What Does Christmas Mean To You?

[Kiorrik]

Food.

[nickagneta]

To me Christmas has meant a lot of different things over the years. First, as the time Santa Claus came and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my grandmother's house and getting tons of toys and gifts. Then it became the day Christ was born and the reason my religious faith was what it was and spending time getting gifts from my family. Then it became the time where I also got to give gives and when spending that time with my family gathered together was the best time of year. When marriage and children entered the picture it meant being Santa Claus, hosting the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day parties, cooking, drinking, celebrating, watching the joy on the faces of my children as they opened their presents, warmth and love.

As the kids got older and my brothers and sister and parents and I grew apart, it became the one holiday where the entire family always gathered together and spent time with each other, reminiscing upon older days and laughing and playing and sharing our love with each other as a very busy and large world seemed to pull us apart.

In all the commercialism and shopping and running around and gift wrapping and traveling and decorating and light hanging that can drive people to stress out and hate Christmas, I try, admittedly sometimes in vain, to remember that Christmas is a time to celebrate love. On Thanksgiving, here in the USA, we celebrate all that we have to be thankful for and give thanks to a high being, spirit, God or just to each other for everything we have and are. But at Christmas, I like to think, for me, it is a celebration of love. The love we have for our family, our friends, our home and our surroundings and our faith, whatever that may be.

I am no longer Roman Catholic or even religious though I do believe in a higher power, energy, being, etc. And as much as I don't believe much of the story of Jesus, I get that Christmas, to Christians, is the celebration of the love God had for his people that he thought enough to send his son to Earth to help us and that the day of the birth of that son is the day we celebrate that love of God for all of us. I try to emulate that celebration of love from God for all his children in my new beliefs of Christmas and why I look at Christmas as a celebration of love for all we are and all the people and things we are surrounded with and hold dear to ourselves.

[dark_lord]

xmas means family, love, giving, togetherness......and most importantly for me presently, seeing the joy and magic of xmas through my son's eyes

[Bahku]

xmas means family, love, giving, togetherness......and most importantly for me presently, seeing the joy and magic of xmas through my son's eyes

When your little ones reach 2 or 3, and they can really start appreciating Santa Claus, etc., that's when Christmas takes on another really awesome level altogether ... so awesome. My kids are grown, but I'm having a couple more with my new wife ... at least that's what we're planning ... I love being a Dad ... best and most difficult job on earth.

[Tnerb02]

Christmas means nothing to me.

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, besides what I posted earlier....Christmas (especially THIS Christmas coming up) means 2 years in a row that the Celtics have played.

To me this means that the Celtics have come a LONG way from the Pre-KG and Ray Ray days. We are now one of the Premier teams for us to get this kind of press.

Now...once we go down to ORL and silence SVG and his Magic, that will make Christmas that much sweeter to me. No way on earth that Boston will miss that many open shots again, like they did the first time we met.

And the icing on the cake would be CLE beating LA..even though I can't stand either team, lol...

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Foremost, the birth of my savior. Secondarily, time with my family. Having spent my entire life (until 3 years ago) in Maine, I was very much used to the traditional, Currier & Ives type of Christmas: cold and (usually) snowy weather, having to wear warm clothes, etc. But now I'm about to experience my third Christmas in Southern California, and during that time I've come to see more and more, and feel and believe more and more, that Christmas really is about true hope: the hope I have in Jesus. The presents and all that are nice, but knowing God means more to me with every passing year.

[Bahku]

Foremost, the birth of my savior. Secondarily, time with my family. Having spent my entire life (until 3 years ago) in Maine, I was very much used to the traditional, Currier & Ives type of Christmas: cold and (usually) snowy weather, having to wear warm clothes, etc. But now I'm about to experience my third Christmas in Southern California, and during that time I've come to see more and more, and feel and believe more and more, that Christmas really is about true hope: the hope I have in Jesus. The presents and all that are nice, but knowing God means more to me with every passing year.

Where are you from in Maine, if I may ask? I grew up in Gorham, moved many times around the world, and I'm back to Gorham. Two of my kids live in Apple Valley, CA, the other in Hull, MA. Love your post, by the way ... and I agree!     (3:16)

[Rondo_is_better]

Food.

Holla!

[GreenFaith1819]

Foremost, the birth of my savior. Secondarily, time with my family. Having spent my entire life (until 3 years ago) in Maine, I was very much used to the traditional, Currier & Ives type of Christmas: cold and (usually) snowy weather, having to wear warm clothes, etc. But now I'm about to experience my third Christmas in Southern California, and during that time I've come to see more and more, and feel and believe more and more, that Christmas really is about true hope: the hope I have in Jesus. The presents and all that are nice, but knowing God means more to me with every passing year.

