What does Christmas mean to you?

Christmas these days mean memories. I have two wonderful kids and a hubby and when we are all together I do focus on the present. The Grand kids are young and it's so much fun to be with them on Christmas. But every once in awhile my memories come to mind. Little things trigger it. I have had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom to gain some composure.The last thing I want is to put a damper on the day. I don't need anything so the excitement of receiving a gift isn't the thrill it once was,but I go through the motions anyway. I'm not an overly religious person but find I dwell a bit more on the true meaning of Christmas these days.
 

Christmas has always meant a time of giving, peace and love, and family. Mine now are bittersweet because of all the loving memories I have of when I was a child with my family, and a bit sad because of all the loved ones who have passed on and only live in my heart.

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I am a Fundamentalist with a bit of Traditionalist thrown in, so I believe in the celebration of the birth of Christ. Next comes the fluff that goes with Christmas. Advent began this past Sunday, 12/3. This is a great time to celebrate and be joyous.
 
I am not a Fundamentalist nor extremely traditional. To me, it's a day set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ and, as with most birthdays, giving gifts is fun but not necessary.
 
SeaBreeze I can empathize with your feelings towards Christmas, as the holidays in general are very tough for me, as well, lately. Holidays can be such a very happy or sad time, depending on your circumstances. I keep thinking everything happens for a reason but not sure what that is yet. :)
 
Advent (now) time of preparation and reflection. Preparation for the coming of the Christ child and reflection on the meaning of incarnation. Preparation for Christmas festivities and anticipation of a period of celebration and joy. Time to count my blessings, open the purse and share good fortune with less fortunate people. Buying and wrapping of presents.

Christmas - twelve days of rejoicing with church friends and family. Much feasting and meals of leftovers. Fun in the sun and BBQs outdoors. Cricket, tennis and yacht races on TV. Time of relaxation and refreshment of the body and spirit. Welcoming the new year with hope for better times.
 
Thanks for asking. There are many reasons Christmas is special to me. I'll keep it short and sweet.

Christmas for me is a time of great joy and celebration. Along with all the festivities, family get-togethers, lights, music, presents, good will, bells ringing, decorations, greeting friends and making new ones. And of course, cherished memories of younger days with mom and dad, brothers, sister and waiting for “Santa” were exciting.

I always think all this happens because it is a time when God gave us the greatest present of all – He proved His great love for us by sending us His Son to be with us – Immanuel, who had been foretold years ago by prophets and by Isaiah when he said “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel..”
Because of this, it can be a time of healing, renewed strength, rededication, rebirth, and hopeful jubilation for the future. His birth brought great joy to the world.
Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of this great event. They were joined by a heavenly host singing “Glory to God in the highest”, as this was not an ordinary baby. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child.

This historical event changed the course of mankind.
 
I have in my mo re recent adult years leaned more toward the more traditional expression of the season, rather than the materialistic aspect of the day. Now that I no longer have the core family group to gather with, I find I miss that aspect of the season.
Of course, the birth of Christ is why we celebrate, but I feel that the spirit of the day is also gone. It is more about how much you spend rather than the time you spend with people you care about.
Of late, my husband and I have chosen to simply have a quiet day together, continuing the spirit of what we are thankful for over the past months.

 
Speaking of Advent, I wish I could find an article I read recently. Families put out an Advent box. On each day, they place a small gift of food, clothing, small towy in the box. On Christmas they bring the box to people in need, or who may be alone. A hospital, nursing home, homeless shelter and sgare the gifts.
 
Lovely tradition Marie. Unfortunately over here to most Advent means a 'calendar' consisting of a set of squares one of which is meant to be opened each day in December until Christmas. The reward is chocolate. Just another way to associate Christmas with chocolate beyond chocolate santas and snowmen. The meaning of the word advent is not generally well known but it has nothing to do with chocolate.
 
Love the Advent season leading up to celebrating the birth of Christ. Its a personal thing for me. Now mainly its being together with family and friends and feeling thankful that God has brought me this far. My mother died Dec 13th several years ago and Christmas has never been the same. She was going to spend Christmas with her oldest sister as they had not had Christmas together since they were children so I was traveling to see her that weekend for an early Christmas with her and my siblings before she left. She had a massive heart attack and died two days before our celebration. The pastor who preached her funeral said it well. "The kids were on their way home to have Christmas with her and she decided to spend it with their dad (our father had past a few years previously) Its always a little sad as she was only 59 and no previous heart problems.
 
RadishRose said:
I am not a Fundamentalist nor extremely traditional. To me, it's a day set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ and, as with most birthdays, giving gifts is fun but not necessary.
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I do the same. I celebrate both the coming and the birth of Christ. The giving of gifts is the fluff part. As for being a bit traditional, I do give gifts, have a tree and put up decorations inside and outside of our home. I wish people a Merry Christmas and we still have the traditional dinner with the entire family, just like my parents did on Christmas day.
 
