For my own self, I have no interest in Christmas, for as you say, it has nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus Christ. In fact, its observance under different names in various locales, was marked prior to the time of Christ. Which is probably why it is reverting more openly with every passing year into the high holy solstice celebration of it's origins. I can't wait for the slaves being masters, and the orgies should make for quite the television ratings.

So actually, from my view, I don't understand why Christians observe it at all. [well I do but this is long enough]

That said, it's news to me that Halloween is a Christian holiday, do elaborate(as time allows).

Clearly I do not view Halloween as a Christian holiday. And I'd be quite surprised if those devoted to Halloween(holiday) view it as such either. LOL [perhaps in a similar vein: didya ever notice all the folks who wear crucifix's, who clearly are not Christians. Meaning I've long wondered why Christians do.]

But back to the drift of this thread.

Starting at an early age, in the guise of World Studies(or some such), my children were taught many religions in some considerable detail, while at best skimming over Christianity or even why the Pilgrims came to this continent. They were encouraged to dress up, to chant, to perform presumably realistic rituals, etc. A great emphasis was placed on aboriginal religions, primarily animistic or pantheistic in nature. Meaning lotsa Gaia worship elements(hmmm, now who has been calling for that fer decades?). All clearly antagonistic to Christians and pseudo Christians.

Finally, I don't know that I do care about pleasing every minority opinion. Rather, I'd prefer to stick with the foundational philosophy of the people who settled and developed this nation, based on the expanding and promising results related to individual human liberties that were achieved. Well until recent decades when the socialist secular(fascist/communist) elements really took hold and changed our policies. Particularly in the schools.

Put another way. Do you ladies wish to live under strict Moslem law? How about Hindi? Is there an aboriginal society any of you'd like to return to?

And although most "modern" Americans favor some variety of socialistic secularism -whether they realize it or not- that has an even more virulent elitism associated with it, eugenics. Which I might add, is alive and well, in development and intentions of widespread implementation.

So ya! I'll take a society based on biblical Christianity which strives for liberty of conscience for all men, of any belief. Which strives for equality before the law, for all men. Which strove for documents like the Bill of Rights which are currently being undermined everywhere we look. [Before any y'all pull out the UN Human Rights document, I would remind you of two things: it's a mere imitation of the US Bill of Rights, and of more importance, I believe it's down around the 29th or 30th section that the legal language of abrogation, of all that was written before, appears.] Just can't trust tyrants these days.

Before anybody loses their mind(any worse). Celebrate what you like. It's no sweat off my brow. I'll support your right. But you're going to have to do more to convince me Christmas isn't being shelved because of it's manufactured connection to Jesus PK. Which once again, I should add, is perfectly fine with me as Christmas is purely pagan in origin. I rather object to both stances, as well as school managed sports.

~~~

But! let me tell you what I've experienced. I do not celebrate Christmas. I am a Christian. I rejected Christmas not because of my faith(that came considerably later). I rejected Christmas because I was persecuted as a child for telling the truth. Because my family lied to me. Because I was punished in school(when I 'innocently' told the truth). Because, I RESENTED BEING LIED TO(even as a child: can't trust these fucking adults, they tell you to tell the truth and then they...). It bugged me. And to this day, I abhor lying to children, it's just not right and a terrible message. Call it my ignorant opinion!

You see, I discovered just after my 4th birthday that Santa -that year- was my uncle. I spied him for quite some time putting together the 3 story metal gas station with it's ramps and dohickies, etc. AND!!! eating the cookies and milk we'd all put out together. Everybody lied when I inquired the next morning, told me I was dreaming, yadi yada. Every time I was pulled aside during the next several years, well, it pissed me off! That's probably why I was drugged mercilessly as a kid.

As an adult, when I could choose to live as I chose, I abandoned Christmas. If you want to know what a leper feels like(in terms of avoidance), announce you don't practice Christmas publicly(in some respects it's worse than admitting your faith in the resurrection of Jesus). You don't get a pass for being Jew or black or whathaveyou. LOL, at best the first and last question is whether I am a JW. Jehovah's Witness for those of you unaware.

People are oddly judgmental. I say that because I've never tried to stop anyone else. Never tried to dissuade them and couldn't care less what they do themselves, but boy oh boy do folks lose their sense of diversity right quick. And of course diversity is just a political correctness that people tolerate as best they're able because the truth is, everybody is a snob in some respect. Usually in multiple forms if you could pull back the facade(alcohol during holidays amidst the family/friends is usually a pretty good time to discover such truths).

So yeah, I'll take a nominally Christian republic over all other available forms. It ain't perfect but people are still sneaking in, in spite of fact America is living on past glory rather than present substance.

And the whole public school thing wouldn't be a prob if we just boarded em up and returned the responsibility to parents to educate their own kids as they saw fit rather than these government schools and their dictates of statist homogenization. And btw, we oughta chuck democracy too. I prefer republican rule of law to any 'organized' mob rule. Like the majority in any room can be trusted, please.

Once again, America was a pretty good experiment.

And no, I don't go around telling children Santa is a lie. I'd vote for telling em the truth all the time, but I don't.

Now there was a waste of a morning doggoneit.

peaceably-)