Play It Again, Carm
This week is crazy bizzy…doctor appointments, preparing for a big book sale and homeschool event which I am organizing (if you are within driving distance, send me an email and I’ll send you particulars), homeschooling, rubber stamping party, and a one-man film crew coming for some Prairie Muffin film footage. Oh, and don’t forget the laundry.
So I am doing a re-run this evening, but a timely one. It’s time again for the Christmas Wars, when some stand on one side of the divide, bringing up the pagan origins of the upcoming holiday and its trappings, others heartily celebrating with eggnog, carols, and gifts, as well as the controversial tree. A few poor souls are caught in the middle, not sure which position to take and feeling either guilty about participating, or miserable about abstaining.
Of course, I’m ready to jump in with an opinion about most anything, though I hope I can be gracious when proffering those opinions. Last year I broached this topic, and presented the reasons Why I Love Christmas. You can skim over my thoughts if you like, but be sure to click on the links at the end for some much deeper and clearer thinking than my own. I have another link to add, which you should add to your reading list: Christians and Christmas Trees by John MacArthur.
If you do get a tree (we have a friendly discussion going on with our friends here about whether that tree should be real or fake), please don’t bow down and worship it. If you choose to decorate your yard with one of those giant plastic snow globes, however, I’m afraid I will not be available to rush to your defense. Traditions are one thing, tacky fads are indefensible 
. I have conveniently forgotten all my past faddish indiscretions, so there.
November 27th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
“I have conveniently forgotten all my past faddish indiscretions, so there.”
Sadly it is impossible to forget one’s 80’s hair or one’s 80’s clothing when one’s parents have pictures of it.
Grin.
Kate
November 28th, 2006 at 6:57 am
We are decorating our real tree today. I must admit we are opinionated snobs about real trees. I try to sound magnanimous to my fake tree acquaintances but I am afraid I only come out condescending. This scares me because I know it means that someday I will be forced to buy a fake tree just like my son in Florida. Now back to the labor intensive popcorn and cranberries which no one likes to do in our family but everyone insists we must.
November 28th, 2006 at 7:21 am
Cindy, I am so offended
I am one of those fake tree buyers.
“If you choose to decorate your yard with one of those giant plastic snow globes, however, I’m afraid I will not be available to rush to your defense.”
What about those deer for the front yard? I love those. Really, I do!! I don’t own one, yet.
November 28th, 2006 at 7:23 am
Kate,
It’s especially hard to forget those days of oh-so-big hair and (dare I say it…) parachute pants and neon scrunchies…when one’s own father emails me a picture at least once a month. I’m sure he thinks he’s very funny. My children discuss whether it’s really me or if Grandpa has doctored it in some way! Yes, it’s impossible to forget!
Gina
November 28th, 2006 at 7:46 am
What a great repost, Carmon! This topic has been revisited several times in my almost-60 years. When I was a child we went through several years of no-Christmas. My father was a passionate Bible teacher and principled family-leader, but he was never reluctant to allow the Lord to completely reverse his thinking, after considerable prayer and study.
My husband and I have never ditched Christmas, but we have never done “Santa”. As a child, I felt awkward at times when people asked about Santa coming to our house, but my children took it for granted that Santa was not a part of our commemoration, and now the grandchildren don’t give the idea even a passing thought. It is adorable to see them “always ready” to answer store clerks.
The point about the Lord’s Day is well taken. God help us to get our eyes open to what He calls holy, not doing our pleasure on His holy day, and calling the sabbath a delight, as He does. (Is. 58:13) Thanks again for taking the plunge and especially for the Lee quote (in the repost).
November 28th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
We don’t do Santa either and being as the house is so small a Christmas tree isn’t even an option so no need to choose which kind.
Alas, I am too young to have been one of those donning big hair and parachute pants in the 80’s. ; 0
November 28th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Oh, Carmon, I’m with you on those tacky plastic snow globes! I think the most beautifully decorated homes are the ones with the bows, wreaths and candles in the windows.
Ah… 80’s fashion… definitely one of those “What were we thinking??” times. I can’t believe how much time I spent on my hair curling, teasing, and plastering with hair spray. I have to admit though, I have fond memories of my denim purse with a million pins on it!
November 28th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
That’s one thing I’ve noticed about the internet. People feel so free to knock other people over the head over issues not pertaining to salvation. While I’m all for a good debate (as long as all parties continue to hold some level of respect for the others), some of them turn very nasty, very fast. I really feel awful for the ones “caught in the middle” as you stated.
No giant snow globes here, but I have a question… What if the tree is the tacky fad? Such as one with fiber optic lights?
My mom and I have had a “cheesy tree” competition going on for the past few years. I even bought one made entirely of mylar! I’m thinking about buying one made out of pink feathers this year… Perfect for a little girls room.
No bowing down to worship them here though. We like to set them out and enjoy the green, and the lights twinkling off of memorable ornaments.
