I think Christmas changed dramatically in 2005. It became a completely secular holiday, a time for sharing gifts and enjoying family - devoid of any connection to a good Jewish boy gone bad.

Maybe it only seems that way to me because that's the year I converted to Judaism.

According to the article, tinsel went away because

From my own experience, it was because shiny garland replaced tinsel. Tinsel was very labor intensive to apply, and when used on an artificial tree, very labor intensive to remove before storage. Garland gives a similar effect but can be put on and taken off very quickly.

I grew up in a home where Christmas was almost identical to that depicted in the now-popular movie, "A Christmas Story", and I would have been the older brother, Ralphie. Though my dad didn't win a "Major Award" to place in the front window, everything else was exactly the same.

Now that I'm a bit older, I've marveled at how so many groups are bringing lawsuits to try and stop the celebration of Christmas, or the worship of Christ in any way. It's ironic that so many Jewish and other groups claim to be 'offended' by Christ and Christians celebrating Christmas - while at the same time, they're the bulk of the merchants who've been promoting and commercializing Christmas all along!

I also wonder how much traction any of us would get if we went to Israel or any Muslim country, and complained about their practice of their dominant religion. Thanks, but I'll stay with my own Christmas traditions.

I would like you to name one serious lawsuit where to "stop the celebration of Christmas" - except where the celebration of Christmas did not involve the expenditure of public money or the use of a facilities constructed with those funds.

Since those public monies are collected from Christians, Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, Wiccans and atheists (among others), it seems incorrect to require non-Christians to subsidize Christian celebrations.

Just to be clear, I am also opposed to using public funds and/or facilities built with public funds to celebrate Eid Al Milad, or Yom Kippur, or Vesak, or a myriad of other religious holidays.

I am quite happy to see these celebrated on private property at private expense (churches, malls, etc).

This is one that the Constitution got absolutely correct - that a religion is dominant in the United States does not imply that the state endorses or supports that religion above others (or no religion at all).

Having lived in two Moslem coutries (North Yemen and Somalia), I am very grateful for those provisions of the United States Constitution. I regard the subsidization of state organized religion in both of those countries (and in Israel, and Great Britain, etc) as a weakness.

Mike

This is a nice thread so lets not have it moved to P&R.

Here, this simplifies it, is easily applied, easily removed and stored and lasts forever. Mine is about 15 years old and looks as good as new.
https://www.leevalley.com/US/gifts/pa...104,53211&ap=2

Garland is cheeeesy!

Have a Very Grumpy Christmas, enjoy your lump of coal.

This is somewhat a depressing subject for me and I can go on for hours... just one small example...

I used to love the beauty of Christmas, the lights, trees, decorations... then about 2000, people started the "one - upping" on the decorations - OK, what's not to love about the lights but good grief, my neighborhood? Every creepy blow up, moving, lighted creature or critter one can buy, people just stick on their lawn, roof fence whatever. There is no reason or beauty in that. I long for the simplicity of a single strand of lights...

and don't get me started on the "commercialism" of gift giving... Christmas was about celebrating the birth fo Christ now it's about who get that first new electronic wonder thing on the block even if it means pepper spraying other customers (this happened here). People don't know how to say "no" to their kids and so Christmas has become "WalMart Time"...

and by the way, I still say Merry Christmas... that's what it was and still is...

Anti-semitic conspiracy theories are not in the Christmas spirit.

+1.

Dragged our christmas tree down from the attic last week. Draped our backyard privacy screen with LED lights. Getting ready to put the lighted Santa on a bike display in front of the house. Wife/stoker is Christmas-izing the tree and house interior. Making sure Santa has the right gift for each family member. Looking forward to a small family meal/get-together on Christmas. Sent a special present to our ChildFund boy in ND. Have started listening to the Christmas music CD's. (Booker T. & the MG'S in the Christmas Spirit is nice.)
That's how this atheist celebrates the season.
We all need to enjoy the season (or not) as we see fit.

And a Happy Holidays to you all

Christmas changes as much as you let it. As usual, waaaay too many Scrooges on this forum.

For me, as long as the Christmas tree doesn't fall on top of me, while I'm laying on top of my new Flexible Flyer reading a book (as happened when I was 10), I figure it's been a good Christmas. Actually, that one was pretty good too. I still have the sled.

Jan, that is a joy-inspiring photo! I've just come home from some fun Christmas shopping (crowd-less) and am listening to this:

I don't think it really changed. About the only thing I can think of is certain bad actors have made it so you can no longer wish people a "happy holidays" without some people freaking out about it, but other than that it's about the same as it ever has been

That is a beautiful way of seeing. Thank you for sharing it.

Christmas has changed dramaticaly for me also.

Early life, as a child, I annually enjoyed our fresh-cut, tinsel laden, Douglas Fir Christmas trees. They were illuminated by those big, colorful, and very hot 7-watt bulbs and all around the base of the tree were our gifts from Santa. My grandparents had one of those aluminum trees with the rotating four colored spot light. I wasn't very fond of it, yet whenever I see one of those old trees or spotlights I'm reminded of my grandparents in those early years.

