Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Merry Happy Holiday of your choosing. Or not
I grew up in a religious tradition that didn't believe in Christmas. Oh don't get me wrong, my family and I exchanged gifts every year, we even put up a tree when I was a small child (at my mother's insistence, but even that didn't last too long), but it was made quite clear from early on that we were in no way celebrating Jesus' birth. You see that would be wrong.
Wrong, you ask? Why would celebrating the birth of Christ be wrong?
Well, the religious group I was reared in believed since Christ never explicitly asked us celebrate his birth as a religious holiday, if you chose to do so you would be participating in "unauthorized worship" of God; And we all remember what happened to Nadab and Abihu when they offered unauthorized fire (worship) to God, right?
What Christ DID ask us to remember, they argued, was his death and resurrection, and the way to do that was through Communion, not some trite holiday that Christ never even instituted. Combine all of that with the pagan origins of Christmas* and the Jeremiah 10:2-4 passage that obviously condemned Christmas trees, and what you had was an airtight case against Christmas.
So instead of saying "Merry Christmas", I was taught to say "Happy Holidays", not to give credence to any other religious celebration mind you, but to declare that we were not celebrating Christmas.
When searching for wrapping paper, we had to be sure to not pick anything that was overtly religious, and you didn't dare buy anything with a Santa Claus on it. Oh, and by the way, we weren't buying Christmas presents, we were buy presents for the holidays.
But there was a problem.
I LOVED CHRISTMAS. I still do.
Christmas trees whether big or small, ornate or simple, I adore them.
Nothing thrills me more than to hear a beautiful choir or soloist sing Silent Night, Joy to the World, or Oh Holy Night.
Christmas Lights: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM. I used to beg my parents to take the long way home so that I could ooh and ahh at all of the elaborate decorations.
And even though my church never had a Candlelight Christmas Eve service, when I had the chance to watch them on TV, I thought they were absolutely beautiful.
Of course as a child I enjoyed waking up to presents, but honestly that was just the icing on an already delicious cake.
Over the years I began to notice a shift during the Christmas season. To be fair, I can't say that there was a definite change of mindset, it may be that I simply became more aware of what was going on, but people seemed to focus a little less on the birth of Christ (for those that celebrated it religiously), and more on presents. Instead of candlelight services being shown on television, there seemed to be more and more commercials advertising some super sale of the week.
And then the biggie:
People began to say "Happy Holidays", in an attempt to acknowledge other religious holidays *GASP*
It was official. The war had begun.
Nowadays it's commonplace to hear that we Christians should be on a mission to "take back Christmas". That instead of saying "Happy Holidays" to the sales clerk, you should look him or her square in the eye and say "Merry Christmas. Jesus loves you". And I have read many a blog post, email, leaflet, you name it, reminding me that "Jesus is the reason for the season."
Can I tell you a something? It's just between us right?
I really don't think Jesus gives a rat's you-know-what about whether we choose to celebrate his birth on December 25th.
There, I said it.
As much as I love Christmas and decided as an adult to take time to reflect on Jesus' birth, life, and death, I don't think he cares one way or another.
And while I may have issues with many aspects of my religious upbringing, it's true: Jesus never told us that we needed to celebrate his birth, so if you choose not to do so, I think that's perfectly acceptable.
What I DO believe matters each day of the year, not just during the holiday season, is that we all strive to be joyful, compassionate, and loving people.
So it is with that spirit that I say to anyone reading this
*note: If you have never heard of the pagan origins of Christmas and are interested, feel free to google that phrase for details. To be frank, I'm just not interested in linking to it.
Wrong, you ask? Why would celebrating the birth of Christ be wrong?
Well, the religious group I was reared in believed since Christ never explicitly asked us celebrate his birth as a religious holiday, if you chose to do so you would be participating in "unauthorized worship" of God; And we all remember what happened to Nadab and Abihu when they offered unauthorized fire (worship) to God, right?
What Christ DID ask us to remember, they argued, was his death and resurrection, and the way to do that was through Communion, not some trite holiday that Christ never even instituted. Combine all of that with the pagan origins of Christmas* and the Jeremiah 10:2-4 passage that obviously condemned Christmas trees, and what you had was an airtight case against Christmas.
So instead of saying "Merry Christmas", I was taught to say "Happy Holidays", not to give credence to any other religious celebration mind you, but to declare that we were not celebrating Christmas.
