Christmas decorations

[Theofilus]

I don't decorate my home for Christmas. Of course, that's mainly because I don't celebrate Chrstmas at all, but even when I did used to celebrate it, I didn't put up any decorations. It seemed like a waste of money when I lived alone and nobody would see it but me. Does that mean that I'm not saved?

That may seem like a strange question, but what I am about to tell you is really true. Before I moved to my current apt., the people who lived next door to me were Christians. It was one year, during the week before Christmas (which I still celebrated at the time, albeit without decorations), that I was visiting my neighbors and the following conversation took place:

Lady Next Door: Are you going to church on Christmas Eve?
Me: No, the Christmas services the State Church has are too formal and boring for me.
LND: Well, I guess it isn't for everybody. The services are a bit formal. If you just want to be at home and read your Bible by yourself, then I can understand that.
​

Some time in December the following year, I was again visiting my neighbors and talking to the very same lady that had no problem with me skipping Church on Christmas Eve.

LND: Have you put your tree up yet?
Me: No, I never put up a tree. In fact, I don't decorate my home at all.
LND: WHAT!?!? I thought you were a Christian!​

I kid you not! This Christian lady, who found nothing wrong with me skipping just about the only part of Christmas that can't be traced directly to Pagan sun god worship, doubted my salvation for not having a Christmas tree. You should have seen her reaction when she learned of my views on Santa Clause.

Is it just me, or does anybody else see anything wrong in this situation? :

 

[stovebolts]

Well Theo,
There are a lot of people who enjoy celebrating the birth of Jesus, even if they know it's not his birthday and as Christians, many of us take this time of year to celebrate His birthday. I'm sure she thought to herself, "Why isn't he coming to the birthday party?"

If I were a betting man, I'd bet your neighbor never misses sending a birthday card, or a Christmas card to her loved ones. Some people are just more thought full in this area than others

Besides, not everyone is aware that some denominations don't celebrate certain holidays and she probably knows nothing about your denomination, let alone your interpretation of some passages.

You know what's funny... I was dirt poor growing up and I had to learn how to work on my own car. Imagine my surprise as I grew older that all men didn't know how to change a starter, or a tire... or their oil. I just thought all men knew how to do that "basic" stuff. Why not? Everyone I knew could do all that, why would I think otherwise? I just thought that some people were just lazy and had the money to pay somebody else to do it lol!

 

[Theofilus]

Well Theo,
There are a lot of people who enjoy celebrating the birth of Jesus, even if they know it's not his birthday and as Christians, many of us take this time of year to celebrate His birthday. I'm sure she thought to herself, "Why isn't he coming to the birthday party?"

If I were a betting man, I'd bet your neighbor never misses sending a birthday card, or a Christmas card to her loved ones. Some people are just more thought full in this area than others

Besides, not everyone is aware that some denominations don't celebrate certain holidays and she probably knows nothing about your denomination, let alone your interpretation of some passages.

You know what's funny... I was dirt poor growing up and I had to learn how to work on my own car. Imagine my surprise as I grew older that all men didn't know how to change a starter, or a tire... or their oil. I just thought all men knew how to do that "basic" stuff. Why not? Everyone I knew could do all that, why would I think otherwise? I just thought that some people were just lazy and had the money to pay somebody else to do it lol!

That wasn't the problem. To use your birthday analogy, she didn't have a problem with me not going to the party (i.e. not going to church on Christmas Eve). She had a problem with me not wearing a pointy birthday hat (putting up a tree). It didn't matter whether I went to the party or not, as long as I was dressed for the occasion. As for the denominational thing you mentioned, we were both members of the same Evangelical Lutheran Church (the State Church of Iceland) at the time. I have since left the State Church and have not joined another one, while she now belongs to another (non-state) Lutheran church, but neither of us knew then that that would happen at the time this took place.

 

[Danus]

:toofunny Some good stuff in here, throwing up decorations and unintended cat toys.

I do have a special window decoration that I put in the up stairs window facing the street.It's a "Leg Lamp". Anyone familiar with it?