Mid-life and raising a family I experienced many hectic Christmases. My wife feverishly shopping for our three daughters and I often working two jobs to pay for it all. There were school Christmas Pageants and the annual family outing to find and harvest the perfect Christmas tree. We stopped using tinsel early on as the family cat had issues digesting it. I never used the big old 7-watt bulbs indoors. The smaller lights were safer. We did use a lot of outdoor lighting though. I had strings of those big blue 7-watt bulbs on our shrubbery and we outlined our windows with blue lights, and later added the white icycle lights on the eaves of the house. Every year we watched all the animated Christmas specials and yes, we watched It's a Wonderful Life.

It was a bittersweet time of trying to build happy childhood memories for the kids while trying to mask our fears of loosing my full time job at the plant. The company had the yearly down-sizing every December for well over 20 years as they whittled the workforce from 60,000 local employees down to the current 6,500. We must have pulled it off because the kids often fondly reminisce about their early Christmas memories

Later years, the kids have moved out. The lay-offs have all but stopped. I'm retirement eligible though not flush enough with cash to voluntarily jump ship quite yet. Christmas is peaceful, and enjoyable, and special in a family way.

I've toned down the outdoor decorations quite a bit. We have a nice wood sled with metal runners propped up against the crab apple tree. It's got some plastic holly and a nice red bow tied to the steering mechinism and a little 25 watt spot illuminating it. Each front window of the house has an electric candle on the sill. Less has become more, and I notice the neighbors are starting to follow suit.

We get a timely e-mail from each daughter including a modest wish list complete with active computer links for easy shopping. The only frantic shopping we are exposed to now is that of fellow shoppers. The holiday gifts that the daughters have been purchasing have been trickling into the house via US Mail and Fed-X. They'll wrap and label each gift when they get home. The wife and I are shopping tomorrow for a fresh cut Frasier Fir, pre-harvested and loaded into my truck by some nice young strong fellow. Last night we watched It's a wonderful Life on the T.V. We're in the process of decorating the inside of the house, taking care to use decorations that the kids remember from their childhood. We'll take our time and have it all done by the 20th, in time for the first of three arrivals at the train station.

Christmas in our house has successfully evolved into a time of family togetherness. No tinsel, no aluminum tree, no big 7-watt bulbs, but we have held onto some of the nice physical items that will trigger those magical memories from our daughters' childhoods for them and us to look back on and to relish. Most importantly, we'll be together once again as a family and we'll be creating a few more precious memories to treasure at a later time.

In response to the article in the O.P. ...I believe the props have changed, but for the most part the traditions are still intact. Here's wishing a Peacefull and Merry Christmas to you all.

Certainly our perception and celebration changes as popular culture changes and as we mature. The movie with Darren McGaven, "A Christmas Story", got it right for how I recall childhood Christmases. When I later had my own children, Christmas became an event to be staged that entailed as much work as satisfaction. And now, at 50Plus, Christmas is more quiet, personal, and reflective....partly because I have a need for that and the circumstances to make it so.

For myself and many Christians, there is a schizophrenia to Christmas that must be reconciled. The exhausting yet hypnotic clatter and bang of a secular Christmas can drown out our spiritual appreciation of what this event commemorates...the physical entrance of God into history. No matter your outlook, Christmas may no longer be what it seemed in childhood. But, then, so it is with most things now. I still enjoy my mom's old recipe for cranberry sauce and struggle to keep old family traditions.

I remember Christmas being much more handmade (the 60's) . We had little Christmas Scenes in 3-d my dad made from hardboard in the front porch windows, accompanied by bubble lamps on either side, as well as the big old bulbs on the outside of the house. More about foods and gifts for others. not a huge extravaganza full of shopping. We were (are)Episcopalian, and so use Blue and White lights alot . My Mom and us kids also played Draidle and Gelt (OT, I know) and used the Holidays as a learning experience more than gift getting. We probably didn't have lots of money. Itseems that Christmas was not as merchandise dependent . One big gift, a few little ones, a good meal, a short mass, everybody happy. The Christmas Parade more about High School Bands and Santa and Floats.

When I was a kid I couldn't wait to get presents. When I was a parent of small kids I couldn't wait to give presents. Now that I'm retired every day is Christmas.

I think the commercialization has gotten worse since I was a kid. Also, people's expectations and striving for the "perfect" holiday. And I am fed up with the radio stations that play nonstop Christmas music from Thanksgiving on.

Christmas specials are getting better. Just watched Eureka and Warehouse 13. But probably not Snowmageddon. Oh well, you can't win them all.

And who remembers the Bing Crosby/David Bowie clash of Titans? Well, other than Will Ferrell, of course.

don't touch the brush!

I dont know, those stop action animation specials from the 60's sure seemed space-age state of the art..

Better than Jean Shepherd's "A Christmas Story?"