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Christmas Card
Christmas has many meanings to different people.
To me, it is primarily a time to be spent with family - a time set aside for a few days when work and more secular things are set aside.
But it is also (to me) a folk tradition, and in that light, it is also important to me. I'm not a Christian, but the Nativity story is an important one. All myths (I use the word 'myth' in the sense of 'traditional narrative story') survive because they carry meanings that are important to us. The Nativity is part of a story of love and peace and ultimately part of the story of God's love for mankind. It has folk elements, the shepherds, wise men, angels, etc. and those elements in turn spin off their own stories and songs.
It doesn't really matter that Jesus was probably born in the Autumn, or that Christmas was planted on top of earlier Midwinter Solstice festivals. In the end, all the celebrations are saying the same thing: "New life will return. There is hope for the future."
When I was young, I learnt all the traditional carols at church and at school. As I grew older and firmed up my non-religious view on life, I stopped singing them. Then, as the wheel of time turned, I realised that they were part of our heritage and I could enjoy them on that basis. I could take the message of love, hope, understanding and peace and sing that to my heart's content.
I try and have a relatively non-commercial Xmas. Our family tradition is to try not to spend large sums of money on presents. Second-hand items (like books) are perfectly fine, as is the occasional home-made gift. We ban TV on Christmas day and spend it with family, play games, do jigsaws, etc.
I'd love to have carols at home, but not all the family share my love of them.
Maybe I'll go out with the carol singers from the local church. I did that once before and they were very welcoming to the athiest in their midst. Music creates its own kind of harmony.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, perhaps the above will help explain why an athiest has chosen this particular Christmas card for you all. It felt right to me.
To me, it is primarily a time to be spent with family - a time set aside for a few days when work and more secular things are set aside.
But it is also (to me) a folk tradition, and in that light, it is also important to me. I'm not a Christian, but the Nativity story is an important one. All myths (I use the word 'myth' in the sense of 'traditional narrative story') survive because they carry meanings that are important to us. The Nativity is part of a story of love and peace and ultimately part of the story of God's love for mankind. It has folk elements, the shepherds, wise men, angels, etc. and those elements in turn spin off their own stories and songs.
It doesn't really matter that Jesus was probably born in the Autumn, or that Christmas was planted on top of earlier Midwinter Solstice festivals. In the end, all the celebrations are saying the same thing: "New life will return. There is hope for the future."
When I was young, I learnt all the traditional carols at church and at school. As I grew older and firmed up my non-religious view on life, I stopped singing them. Then, as the wheel of time turned, I realised that they were part of our heritage and I could enjoy them on that basis. I could take the message of love, hope, understanding and peace and sing that to my heart's content.
I try and have a relatively non-commercial Xmas. Our family tradition is to try not to spend large sums of money on presents. Second-hand items (like books) are perfectly fine, as is the occasional home-made gift. We ban TV on Christmas day and spend it with family, play games, do jigsaws, etc.
I'd love to have carols at home, but not all the family share my love of them.
Maybe I'll go out with the carol singers from the local church. I did that once before and they were very welcoming to the athiest in their midst. Music creates its own kind of harmony.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, perhaps the above will help explain why an athiest has chosen this particular Christmas card for you all. It felt right to me.
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To me, Christmas always was for family. For years, we had a houseful -- my parents, my mother-in-law, my husband's two brother's and their wives, plus the parents of one of their wives, the niece and nephew (and whoever he decided to bring along at the last minute), plus grandnieces. Then the older family members started passing on -- we lost three in a space of 17 months (one sister-in-law and her parents). I stopped doing Christmas the year my father died (2005), because the heart had gone out of it. My surviving sister-in-law came up from Florida and hosted Christmas at my other brother-in-law's NJ home, but that was the last time we were all together for Christmas, because my mother passed on in November of 2006. So now it's just me, my husband, and our critters because everyone else lives too far away.
That first Christmas without both parents, I watched Yankees World Series films (dating back to the mid-1940s) as I cooked, because the images and references to family on everything on TV were too overwhelming. My boys in pinstripes got me through that day.
This year, with the house being so unsettled after our move, we'll be doing the same thing as we did for Thanksgiving (which came 4 days after we arrived in the new house, and 2 days after our furniture arrived) -- getting takeout from Bob Evans. My husband is adamant that I not go to my usual big deal of turkey (at least 18 lbs, even for the two of us), stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and veggies, and this year, I actually agree with him. It will still be the two of us and our critters (4 dogs, three parrots), because even though we're in the same state as his brothers and our sister-in-law, they're 4 hours away. That's okay -- we'll both have what we need.
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I love seeing the family but other than that it's a big stress.
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Other than the ban on Christmas Day television -- can't miss the Doctor Who Special! -- jigsaws and (some) games are what we do, too.
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Sadly, I was about to send you this particular e-card:-)
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Thank you.
Xmas sad and happy
-Murrs name might not be on there but the wonderful Cleo's is for the first time. Watching her play in snow for the first time today was a special moment.
-I'll be doing Christmas at my mothers even though we nearly lost her to heart failure a few weeks ago - she's much better and insists we go. Which is a miracle really.
-For my grandparents who wont be there I have finally got the hang of making and doing the things at this time of year and other times of year that they did like growing veg and making bread. So I guess DNA takes time to come out.And we are the sum total of our ancestors and its right to carry on their traditions.
-Apart from the one sad moment we are actually having our best christmastide for some years beacause Ive allowed David to plan it not me trying too hard to afford everything and shop while working in retail at Xmas !Result:we haven't bought so much expensive stuff that we couldnt pay the bills as well,we are looking out wonderingly at the snow despite having turned off the heating as its too expensive, snuggling up in sweaters watching old films and cuddling mogs in blankets on our laps and have only bought or been given selected Xmas food treats not a whole cupboard full of stuff that will go to waste. We haven't even bought a turkey - we settled on Morrisons inexpensive pork loin joint. We haven't killed a tree for Xmas - instead we planted last years out of in a pot in the garden. And on Xmas day I'll be wearing the sweater with a cat on it that my nan knit 20 years ago and it still fits!
I'll be watching Doctor Who though!
Re: Xmas sad and happy