When searching for wrapping paper, we had to be sure to not pick anything that was overtly religious, and you didn't dare buy anything with a Santa Claus on it. Oh, and by the way, we weren't buying Christmas presents, we were buy presents for the holidays.
But there was a problem.
I LOVED CHRISTMAS. I still do.
Christmas trees whether big or small, ornate or simple, I adore them.
Nothing thrills me more than to hear a beautiful choir or soloist sing Silent Night, Joy to the World, or Oh Holy Night.
Christmas Lights: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM. I used to beg my parents to take the long way home so that I could ooh and ahh at all of the elaborate decorations.
And even though my church never had a Candlelight Christmas Eve service, when I had the chance to watch them on TV, I thought they were absolutely beautiful.
Of course as a child I enjoyed waking up to presents, but honestly that was just the icing on an already delicious cake.
Over the years I began to notice a shift during the Christmas season. To be fair, I can't say that there was a definite change of mindset, it may be that I simply became more aware of what was going on, but people seemed to focus a little less on the birth of Christ (for those that celebrated it religiously), and more on presents. Instead of candlelight services being shown on television, there seemed to be more and more commercials advertising some super sale of the week.
And then the biggie:
People began to say "Happy Holidays", in an attempt to acknowledge other religious holidays *GASP*
It was official. The war had begun.
Nowadays it's commonplace to hear that we Christians should be on a mission to "take back Christmas". That instead of saying "Happy Holidays" to the sales clerk, you should look him or her square in the eye and say "Merry Christmas. Jesus loves you". And I have read many a blog post, email, leaflet, you name it, reminding me that "Jesus is the reason for the season."
Can I tell you a something? It's just between us right?
I really don't think Jesus gives a rat's you-know-what about whether we choose to celebrate his birth on December 25th.
There, I said it.
As much as I love Christmas and decided as an adult to take time to reflect on Jesus' birth, life, and death, I don't think he cares one way or another.
And while I may have issues with many aspects of my religious upbringing, it's true: Jesus never told us that we needed to celebrate his birth, so if you choose not to do so, I think that's perfectly acceptable.
What I DO believe matters each day of the year, not just during the holiday season, is that we all strive to be joyful, compassionate, and loving people.
So it is with that spirit that I say to anyone reading this
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
*note: If you have never heard of the pagan origins of Christmas and are interested, feel free to google that phrase for details. To be frank, I'm just not interested in linking to it.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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Thursday, January 1, 2009
Monday, December 29, 2008
It's the most wonderful time of the year
So how was everyone's Christmas?
Ours was great. We decided to hit the road this year, and traveled to both my hometown, as well as Dan's. We ate way too much food, stayed up way too late, and the kid scored TONS of loot..ahem, I mean, gifts. He had so much stuff that he had to open his gifts over a three day time frame. Madness!
Recap of the trip:
Ours was great. We decided to hit the road this year, and traveled to both my hometown, as well as Dan's. We ate way too much food, stayed up way too late, and the kid scored TONS of loot..ahem, I mean, gifts. He had so much stuff that he had to open his gifts over a three day time frame. Madness!
Recap of the trip:
- I confirmed my theory that first time grandparents are insane, and this time I have picture proof. Ian's grandfather, my father, decided that it would be a good thing for Ian to use his laptop as a toy. Seriously, you can't be any crazier than that. I believe some of his email contacts are going to be a bit confused as to why they received an email that reads kuhi43543iunhbndk/,.//-
- Ian was more social than normal. Ian is kind of like a cat (which may be why he loves them so much) in that he has to get to know you in his own way and on his terms. The worst thing you can do when meeting him for the first time is gush all over him, and then try to pick him up. No sir, you're immediately on his list, and trust me, you don't want to be there. The best course of action is to acknowledge his presence with a hello, and then completely ignore him. I know this sounds harsh, but it works. Ian will take several minutes to analyze how you, the newcomer, interact with us, and if you meet his approval he will generally, but not always, work his way toward you. Anyway, this weekend many people broke etiquette for an "Ian meet n greet" but he was fairly quick in forgiving them, and even engaged a few people on his own. It was a Christmas miracle.
- Dan kicked butt at the family domino game. It's pretty much a tradition for my side of the family to have a domino tournament at most family gatherings. This year Dan was "in the zone." You gotta love a man that can talk trash during a game and then back it up.
- We didn't have any major family arguments. You know the routine: It's the holidays, you're stressed out from shopping, you're surround by extended family that knows exactly how to push your buttons, and you theirs, and depending on the family, there may be alcohol. All these things can lead to an explosive family argument. I'm happy to report, we had none. Score!
