What do you want for CHRISTmas?

[Angel]

For CHRISTmas, my heart is focused on loving my family.

 

[farouk]

For CHRISTmas, my heart is focused on loving my family.

This is a wonderful way of putting it. My wife and I have lost a number of our immediate family members through death; and those that live aren't so near; so yes I can appreciate your thought!

Blessings.

 

[Danacovert82]

You got that right Angel. I take my family for granted most times. My mom is still alive but had a stroke in 2010 and she can barely talk. She CAN talk, but can't think of what she wants to say.

You guys may not like me, but mom and I fight sometimes. I know it's wrong, and I'm working on it.

 

[Angel]

You got that right Angel. I take my family for granted most times. My mom is still alive but had a stroke in 2010 and she can barely talk. She CAN talk, but can't think of what she wants to say.

You guys may not like me, but mom and I fight sometimes. I know it's wrong, and I'm working on it.

There isn't a kid alive (and sometimes adult!) who hasn't gotten in an argument with their Mom. During my teen years/early 20's, My mom and I argued a LOT. But, by grace, several years later, our relationship was restored and now I enjoy her company more than I ever did!

 

[farouk]

There isn't a kid alive (and sometimes adult!) who hasn't gotten in an argument with their Mom. During my teen years/early 20's, My mom and I argued a LOT. But, by grace, several years later, our relationship was restored and now I enjoy her company more than I ever did!

Do you now agree with some of her past observations/criticisms?

 

[Angel]

Well... we both were right and we both were wrong.

 

[farouk]

Well... we both were right and we both were wrong.

Maybe she's also sort of changed her mind about some of the stuff you do and like, too, right?

Blessings.

 

[Angel]

Yeah. She used to hate my tattoo's. Now its like they a freckle on my skin And she doesn't judge others with tattoos. But this is not a tattoo thread...!

 

[farouk]

Yeah. She used to hate my tattoo's. Now its like they a freckle on my skin And she doesn't judge others with tattoos. But this is not a tattoo thread...!

As the years go by the generations in a family learn to get accustomed to one another. Best of all, for the Lord Himself to be in the relationships; we can pray to this end.

Blessings.

 

[farouk]

My church will be going caroling. I've never actually gone caroling before.

Sounds a great idea; there's a lot of truth in many of the familiar carols.

(So it's still less than a year since you switched churches...)

Blessings.

 

[Nathanael Chong]

No one, in my opinion, knows exactly when Christ was born. Also it is true that God didn't expect us to celebrate His birthday. However, does that mean we can't celebrate our own birthdays as well? The reason why we celebrate birthdays is not because we know his/her birthday date. That's not important. It's because we want to be with the person, to be happy with the person.
In the same way, why shouldn't we celebrate the day when Christ came into this world? Nobody has to want us to celebrate his birthday for us to do so.
It's true that Christ's birthday may not be in December, but that's also not really important, as we can celebrate someone's birthday on another date other than the actual one. Cheers!

 

[farouk]

No one, in my opinion, knows exactly when Christ was born. Also it is true that God didn't expect us to celebrate His birthday. However, does that mean we can't celebrate our own birthdays as well? The reason why we celebrate birthdays is not because we know his/her birthday date. That's not important. It's because we want to be with the person, to be happy with the person.
In the same way, why shouldn't we celebrate the day when Christ came into this world? Nobody has to want us to celebrate his birthday for us to do so.
It's true that Christ's birthday may not be in December, but that's also not really important, as we can celebrate someone's birthday on another date other than the actual one. Cheers!

It's an excellent testimony opportunity, also, to be thinking about the coming into the world of the Savior.

Blessings.

 

[Claudya]

What does it mean to "go caroling"? Singing somewhere as a choir?
It sounds like we don't have a similar christmas tradition here.

 

[Mike S]

What does it mean to "go caroling"? Singing somewhere as a choir?
It sounds like we don't have a similar christmas tradition here.

