“Better be nice! Santa’s coming to town.“
Doug the human is resistant to the notion that the only appropriate Christmas greeting is “Merry Christmas“, and he prefers and uses “Wishing you a blessed Christmas“.
Compare:
merry = cheerful and lively;
blessed = made holy; consecrated.
Seriously, which word better defines the significance of the birth of the Christ Child? Make your choice but consider this: the commercialism of Christmas is the war on this holy day, not some catch phrase you don’t like as well as another.
Well put
I’m not a fun person to have around certain holidays!
The commercialism at this time of year is what I dread most about the season. 🙂
I was out in public Saturday, and was about to wish the people in the room something for the coming holiday, and I stalled out: which one is appropriate for this crowd? To hell with it! I resent the bastards who turned a simple seasonal greeting into a political act, and I will stop returning greetings or initiating them from now on. If they can’t have a blessed Christmas, then they are missing the point of the season, and they have, frankly, ruined churchy Christmas for me.
Hey Doug
Hope all is well
Just wanted to stop by to see
The world of cats
As Sheldon Always
Thanks, Sheldon! Yes, we are doing well!
That’s good to hear
You stay that way
Give the boys
A scratch behind
The ears for me
As Sheldon Always
It’s being done as I sit here. Andy’ll get his later when he comes back into this room. Dougy says “Mrow!”
We prefer Meowy Christmas! 🙂
And it is appropriate for cats…!
Just saw this on SNL the other night … It might give you a chuckle! 😀
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VqG621-drmk
🎥 Liam Neeson Auditions For Mall Santa Claus – YouTube
LOL! Yeah, that is funny!
Glad you liked it! Laughter is the best medicine.
I agree!
You are right Doug . Have a blessed Christmas seems to me more appropriate and you give good reasons .
In friendship
Michel
I posted this on Facebook, and most of the responses wish me a Merry Christmas. I don’t know for a fact, but I suspect they are politicized responses. No place for it. That person in the White House does a good job of dividing people with his nonsense and the “Merry Christmas”-the war on Christmas business is just one instance. (I stand by my greeting because it is in line with my understanding of the meaning of the birth of the Christ Child.)
i agree with you . I think so, Doug.
I tend to be a traditionalist, but I guess my sense of the holiday predates Christmas trees and the other things that make up a modern Christmas celebration. It is primarily a secular holiday now for most people, and getting huffy about “Merry Christmas or else” strikes me as a quest to forget the Christ Child and bully others into observing this secular holiday the way they want to. The irony is the greeting these people least like (“happy holidays” or variations of it) are typically what you hear in stores where people are spending money on gifts that are symbolic less of Christ or the gifts given him by the Magis and more of the secular holiday that is the modern Christmas. I told everyone I’m tedious on the subject!
Doug ,here is a Christmas song sang by a choir that I had created and directed fro 1944 to 2006. This is titles Noêl by the composer Praetorius (XVI century ) . I like it . The words are below the video but in French .
In friendship
Michel
https://youtu.be/k-C2-eXroZw
Yes, I am familiar with this piece and am partial to Early and Baroque music, which is the biggest part of my CD collection of circa 5000-6000 CDs.(Your choir performed it well!) Thanks for the video, especially since it is one of my favorite Praetorius pieces!
Doug, I totally agree with you. The commercialism of this time of year is disgusting and totmisses the point of the season. It’s a slap in Jesus’ face in putting a bow on. Mercedes.
I dislike how the “Merry Christmas” greeting has become a political thing, too, as if that is the sole acceptable one. Frankly, I feel mine is more appropriate, if less traditional in most instances since the holiday became a gift exchange business.
I agree! Saying Merry seems really goofy to me. Consumerism and the dismissal of Christ from our American lives will be our undoing.
Obviously, I agree. While I don’t impose my preference on others, I get tedious if they try to impose their will on me to use their preferred greeting. I’d rather people walk the walk instead o talking it up and showing they miss the lesson of the Christ Child. I confess I am not what I’d call a “good Christian”, but I do believe the basic lesson of treating others the way we like to be treated is one Americans have forgotten in recent years.
I haven’t thought about this. In Swedish we say “god jul” which literally means a good Christmas.
I think variations on “Merry Christmas” are typical. Here in America, there are people who think that there is a “war” on Christmas just because other people say “Happy Holidays” or something other than “Merry Christmas”, I personally think they miss the point of the holiday. (“Holiday” = “holy day”, that is to say selling you a Mercedes or BMW is not the point, and by wishing someone a blessed Christmas one gets a bit closer to the meaning than by imposing “Merry Christmas” angrily on all people just because one is narrow-minded and unable to recall why the Christ Child is the gift of the season.) Gad! I’m certainly sanctimonious today!
👍
we are with your human… is is the birthday of jesus… even when the medias and the commercials say it is for eggs-changing (and BUYING!) gifts…
The most outrageous commercials suggest luxury autos with big bows are an appropriate gift for Christmas. I realize I am a bit stuffy on the matter of Christmas, yet the significance of Baby Jesus’ birth is he will grow up, have a short ministry on earth, then died a horrific death, then rise into heaven to be believers’ savior. That is the gift of Jesus. (So much for my tedious sermonette!)
it’s awful… but I’m totally with the mercedes commercial: the best or nothing… so I picked the second choice ;o)
Ah, but isn’t the birth of any child cheerful and lively (and painful for the mother LOL!) too? I think both apply to Jesus. 🙂
Of course! I just see it as a prelude to the suffering of Christ on the cross as acknowledged during the Easter season. (As you can imagine, I’m no fun around Christmas! I blame it on being raised Presbyterian.)
An interesting thought in this 21st century.
I admit I am not fun around this time of year.