- We stopped by my in-laws house -well, what's left of it- and saw the extensive damage caused by hurricane Ike. Nature is a frightening, yet amazing thing.
We survived
We're back in town.
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I'm still tired.
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Ian was spoiled rotten.
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Our house is a mess
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Pictures to come
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I'm still tired.
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Ian was spoiled rotten.
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Our house is a mess
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Pictures to come
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Last Friday we decided to venture out to the Trail of Lights. This was the first visit for Ian and I was SO excited. For those who aren't familiar, the trail of lights is a 1.25 mile trail of elaborate Christmas displays (41 displays to be exact). Along the trail there is food, entertainment, and crafts. Good stuff.
When we decided to hit the trail, it made me reminisce of Christmas when I was a child. I remember how my parents and our family friends would pile into our van, drive around neighborhoods near and far, oohing and aahing over the intricate Christmas decorations. Good times.
Anyway, after properly overdosing on the nostalgia of Christmases past, Dan and I prepped the diaper bag, grabbed the stroller, along with a few emergency snacks, and made our way towards the park.
Note to self: The fantasy world and the real world are two totally different places.
See in the fantasy world, the trail of lights is a magical place for kids and adults alike. There are Christmas carols playing in the background, children giddy with laughter, parents with their hands interlaced looking lovingly towards each other as well as their child(ren), all the while absorbing the magic that is Christmas.
In the real world however, it's a bunch of overtired kids hopped up on sugar that are up way past their bedtime. They are surrounded by exhausted parents that just got off of work, and had to sit in a ridiculous amount of traffic, and instead of Christmas carols, there is the occasional parental outburst of "HEY, STOP BEING A BRAT!"
Well count us among the tired parents out with a kid up way past his bedtime, but I think we still managed to have a good time. I introduced Ian to wonder that is funnel cakes (which is even more proof that God exists and love us), and we even managed to take a couple of blurry, out of focus pics. I figured out rather early on that we weren't going to have spectacular pictures. There are thousands of people out there, and if you pause for too long, you're bound to be run down by several thousand strollers. Not worth it.
Either way, I hope you enjoy the blurry pics!
When we decided to hit the trail, it made me reminisce of Christmas when I was a child. I remember how my parents and our family friends would pile into our van, drive around neighborhoods near and far, oohing and aahing over the intricate Christmas decorations. Good times.
Anyway, after properly overdosing on the nostalgia of Christmases past, Dan and I prepped the diaper bag, grabbed the stroller, along with a few emergency snacks, and made our way towards the park.
Note to self: The fantasy world and the real world are two totally different places.
See in the fantasy world, the trail of lights is a magical place for kids and adults alike. There are Christmas carols playing in the background, children giddy with laughter, parents with their hands interlaced looking lovingly towards each other as well as their child(ren), all the while absorbing the magic that is Christmas.
In the real world however, it's a bunch of overtired kids hopped up on sugar that are up way past their bedtime. They are surrounded by exhausted parents that just got off of work, and had to sit in a ridiculous amount of traffic, and instead of Christmas carols, there is the occasional parental outburst of "HEY, STOP BEING A BRAT!"
Well count us among the tired parents out with a kid up way past his bedtime, but I think we still managed to have a good time. I introduced Ian to wonder that is funnel cakes (which is even more proof that God exists and love us), and we even managed to take a couple of blurry, out of focus pics. I figured out rather early on that we weren't going to have spectacular pictures. There are thousands of people out there, and if you pause for too long, you're bound to be run down by several thousand strollers. Not worth it.
Either way, I hope you enjoy the blurry pics!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Gobble Gobble
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
Since Ian was still a bit under the weather we decided to stay home for the holiday, but it was still nice. I managed to throw together an impromptu thanksgiving dinner, and the rest of the day was filled with relaxation, football, and Theraflu.
Did you catch that? I said Theraflu. Who was the Theraflu for you ask? Well apparently, the best way to get over a cold is to pass it on to someone else, and Ian, being such a giving child, decided to give his cold to his Daddy. He's such a sweet boy.
But even with two sick men in my house, I still have a lot to be thankful for. I have great family and friends, enough food for a holiday dinner, a roof over my head to protect me from today's rain, and a life full of laughter.
I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and managed to pinpoint a few things in your own life that you are thankful for.