Going caroling means to gather as a group and go door to door singing Christmas carols. The idea is to get right in front of a friends house, gather in close and sign until your friend comes out to listen and acknowledge you. Sometime they serve you some cider or coffee. Old folks who don't get many visitors really, really enjoy it, and we enjoy it too, it just lifts up a great Christmas spirit When we went caroling in the past we would spend a couple of hours at it (frequently in light snowfall) hen gather at one of our homes for deserts and drinks.

 

[Claudya]

Going caroling means to gather as a group and go door to door singing Christmas carols. The idea is to get right in front of a friends house, gather in close and sign until your friend comes out to listen and acknowledge you. Sometime they serve you some cider or coffee. Old folks who don't get many visitors really, really enjoy it, and we enjoy it too, it just lifts up a great Christmas spirit When we went caroling in the past we would spend a couple of hours at it (frequently in light snowfall) hen gather at one of our homes for deserts and drinks.

Oh that sounds awesome. I bet people are super happy when a group of friends and church fellows gathers in front of their house and sing for them. I would be super happy. I would go caroling, too, if we had any sort of tradition like that.

 

[tandemcpl]

I used to hate Christmas and everything it stood for but since becoming saved, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. For me, it’s not about giving and receiving gifts, although I still do it because I love the looks on my grandchildren’s’ faces when they open their gifts. For me it is about celebrating the birth of Our Lord and Savior and the hope that comes with that birth.

Now to answer the OP’s question. All I want or need this Christmas is for the members of my family that do not know Jesus to have to scales removed from their eyes so they too can celebrate Him, and to also have the hope that is spoken about in Romans 8:18-30.

Be blessed and have a Merry Christmas.

Toby

 

[Obadiah]

What does it mean to "go caroling"? Singing somewhere as a choir?
It sounds like we don't have a similar christmas tradition here.

I'm surprised and sorry to hear you don't have that tradition in Germany. It's a lot of fun and brings smiles to a lot of people here. My mom was of German descent and her parents emigrated (escaped?) from Germany just before things got bad under Hitler. The way they talked about caroling I always thought it had been a strong German tradition as well.

 

[jasoncran]

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

that actually wasn't meant to be a Christmas song but a song of adoration for the final return of the lord. I like that.

now then, perhaps one day, greedmass will be something that Christians don't do.

 

[farouk]

I used to hate Christmas and everything it stood for but since becoming saved, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. For me, it’s not about giving and receiving gifts, although I still do it because I love the looks on my grandchildren’s’ faces when they open their gifts. For me it is about celebrating the birth of Our Lord and Savior and the hope that comes with that birth.

Now to answer the OP’s question. All I want or need this Christmas is for the members of my family that do not know Jesus to have to scales removed from their eyes so they too can celebrate Him, and to also have the hope that is spoken about in Romans 8:18-30.

Be blessed and have a Merry Christmas.

Toby

It's a wonderful time, full of references to sublime and life-giving truth and joy.

Blessings.

 

[Claudya]

I'm surprised and sorry to hear you don't have that tradition in Germany. It's a lot of fun and brings smiles to a lot of people here. My mom was of German descent and her parents emigrated (escaped?) from Germany just before things got bad under Hitler. The way they talked about caroling I always thought it had been a strong German tradition as well.

I looked it up. There is a catholic tradition called "Sternsingen" (star singing, probably related to the bright star that let the wise men to the place of christ's birth). But it's done between christmas and january 6, and it only involves 3 people (because traditionally the "wise men"/ "kings"/ "magi" of Matthew's gospel) are thought to be three) dressed up as those three kings and going from door to door, singing, collecting money for charities and renewing a certain chalk inscription above the house door.
I'm in a very protestant area (Luther kinda lived in the neighbourhood), so we don't have those Sternsingers here. But maybe your grandparents were catholics and were refering to that?
Of course many choirs do some christmas performance, but that's way not as personal as the American caroling.