November 28th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
My favorite yard sale find the summer before last was a mid-1960s aluminum Christmas tree in the box. These go for horrible prices on E-bay so I was mentally preparing myself for the price. Turned out to be $2.00. Then, a couple of weeks later on the same country road but a different sale, I found a color wheel in the box. Hurrah! They are put up by a back window and filled in plastic Jewelbrite 60s ornaments. So, I guess my tacky Christmas cred is complete and total (although I do not have a blow up snowglobe….but do have a blow up Snoopy. Ha, ha!)
November 28th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Theresa, I am shocked. There must an entry for that in “You Know You Are a Redneck If…”
Corin, if you get that one with pink feathers, I hope you take a picture to send me. Are you and your mom coming to see me on Saturday? We welcome little ones if you want to bring them!
November 29th, 2006 at 8:47 am
What??? My mom’s going to see you on Saturday??? She never tells me anything **sniff sniff** Ah well. I wouldn’t be able to go anyways. My mother-in-law and I are going to a craft fair
Have a wonderful time!
November 29th, 2006 at 9:12 am
Sad to say, Corin’s mom will not be able to attend either. I’m in almost over my head with Christmas gifts to be made and need to work all day Saturday or all will be lost!!
We’re phony tree people by default. We like to put the tree up early, just after Thanksgiving, and a real tree just won’t make it. Plus, real trees in our neck of the woods are upwards of $70 – $80. We can buy a really nice fake tree for $200 which lasts for about five years, thus saving us money. Please don’t mention cut-your-own…..we ended up with frogs in our living room curtains one year when we went that route!!!!!!!!
November 29th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
“we ended up with frogs in our living room curtains one year when we went that route!!!!!!!! ”
Oh, what a funny scene that makes! Speaking from someone who lives in semi-tropical FL and who has little green frogs on the shower curtains every time it rains hard! For several years, we were cutting down long leaf pines from our woods for Christmas. But it always took three or four of them, bound together with wire, to make a full enough tree.
So, alas, we have succumbed to the surreal world of pre-lit fake. Sigh. At least the daughters’ families still go fresh — well, sorta fresh. They usually wait for the bargains a day or two before Christmas, sometimes free. But not really fresh.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:14 pm
When we moved to WA we got our first cut-from-the-woods-tree (sort of, it was from a neighbor’s friend’s yard). I was so excited when we put it in the house. I didn’t count on the run off snow that melted and pooled underneath or the spiders that had been dormant until the heat of the house hit them. We had so many webs from tree to ceiling and wall:) Some times we get our trees from some local guys that go cut them and sell them on the side of the road. Other times we get the tree tags and take the kids out on old logging roads to hunt for the perfect tree. We really like live trees, but they are easily accessible from our neck of the woods:)
I would gladly give away the real deer we have in our yard!!! They keep eating my roses and blueberries.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Just thought I would share what one of the people I know at Generations for Life (a Catholic anti-abortion site) said about the origins of the Christmas tree; I found it interesting and thought others might as well.
“Our Pastor wrote this in last years bulletin…
‘Dear Parishioners,
Merry Christmas! Well…we made it. Christmas is here and we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world. Now…let’s look at that Christmas tree. Perhaps we bought a fake tree or perhaps we went out to chop down a real tree this year. Perhaps the real tree is looking a little…well…dry right now, but what is that tree and why do we have a Christmas tree anyway?
Did you know that the Italian tradition is not to have a Christmas tree. It was actually our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, who popularized the Christmas tree in Italy. When I first moved there in 1988, the only Christmas tree you saw was the large tree in the center of St. Peter’s Square. When I was there last year, there were Christmas trees all over the place.
Many may think that it is the secularization of society that has promoted these Christmas trees. You know…an opportunity to sell more gold and silver tinsel, garland and lights. But…I will let you in on a little secret…don’t tell secular society this, because they might stop selling the Christmas trees… On the contrary, let’s take this rich symbol of our faith back and put it in its proper context… Do you remember that tree of the good and the bad in the Garden of Eden? When Adam and Eve ate of that tree, God kept from them the tree of life and expelled them from the garden. The reason he did this was so that they would not live in a fallen state for all eternity. Instead he would one day send his only Son into the world and His Son would be crucified on a tree. The tree of the cross on which our Savior hung brought life to the world. The cross is the tree of life and so too is our Christmas tree. Those bulbs we hang on our Christmas trees symbolize the fruit of the tree of life, e.g., eternal life, Grace, faith, hope and love, the sacraments, etc. These fruits come to us because our Lord and God came to earth and became man.
Now, how long should we leave that tree up? …well…if it is a Christmas tree then it should stay up throughout the Christmas season. The Christmas Season ends with the Baptism of the Lord on January 11th. Don’t get me wrong. You can take it down before that, but then…it is not a Christmas tree. It is a December tree or a New Year’s Tree or a Thanksgiving tree or…something else…’
Mike”
(If anyone’s curious, the link for this is http://generationsforlife.org/2006/1117/standing-with-courage/#comments and it is in comment 16.)