Ok, I gotta run. I need to take another dose of Vitamin C.
turkey picture courtesy of gravityx9
Friday, October 31, 2008
Guess who I met
I know this has been a very intense political season, and with election day right around the corner both major candidates have been feverishly campaigning for those last minute votes, but imagine my surprise when I saw Barack Obama in my neighborhood on Halloween night. Geez, these guys don't take a break do they?
Well, always one for a photo op, I invited Mr. Obama into our home and asked if he would allow me to take a picture of him. He kindly obliged.
On his way out the door, I also managed to snag a picture of him with one of his secret service agents
Pssst, that's not really Obama. That's Ian. The resemblance is uncanny, I know, but take a second look and you'll see that it really is the munchkin.
Yes, we dressed the little one up as Barack Obama for Halloween and hit the trick or treat trail. His costume was a big hit in the neighborhood, and he promised no tax increases for everyone that gave him candy.
Here are a couple more pics of the evening.
Happy Halloween everyone!
p.s. The white chicken scratches in Ian's hair are actually supposed to represent Obama's gray hair. See, in my fantasy world, I thought I would have Ian sit down while I strategically placed those gray hairs all over his head. Yeah, that didn't happen and you can only do so much when you are trying to pin a kid down with one arm and draw gray hairs in his head with the other.
Well, always one for a photo op, I invited Mr. Obama into our home and asked if he would allow me to take a picture of him. He kindly obliged.
On his way out the door, I also managed to snag a picture of him with one of his secret service agents
Pssst, that's not really Obama. That's Ian. The resemblance is uncanny, I know, but take a second look and you'll see that it really is the munchkin.
Yes, we dressed the little one up as Barack Obama for Halloween and hit the trick or treat trail. His costume was a big hit in the neighborhood, and he promised no tax increases for everyone that gave him candy.
Here are a couple more pics of the evening.
Hitting up the neighbors for candy
Checking out the loot
Happy Halloween everyone!
p.s. The white chicken scratches in Ian's hair are actually supposed to represent Obama's gray hair. See, in my fantasy world, I thought I would have Ian sit down while I strategically placed those gray hairs all over his head. Yeah, that didn't happen and you can only do so much when you are trying to pin a kid down with one arm and draw gray hairs in his head with the other.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
First time Grandparents = Temporary Insanity?
So we packed up and went to my hometown for Memorial Day weekend so that Ian could get some face time with my folks. A good time was had by all, but this past weekend confirmed what I already knew in my heart to be true. First time grandparents are crazy.
Seriously, they consider everything that Ian does, good or bad, to be cute and adorable.
I told them the electrical outlet story, and all they could say was "Oh, looks like you have a little engineer on your hands. He's so curious."
We were in church and Ian did not want to sit still. He was crawling in the pews, babbling and flirting with the woman sitting behind us, shouting periodically, just for fun (side note: Ian would so fit in at a charismatic church), and so I decided to do the responsible thing and take him to the nursery. All of a sudden I hear a woman that both looked and sounded like my mother say "No, don't take him out. He's fine. He's not bothering anyone." Are you kidding me? This lady must have been abducted by aliens because this is not my mother.
We went out to eat with my parents. Dan and I are starting to master the 'hurry up and eat before we run out of distractions and this kid goes completely insane' method of dining. My parents not so much. They are taking their time, savoring every bite, and when Ian starts screeching and banging on the table, again, just because it's fun, they giggle and say how cute it is. I look at them, and I can tell that in their twisted little minds, they think the only reason other people are looking in our direction is so that they can make a mental note of just how adorable Ian is.
I may need to have them committed.
Seriously, they consider everything that Ian does, good or bad, to be cute and adorable.
I told them the electrical outlet story, and all they could say was "Oh, looks like you have a little engineer on your hands. He's so curious."
We were in church and Ian did not want to sit still. He was crawling in the pews, babbling and flirting with the woman sitting behind us, shouting periodically, just for fun (side note: Ian would so fit in at a charismatic church), and so I decided to do the responsible thing and take him to the nursery. All of a sudden I hear a woman that both looked and sounded like my mother say "No, don't take him out. He's fine. He's not bothering anyone." Are you kidding me? This lady must have been abducted by aliens because this is not my mother.
We went out to eat with my parents. Dan and I are starting to master the 'hurry up and eat before we run out of distractions and this kid goes completely insane' method of dining. My parents not so much. They are taking their time, savoring every bite, and when Ian starts screeching and banging on the table, again, just because it's fun, they giggle and say how cute it is. I look at them, and I can tell that in their twisted little minds, they think the only reason other people are looking in our direction is so that they can make a mental note of just how adorable Ian is.