Yes the leg lamp from the "Christmas Story".

A friend of mind thought it would be a great gift to build a huge box, stencil my address on it, and the words "Fragile" on it. It was a wooden crate placed in my driveway and packed with autumn leaves from his yard. Inside was the famous "leg Lamp".

I display it proudly in the window for all the neighbors to see. After all, It's a major Award!

Mike I wish I had a basement, but I have an attic with pull down access. 20 Plus totes up and down. Awful.

 

[farouk]

Ah, the joys of the holidays! ...and I love how your cats would act like such angels when you were home, as if they would never do such a thing. :halo

handy,

Hi. What we find is that we have so many Christmas cards and they topple down every so often, so we seem to be picking them up...

 

[handy]

:toofunny Some good stuff in here, throwing up decorations and unintended cat toys.

I do have a special window decoration that I put in the up stairs window facing the street.It's a "Leg Lamp". Anyone familiar with it?

Yes the leg lamp from the "Christmas Story".

A friend of mind thought it would be a great gift to build a huge box, stencil my address on it, and the words "Fragile" on it. It was a wooden crate placed in my driveway and packed with autumn leaves from his yard. Inside was the famous "leg Lamp".

I display it proudly in the window for all the neighbors to see. After all, It's a major Award!

Mike I wish I had a basement, but I have an attic with pull down access. 20 Plus totes up and down. Awful.

omigosh, Danus, an honest-to-goodness Leg Lamp!!!! I would absolutely LOVE to have an honest-to-goodness Leg Lamp! Not to mention a Red Ryder, carbine-action, 200-shot, range-model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time. I promise I won't shoot my eye out!

farouk, I had the same problem of course. So one year I decided to tape all my Christmas Cards on the back of my kitchen cabinet, which is right by the door and they were displayed so nicely.

Then, when I took them down on January 2nd, I found that the tape had totally ruined the cabinet finish. So, now, I just throw them all in a decorative basket after I read them.

btw, Danus, I hope that no one has ever shut your attic pull down ladder, and that you got stuck up there in the cold while everyone else took off shopping and you had nothing to do but to watch old 33m films of Christmas days gone by while you cried, wearing a woman's turban and pink gloves.

 

[farouk]

.....

farouk, I had the same problem of course. So one year I decided to tape all my Christmas Cards on the back of my kitchen cabinet, which is right by the door and they were displayed so nicely.

Then, when I took them down on January 2nd, I found that the tape had totally ruined the cabinet finish. So, now, I just throw them all in a decorative basket after I read them.
...

handy:

Yes, I know the feeling.

Sometimes the weight of the cards, if they are stringed up, to keep toppling down. Some days we have to pick them up more than once....

But it's great to hear from friends far and wide at Christmas, isn't it.

(So, keep sending the cards, guys.)

 

[Mike]

One of my favorite lines in film history,

"I triple-dog-dare ya!
Schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple-dare and going right for the throat!" :toofunny :rolling

[video=youtube;8XlPwsmkPHI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XlPwsmkPHI&feature=related[/video]

 

[farouk]

D:

Well, we haven't really tried much window stuff at Christmas.

More on the inside of the house, really.

I guess the emphasis this year will be with displaying all the cards we get, anyway.

 

[farouk]

We are currently experiencing one of the hottest summers ever. (Go, global warming!! Yay!) I thought my face was going to melt off yesterday. 2<o>:p</o>
<o>:p</o>
My Christmas tree looks like a six year old decorated it. Mainly because a six year old decorated it. We make our own decorations (which look like a six year old made it) and she arranges the tree herself.
<o>:p</o>
TL, it looks like a garbage dump threw up on my tree. Not even a mother can think that that tree it is pretty, but she has a ball doing it. <o>:p</o>

l'Chante;

Hi. So I guess you guys have the Christmassy snow on the Drakensberg mountains during June /July, etc (our summer....)

Anyway, good that Christmas trees are evergreens, I guess.....