking about it would help.
Ok they would have got the gifts at a party from Santa...but still...
The only carol Lauren had for singing at their "show" has been removed from the line up because of the lack of time...
So its not just hi tech gizmos that are missing.

Dadie, the Christian Bookshop in Thurso hasa super christas activity book with a nativity scene to make up I bought one for a friends 4 year old and she or should I say we had great fun putting it together. Well worth a look in.

[Dadie]

Thanks!
Im hardly ever in Thurso as its so handy to go to Wick these days..I never thought of going there.
Our Christmas dinner is not all that fancy as the kids cant manage a whole Christmas dinner in one sitting, we spread the dinner out over the day by having the starter and pudding for one meal and the main for another!
Used to go to a midnight service on Christmas eve but the kids are too wee for that!

[theone]

I wonder how many people celebrate christmas for what it is?

And how many of those people have a christmas tree?

I enjoy the family, friends and gifts aspects but couldn't care less about the christian and pagen (amongst others) origins.

[orkneycadian]

Quite a few letters on Radio Orkney's postbag this morning, in response to an article a few days ago (which I missed) where some parents must have been on pleeping how Christmas will be "ruined" if things they have ordered do not turn up in time. All the letters on the postbag this morning were to the effect of "get a life", or at least, "get a Christmas without the usual instant gratification"! (And no, I didn't write any of them!)

Some of the letters were suggesting that here is the perfect chance to educate little Johnny or Jemima that folk don't always get things they want when they want them. Others were suggesting an ideal opportunity for a less materialistic Christmas.

When all the local shops have shut through lack of support, and the Royal Mail gets dissolved and the universal service obligation disappears, you might as well look forward to this kind of delivery service all year round!

[The Music Monster]

I think this is fantastic!!!
The only decoration we have up so far is the crib, but the tree will appear on Saturday! It's true that we will have sparkle, but the true message will still be at the core of it!

[brandy]

im going to make a manger scene with the kids sometime this week i think... once i figure out how!
they know the story of christmas, and we have been guessing about all the animals that might have been in the manger when jesus was born.
yup, we have a tree.. and pressies.. but also have told the kids that the reason we give presents at christmas is to remember about jesus and how the three wise men gave him presesnts.
it does get confusing throwing santa into the mix.. but we muddle through.. i love christmas.. and im going to attempt to make ginger bread men with the boys this year..
hmm may just make bicuit family instead may be easier... and dadie ... im gonna let them decorate so may have to take a pic for you to see how they arrange the smarties!

[Saveman]

If you look into the origins of santa, christmas tree, Dec 25, mistletoe...etc.etc I don't think God has anything to do with Christmas anyway.

[Scarybiscuits03]

If you look into the origins of santa, christmas tree, Dec 25, mistletoe...etc.etc I don't think God has anything to do with Christmas anyway.

Here here!
Im not at all religious, but celebrate Xmas because I have a child that looks forward to it all year round and I love to see her face light up in the morning.
It's just a better version of her birthday, only difference is everyone else is celebrating too!
Luckily all her pressies have arrived - just waiting on everyone elses

[RecQuery]

Yeah what we call Christmas isn't Christian in any way, it's based on a Roman festival called Saturnaila with add-ons and traditions co-opted from various winter festivals.

Even the bible contradicts this it says shepherds were "abiding in the field" but given the time of year and the area of the world it supposedly happened in that's unlikely. There are various other points and pieces of evidence but I won't go into them.

That's not to say that we shouldn't still have the holiday just that it's really not Christian so when I hear people talking about the true meaning of Christmas I can't help but laugh.

[theone]

If you look into the origins of santa, christmas tree, Dec 25, mistletoe...etc.etc I don't think God has anything to do with Christmas anyway.

Exactly.

The pimps of early christianity let the locals keep their old ways, but tried to change the meaning.

I'm sure christmas will still exist, albeit under another name, when the next cult moves in and fools the masses.

[theone]

Yeah what we call Christmas isn't Christian in any way, it's based on a Roman festival called Saturnaila with add-ons and traditions co-opted from various winter festivals.

Even the bible contradicts this it says shepherds were "abiding in the field" but given the time of year and the area of the world it supposedly happened in that's unlikely. There are various other points and pieces of evidence but I won't go into them.

That's not to say that we shouldn't still have the holiday just that it's really not Christian so when I hear people talking about the true meaning of Christmas I can't help but laugh.

And for those who think shepherds and their crops in December is the most unbelievable or questionable part of the bible, read the next 4 books!

[Saveman]

And for those who think shepherds and their crops in December is the most unbelievable or questionable part of the bible, read the next 4 books!

The Bible doesn't say a date, it certainly doesn't indicate winter.

[theone]

The Bible doesn't say a date, it certainly doesn't indicate winter.

Correct.

If the shepherds were watching over their flock "at night" it was probably march/april time for the lambing.

But the christian church couldn't celebrate the birth then, because they'd already decided to take the festival at that time and turn it into easter.

[RecQuery]

Essentially the whole 25th of December thing was borrowed from another religion. When Christmas was created in 320 AD, Mithraism was very popular. The early Christian church was tired of trying to stop people celebrating the solstice and the supposed birthday of Mithras (Persian sun god BTW) So the pope at the time decided to make Jesus’ supposed birthday coincide with Mithras’ supposed birthday.

So the date was chosen for 3 reasons, Mithras' birthday, Saturnalia and various other winter solstice festivals all tended to be celebrated around this date. The entire thing in it's modern form is an amalgamation of several ancient religious and spiritual beliefs each having their roots in the planets rotation and changing of the seasons etc.

[theone]

I wonder if it is ironic that the leader of the christian church was based in Rome, after christ was killed on the orders of those based in Rome.

[golach]

I wonder if it is ironic that the leader of the christian church was based in Rome, after christ was killed on the orders of those based in Rome.

I am sorry I do not understand you statement, as far as I know the Pope in Rome is not the head of the Christian Church, there is no one head, but many all over the world

[theone]

I am sorry I do not understand you statement, as far as I know the Pope in Rome is not the head of the Christian Church, there is no one head, but many all over the world

Very true, that's one reason why I'm not sure if there is irony there.

But "back then" there wasn't so many sects of christianity, protestantism, lutherianism (sp) etc were many centuries away. I would have thought that the pope could be called the head of the christian church 300AD ish.

But then again, I'm no biblical scholar!