Christmas is the one and only Biggest Bestest Worldwide Birthday Party Ever! A global celebration we all are invited to share together at the same time! It's incredible when you think about it. All together celebrating love, and joy...no matter your age, race, religion, geographic location, ethnicity, gender, or whether you've been good or bad, rich or poor...a time when everyone is invited to be kind, loving, unselfish, and tolerant of all humanity. It's about LOVE.

In addition, for myself, Christmas has a deep meaning of gratitude for my faith in God's love for us all and to celebrate the good news message that Jesus Christ was born with a very special purpose and message of hope for everyone for eternity.

These lyrics say it all for me personally (click on the X to delete the small ad pop-up)...

 
The Earth tilts on its axis and as such there is a day in December when (in the northern hemisphere) the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky. This is the Winter Solstice and is the true reason why this time was celebrated - long before the birth of Jesus. There may be evidence for the existence of Jesus, but there is no solid evidence of when he was born. It seems likely that celebrating this event in December was simply to provide a continuation of the existing festivities at this time of year.

I am, I suppose, a Secular Humanist - a failed Presbyterian if you wish. I no longer believe in a God, and by extension, Jesus could not have been the son of a God. I still celebrate Yuletide and happily indulge in many of the age old traditions, now associated with 'Christmas' .

So, no matter what you believe, this is the time for celebrating. I will celebrate the Solstice, give thanks for the year past and look forward to the coming year.
 
Capt Lightning said:
...This is the Winter Solstice and is the true reason why this time was celebrated - long before the birth of Jesus. There may be evidence for the existence of Jesus, but there is no solid evidence of when he was born....So, no matter what you believe, this is the time for celebrating. I will celebrate the Solstice, give thanks for the year past and look forward to the coming year.
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It's okay, Capt. Christ, and the priest's who chose that date, know that many people and things celebrate their birthday on the same day...Dec. 25th. Many share Jan. 25th, or any other day of the year. The date doesn't matter. It's true that Christ wasn't born on that exact date but it doesn't matter as long as he has a birthday celebration. Have you ever had to plan your birthday party on a different day because the actual birth date wasn't working for everybody? Or it was stormy and you were having a pool party?

Some people don't know the day they were even born but that doesn't mean they can't celebrate their birthday on the the 25th or any other day of the year they choose. Christ is good about sharing the day :)

Some people say Christ's birthday celebration was chosen by priests for Dec. 25th to replace a pagan holiday way back in history. I think it was a great idea to replace satanic rituals of darkness and death with a celebration of light and eternal life, love, peace, and joy. The Winter Solstice sounds like a good reason to celebrate if you've chosen that instead of Christ's birth. It boils down to choice. I'm okay with wishing you a Happy Winter Solstice Day. Or Happy Hanukah for those of Jewish faith. And Happy Kwanza for African Americans, etc
 
The date of Christ's mass have moved around over time. At one time it was January 6, which is now Epithany. I think (not altogether sure) it was also celebrated at Pentecost at a different period of church history.

Lara is correct. The date of the celebration is not important. What is important is what is being celebrated.
 
Agree with Lara, the date is unimportant.
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Many Russians (Orthodox) celebrate Christmas Day on January 7 per the Julian calendar, which corresponds to December 25 in the Gregorian calendar.

January 6th (Epiphany) was when the Magi came per the Julian calendar, while the Epiphany per the Gregorian calendar is January 19th.

Decorating trees, yule logs, all of that came from pagan beginnings, but as Lara pointed out how nice we can still use them for our benefit, too.
 
Lara, I think that describing pre-christian celebrations as being "satanic rituals of darkness and death " is very unfair. The ancient people probably understood a lot more about astronomy and the seasons than most people today. They understood the importance of the sun, the moon and the planets, when new animals would be born, when to plant and harvest crops etc.. I expect they celebrated world and the cycle of life as they perceived it, and the winter solstice was a time of joy and expectation - a bit like the modern New Year celebrations.

Now, I must get the tree out of the loft and check that the lights are working.
 
For our family, Christmas is like Thanksgiving w/presents. When I was a child, we had large family gatherings here at the home where I still live. My wife and I continued that tradition until we moved into our 70's. In recent years, we continue to have large gatherings at the homes of our children. This year it'll be at my son's home in Connecticut. As our family has grown, so has the variety of folks from different religious backgrounds who have become members of the "clan" and for that reason we concentrate less on the religious aspects and more on a loving fellowship of family.

It's a wonderful day with 30 or so in attendance, which makes up the 4 generations of the family that my wife and I started back in the 50's. The true blessing that we receive from this day, is being surrounded by this sizeable group.
 

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