Jews with Christmas/Holiday trees

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand if you’re a blended family but if you’re an observant Jew I find it a bit vulgar that you’d display what is quite obviously become a Christian symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Other than some vacuous feelings of envy, what is the real motivation to have a celebratory tree? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Sometimes a tree isn’t simply a tree.

I don't think there are really any observant non-blended Jewish families that have Christmas trees.

To the bolded, it's a symbol of the coming of Santa and gifts. Most kids don't make any connection between the tree and the birth of Jesus. Most kids don't make any connection to Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Christmas in America is a commercial annual event marked by vulgar materialism--no real spiritual connection to religion.

You know that Santa is SAINT Nicholas, right? As in.... a saint?

Which has what to do with your so called birth of Jesus? Which didn’t even happen in December.

If you don't understand why a saint is something Christian then I can't help you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand if you’re a blended family but if you’re an observant Jew I find it a bit vulgar that you’d display what is quite obviously become a Christian symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Other than some vacuous feelings of envy, what is the real motivation to have a celebratory tree? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Sometimes a tree isn’t simply a tree.

I don't think there are really any observant non-blended Jewish families that have Christmas trees.

To the bolded, it's a symbol of the coming of Santa and gifts. Most kids don't make any connection between the tree and the birth of Jesus. Most kids don't make any connection to Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Christmas in America is a commercial annual event marked by vulgar materialism--no real spiritual connection to religion.

You know that Santa is SAINT Nicholas, right? As in.... a saint?

Which has what to do with your so called birth of Jesus? Which didn’t even happen in December.

If you don't understand why a saint is something Christian then I can't help you.

You think Christian children don't understand what Christmas is a celebration of? I understand that as a non-Christian all you see of Christmas is mall displays and Santa (who, apparently, you weren't aware was actually Saint Nick), but children who attend church, even just on Christmas and Easter (our two holiest holidays), definitely are aware of what Christmas is about. There are like 100 kids books that feature the annual Christmas pageant in its pages, for example. Even Ramona had a few chapters about a Christmas pageant. I get that you sneer at our holiday, but don't try to talk yourself into thinking that no one gives it religious meaning just because you don't. The truth is, the vast majority of Christians enjoy the secular components of the holiday but know- and appreciate- and celebrate- the fact that it is a holy day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You think Christian children don't understand what Christmas is a celebration of? I understand that as a non-Christian all you see of Christmas is mall displays and Santa (who, apparently, you weren't aware was actually Saint Nick), but children who attend church, even just on Christmas and Easter (our two holiest holidays), definitely are aware of what Christmas is about. There are like 100 kids books that feature the annual Christmas pageant in its pages, for example. Even Ramona had a few chapters about a Christmas pageant. I get that you sneer at our holiday, but don't try to talk yourself into thinking that no one gives it religious meaning just because you don't. The truth is, the vast majority of Christians enjoy the secular components of the holiday but know- and appreciate- and celebrate- the fact that it is a holy day.

You argument is 100% false.

No one -- not one person -- says Christmas is not a primarily Christian holiday.

What people with a different position are saying is that there are legitimate non-religious aspects to the American celebration of the holiday, and some of the traditional elements even have non-religious histories and origins. Therefore, people (religious and non-religious) should be allowed to celebrate the holiday any way they choose without anyone exhibiting indignation or inappropriate offense.

You don't address that point or argue it because, well, that would be difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think Christian children don't understand what Christmas is a celebration of? I understand that as a non-Christian all you see of Christmas is mall displays and Santa (who, apparently, you weren't aware was actually Saint Nick), but children who attend church, even just on Christmas and Easter (our two holiest holidays), definitely are aware of what Christmas is about. There are like 100 kids books that feature the annual Christmas pageant in its pages, for example. Even Ramona had a few chapters about a Christmas pageant. I get that you sneer at our holiday, but don't try to talk yourself into thinking that no one gives it religious meaning just because you don't. The truth is, the vast majority of Christians enjoy the secular components of the holiday but know- and appreciate- and celebrate- the fact that it is a holy day.

You argument is 100% false.

No one -- not one person -- says Christmas is not a primarily Christian holiday.

What people with a different position are saying is that there are legitimate non-religious aspects to the American celebration of the holiday, and some of the traditional elements even have non-religious histories and origins. Therefore, people (religious and non-religious) should be allowed to celebrate the holiday any way they choose without anyone exhibiting indignation or inappropriate offense.

You don't address that point or argue it because, well, that would be difficult.

Exactly. We have a Christmas tree, but it doesn’t have an angel on the top. We don’t have a nativity set and aren’t going to church. We are Jewish, but want DD to have some cultural exposure to the Catholic side of her family. We are well aware that this means taking some secular aspects of the holiday. It’s like how someone could play dreidel if they wanted, but it would be odd for a non-Jew to light the candles and say the blessings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think Christian children don't understand what Christmas is a celebration of? I understand that as a non-Christian all you see of Christmas is mall displays and Santa (who, apparently, you weren't aware was actually Saint Nick), but children who attend church, even just on Christmas and Easter (our two holiest holidays), definitely are aware of what Christmas is about. There are like 100 kids books that feature the annual Christmas pageant in its pages, for example. Even Ramona had a few chapters about a Christmas pageant. I get that you sneer at our holiday, but don't try to talk yourself into thinking that no one gives it religious meaning just because you don't. The truth is, the vast majority of Christians enjoy the secular components of the holiday but know- and appreciate- and celebrate- the fact that it is a holy day.

You argument is 100% false.

No one -- not one person -- says Christmas is not a primarily Christian holiday.

What people with a different position are saying is that there are legitimate non-religious aspects to the American celebration of the holiday, and some of the traditional elements even have non-religious histories and origins. Therefore, people (religious and non-religious) should be allowed to celebrate the holiday any way they choose without anyone exhibiting indignation or inappropriate offense.


You don't address that point or argue it because, well, that would be difficult.

You're responding to something I wasn't even talking about. I was addressing specifically the comment that "most children don't even associate Christmas with the birth of Christ". I realized i bolded the sentence immediately prior to that sentence when I responded by accident, but the sentence prior was also spouting some related nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think Christian children don't understand what Christmas is a celebration of? I understand that as a non-Christian all you see of Christmas is mall displays and Santa (who, apparently, you weren't aware was actually Saint Nick), but children who attend church, even just on Christmas and Easter (our two holiest holidays), definitely are aware of what Christmas is about. There are like 100 kids books that feature the annual Christmas pageant in its pages, for example. Even Ramona had a few chapters about a Christmas pageant. I get that you sneer at our holiday, but don't try to talk yourself into thinking that no one gives it religious meaning just because you don't. The truth is, the vast majority of Christians enjoy the secular components of the holiday but know- and appreciate- and celebrate- the fact that it is a holy day.

You argument is 100% false.

No one -- not one person -- says Christmas is not a primarily Christian holiday.

What people with a different position are saying is that there are legitimate non-religious aspects to the American celebration of the holiday, and some of the traditional elements even have non-religious histories and origins. Therefore, people (religious and non-religious) should be allowed to celebrate the holiday any way they choose without anyone exhibiting indignation or inappropriate offense.

To be fair, plenty of people earlier in this discussion (or more likely, just one person) said that Christmas was primarily a secular, commercial holiday.


You don't address that point or argue it because, well, that would be difficult.

You're responding to something I wasn't even talking about. I was addressing specifically the comment that "most children don't even associate Christmas with the birth of Christ". I realized i bolded the sentence immediately prior to that sentence when I responded by accident, but the sentence prior was also spouting some related nonsense.