I may need to have them committed.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Hope you had a happy Easter
I know we did. Ian had an appointment with his pulmonologist (lung doctor) on Good Friday, and he gave us the green light to turn Ian loose in the wild (ie. to attend large family gatherings). So what did we do? We packed up the car and headed to Dan's hometown.
Dan's family is big and there were tons of people that got to meet Ian for the first time. It was very exciting.
It was also exciting because Sunday was Dan's birthday. I won't tell you how old he is, but I will say that his age no longer begins with a 2. I'm sure he won't admit it, but I think the best birthday gift he received was to be able walk around his hometown with his little boy in tow.
Everyone got together at Dan's grandmother's house after church and they had a birthday cake for all of the March birthdays (Ian's birthday is in March as well). Everyone sang happy birthday, and Ian smashed his hand into the cake. It was great.
Here are a couple of pictures. **Note: I took a lot more pictures but there are other people in them, and I don't like to post pictures on the web of others when they haven't given me their permission.
I love, love, love this picture. Sometimes the candid shots come out better than the planned ones.
Dan and Ian playing in the hot tub at Ian's paw-paw's house.
We forgot our swimsuits, but next time we are all diving in.
Dan's family is big and there were tons of people that got to meet Ian for the first time. It was very exciting.
It was also exciting because Sunday was Dan's birthday. I won't tell you how old he is, but I will say that his age no longer begins with a 2. I'm sure he won't admit it, but I think the best birthday gift he received was to be able walk around his hometown with his little boy in tow.
Everyone got together at Dan's grandmother's house after church and they had a birthday cake for all of the March birthdays (Ian's birthday is in March as well). Everyone sang happy birthday, and Ian smashed his hand into the cake. It was great.
Here are a couple of pictures. **Note: I took a lot more pictures but there are other people in them, and I don't like to post pictures on the web of others when they haven't given me their permission.
I love, love, love this picture. Sometimes the candid shots come out better than the planned ones.
Dan and Ian playing in the hot tub at Ian's paw-paw's house.
We forgot our swimsuits, but next time we are all diving in.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
My New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year!!
For the first time ever I have decided to create New Year's resolutions. I don't know why exactly, but here they are:
Meditate on a consistent basis (At least 3 times a week)
The past two months I've started meditating and I've found that I really enjoy it. I don't know that I'm doing it properly, but either way it has been good for me and I want to do it regularly. I doubt that I'll do it daily at this point, but I at least want to do it 3 times a week.
Stop procrastinating/manage my time better
I am the queen of procrastination. I will put off the things I know I need to do, simply because there is something more fun that I want to do. A lot of the time it's a very conscious decision to procrastinate, so I just need to stop being lazy and do what I know I need to do. Other times it boils down to simple time management. I'm late to a lot of places because I think I can shower and dress in 15 minutes, when it actually takes me longer(duh).
Become better organized
I'm not as effective as I should be. I lack organization skills. I think I would benefit from having a schedule to organize my day which would help me effectively manage my time.
And there you have it, my 2008 New Year's resolutions.
I hope everyone reading has a wonderful 2008
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I know I did. It was just the hubby, the little one and myself, but we had a good time. We watched the little one open his presents and he seemed to really enjoy it. Of course he seemed to enjoy the wrapping paper even more. At one point he was even rolling on the floor in it (why didn't I get a picture of that!). Of course his grandparents spoiled him rotten and bought him all kinds of noisemaking toys, and I think this kid is going to be the best dressed child ever with all of the clothes he received. Hubby and I bought him a walker and a high chair. He LOVED the walker and since he got to eat sweet potatoes in his high chair I guess he liked it too. All in all the munchkin had a good Christmas and as a result passed out around 8 from all the excitement.
As far as food, we ate the traditional dressing and turkey on Christmas Eve, but I decided to branch out and make gumbo for Christmas day. It turned out to be pretty darn good if I do say so myself, but oh my goodness it takes a long time to make the roux. About 40 minutes of constant stirring to be exact, but it was well worth it. For dessert we had peach cobbler of course.
Below are a few few pictures from today. Enjoy!!
As far as food, we ate the traditional dressing and turkey on Christmas Eve, but I decided to branch out and make gumbo for Christmas day. It turned out to be pretty darn good if I do say so myself, but oh my goodness it takes a long time to make the roux. About 40 minutes of constant stirring to be exact, but it was well worth it. For dessert we had peach cobbler of course.
Below are a few few pictures from today. Enjoy!!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
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