Christmas Spirit

I guess it just dawned on me that GRIM - Vespers is essentially a Christmas album.
I mean, its black metal music along with Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Vespers".

Those vespers are the choral presentation of the texts used during Eastern (Russian) Orthodox all-night vigils, often sung at the eve of major church festivals.

Like Christmas Eve!

....I guess it all depends on what we mean by " Christmas spirit " ? The secular notion of a cultural observance ? No, not really. But if we are talking about honoring Christ and being in awe of how God would condescend to " take the form of a servant "...then...yes!!!

( oh sentient....you bad boy....you killjoy )

On a lighter note....

We got the tree decorated and we've been watching some of the Christmas classics like Elf, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone and some of the animated classics as well.

I am trying to get into the spirit through watching a couple of Christmas movies and various albums of Christmas music.  However, about all I can muster is a rousing, "Bah, humbug!"

From a secular point of view, it is just a holiday that celebrates greed.

From a Christian viewpoint, we aren't even commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ.  It is all about the death and resurrection.  We spend more time and energy focusing on the birth which is only a tiny piece of the story as a whole.

Then, when you add on the societal pressures of having the perfect holiday with your friends and family, it is just simply overwhelming.  As family has deceased, there isn't much left to celebrate with.  Being in ministry, my pool of real friends has dwindled.  Having the pressure of having a perfect holiday just accentuates the fact that I am fairly lonely even though I am a married man.

So, excuse me while I go get my Festivus pole.  It really makes about as much sense.

Here's an "interesting" take on a famous Christmas story:

alldatndensum wrote:IFrom a Christian viewpoint, we aren't even commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ. 

I usually use this time to explain to my family and others about the OT passages that point to the Christ - His nature and purpose in will of God.

My family really enjoy the secular and cultural aspects of the holiday, but I still try to exalt Christ to them as well.

The funny thing is. Jesus wasn't even born on December 25th anyway.

The ancient Catholic church called a lot of shots in sanctifying pagan holidays. Making them "Christian". Christmas is one such holiday. They celebrated it actually on the 21st, which is Winter Solstice. My sister-in-law is a full blown Pagan so I know these things.

Christmas - and even Easter - were once pagan holidays. It's funny how most Christians don't know these things.

I celebrate them both. But have you ever wondered what the Easter Bunny was all about? Yeah. Nothing to do with Christ at all. It was about celebrating the beginning of the astrological calendar for the Pagans.

But I still love to celebrate Christmas and Easter! And I do make them about Christ for my family and I! It's ok I think ... even though the holidays themselves are steeped in Pagan culture. There was no other Christian culture in a new Christian land of Europe. And instead of adopting Hebrew holidays, the new Catholic rulers opted to convert Pagan holidays to Christian ones! Not sure God ever meant for that to happen ... oh well.

The birth of Christ was actually probably sometime in late August ... according to most astronomers and historians.

RavenWolf wrote:The birth of Christ was actually probably sometime in late August ... according to most astronomers and historians.

This may be true, but I think we are really missing the point. The early Church simply wanted the people who used to be pagans to fill their previous days of observence with a new reality - that they turned from paganism too the Truth of the One True God and His Son. The Church wanted the people to fill a day that was spent in honor of falsehood and fill with the Truth of Christ instead.


....not a bad thing from a Christian worldview.

This song is one of the few Christmas songs i listen to all through the year:

Just watched Polar Express for the umpteenth time! That's the favorite Christmas movie around our house this year. My daughter is mesmerized by it!

Halloween is my favorite holiday but yes ..my home is in the Christmas spirit..We have a silver Christmas tree, a blue glass door wreath and we decorated our apartment patio with purple, white and blue lights..
We dont celebrate any holidays from a religious view in our home but we dig the lights, beauty and fun of Christmas..
Here are a few of my favorite Christmas songs..enjoy..



And this one..its a tongue and cheek song so everyone be cool..but it does rock and I love it..

I don't have any Christmas spirit.  I just don't enjoy it anymore.  I haven't for a few years now.  I will celebrate it but mostly because of not wanting to drag everyone around me down.  My wife and I both are this way.  Its just not fun anymore.

I find that every year my "Christmas" spirit goes down and down with each passing year. Right now I just wish it was over with and i mean Christmas, New Year, etc.  I think this year its more of a stress factor than a lack of resources factor though that does factor in the overall picture but at a low percentage. I cant wait to see my daughter open her gifts and my wife too. that is the sole thing i am looking forward to this year.

normally at work we have 24th and 25th off but then its straight through to 31st we have to work and this includes weekends. I dont feel like I am a scrooge in bah humbug but I dont feel festive and joyous at this time of the year as I should.