What part of Southern Cal are you in? San Diego? I was just stationed there. Laker Land.

I remember I had just returned from deployment in May 2008 last year and was blessed enough to go to LegoLand there in San Diego with my boys and their classmates. I didn't think I would make it back in time to go, but I did. I let my oldest son wear my Ray Allen jersey and when we got on one of the water rides there, the Laker Locals made sure they wet us up the most with the water guns, the bums . I guess they could see the whipping that was about to come in a few weeks.

I can certainly relate to your post, especially the last part about knowing God more and more every year. Military service took me away from loved ones nearly half of the Christmases and Thanksgivings over my 20 yr service, and it became imperative for me to lean more and more on God to get me and my shipmates through trying times.

Well, keep your head up and take care.

[GreenFaith1819]

To me Christmas has meant a lot of different things over the years. First, as the time Santa Claus came and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my grandmother's house and getting tons of toys and gifts. Then it became the day Christ was born and the reason my religious faith was what it was and spending time getting gifts from my family. Then it became the time where I also got to give gives and when spending that time with my family gathered together was the best time of year. When marriage and children entered the picture it meant being Santa Claus, hosting the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day parties, cooking, drinking, celebrating, watching the joy on the faces of my children as they opened their presents, warmth and love.

As the kids got older and my brothers and sister and parents and I grew apart, it became the one holiday where the entire family always gathered together and spent time with each other, reminiscing upon older days and laughing and playing and sharing our love with each other as a very busy and large world seemed to pull us apart.

In all the commercialism and shopping and running around and gift wrapping and traveling and decorating and light hanging that can drive people to stress out and hate Christmas, I try, admittedly sometimes in vain, to remember that Christmas is a time to celebrate love. On Thanksgiving, here in the USA, we celebrate all that we have to be thankful for and give thanks to a high being, spirit, God or just to each other for everything we have and are. But at Christmas, I like to think, for me, it is a celebration of love. The love we have for our family, our friends, our home and our surroundings and our faith, whatever that may be.

I am no longer Roman Catholic or even religious though I do believe in a higher power, energy, being, etc. And as much as I don't believe much of the story of Jesus, I get that Christmas, to Christians, is the celebration of the love God had for his people that he thought enough to send his son to Earth to help us and that the day of the birth of that son is the day we celebrate that love of God for all of us. I try to emulate that celebration of love from God for all his children in my new beliefs of Christmas and why I look at Christmas as a celebration of love for all we are and all the people and things we are surrounded with and hold dear to ourselves.

I can certainly relate to the 2nd paragraph of your post, Nick....when I returned here to VA just recently after nearly 7 years, I was able to see my mom, mother in law and lots of family on my wife side for the first time in quite a few years. The homecoming is sweeter for me because of the coming time of the year (Christmas), and it is sweet for my wife as well, because she uprooted herself as well to come join me at the various duty stations.

Christmas and Thanksgiving were always the the two holidays that our respective families got together for before we left back in 2003.

This time for us is even more special because our families are seeing my youngest son (6) for the very first time.

God Bless and take care.

[Bahku]

Not specifically about Christmas, but it always reminds me of such ... and is a poem, (about mortality), that I memorized as a child:



Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
 

         - Robert Frost

[dark_lord]

xmas means family, love, giving, togetherness......and most importantly for me presently, seeing the joy and magic of xmas through my son's eyes

When your little ones reach 2 or 3, and they can really start appreciating Santa Claus, etc., that's when Christmas takes on another really awesome level altogether ... so awesome. My kids are grown, but I'm having a couple more with my new wife ... at least that's what we're planning ... I love being a Dad ... best and most difficult job on earth.

my son is 3, so i know what u mean

[Bahku]

My vote for the absolute WORST Christmas poem ever written, (perhaps the worst poem, period):


Another Christmas Of Agony

Misha the dog lies dead in the bog
The children mourn over the carcass
The mist chokes my heart
Covers the mourners
At least this year we eat.

       - Kalashnikov


If that doesn't make you appreciate Christmas, I don't know what will. 

[Eja117]

My vote for the absolute WORST Christmas poem ever written, (perhaps the worst poem, period):


Another Christmas Of Agony

Misha the dog lies dead in the bog
The children mourn over the carcass
The mist chokes my heart
Covers the mourners
At least this year we eat.

       - Kalashnikov


If that doesn't make you appreciate Christmas, I don't know what will. 

The guy that invented the gun? I kinda like it