The spirit of Christmas..forgotten??

Greetings all,
I have something I want to share with you people that I think is quite significant. The spirit of Christmas has just about died completely in our town. So to uplift and give recognition to this event our town council has decided to host a contest to see who could decorate their businesses the best as well as a separate one for house owners. You enter this competition purely out of freewill. And the best of all!!!!It is not about money. The prize to be won is a floating trophy that will be awarded each year. Although the lights is going to cost you a bit but then you know the people who do participate do it for the right reason. I think it is a great start and about time we do something about it. Oh, last but not least you may also use candles for this occasion, which I think is very traditional.

Just thought I should share this with you and please let me know how you feel about something like this.
Regards
Vanman:)

I do not think the spirit of christmas is forgotten. There are some poeple in whom it never existed.However, I think it is alive in the hearts of many today and will be carried forth into the future. Christmas is an intangible feeling of love and hope that exists within your heart and mind for your family, friends and mankind in general.It is a celebration of the season of love and the eternal hope that these feelings will eventually lead mankind towards a unification of spirit and effort towards a better life for all.As long as mankind exist these feelings will never vanish. These lights say"remember these feelings you posses hand them down to the next generation so that they may live among us forever". Auntie

i believe that the spirit of christmas hasnt been forgotten, but it has changed. it used to be a big happy thing where everyone gets together and had dinner and sing songs ect. but today christmas lasts about 1hr on the 25th dec because after the presents have been opened and thats it. christmas is over :(. however we go out every christmas around to all our family and friends home and have a nice big dinner with our best friends at the end of the day. however for some its just not there at all.

Merry Xmas HOHOHO!!!!!!!!!

Mery christmas, but as a simple reminder please do not fall into the commercial trap that Xmas has become. The original santa Claus is called St Nicola and is celebrated on the 6 of december. Supposedly only the deserving children would get gifts and for the others it would be the Pére Fouetard ( master of lashes) that would visite them. But i always enjoyed the gifts so who cares what it had become and celebrate it with people you want to spend precious time with !!!

I believe the spirit of Christmas is in the eyes of the beholder. How ever one views Christmas is how the Christmas spirit affects them. The old stories of Christmas spirit is about giving remains true, but in receiving, you are also giving joy for what you have received; thus making the person giving you your gift feel good about the purchase they made or the gift they created. :) I think we should all concentrate on resolving world issues in order to have a good holiday season, no matter what your religion. Happy Holidays!

I think the Christmas "spirit" is lost because Christmas has been lost as a religous holiday to most people. I know I no longer use it as a day to remember Jesus. I use it as a day to get presents. So in a way, the Christmas spirit kinda has left us.

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Originally posted by nabylbt
Mery christmas, but as a simple reminder please do not fall into the commercial trap that Xmas has become. The original santa Claus is called St Nicola and is celebrated on the 6 of december. Supposedly only the deserving children would get gifts and for the others it would be the Pére Fouetard ( master of lashes) that would visite them. But i always enjoyed the gifts so who cares what it had become and celebrate it with people you want to spend precious time with !!!

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I always wondered about the Saint Nicola (which we Europeans celebrate the 6th of December) vs. Santa Claus thing, so I looked it up :/
Here's an interesting piece about it...
Oh, and not only is he the patron saint of children, but of prostitutes as well...

I don't think the true spirit of Christmas has been lost. In America a small minority is trying to make us forget it. We went to our nephew's school Christmas play last year. First, there was no CHRISTmas. It was Xmas. Secondly, not one single part of the play had anything to do with Jesus, Mary, or anything related. None of the songs were the traditionals, such as Silent Night or Away in a Manger. They were generic, non religious. Every little act in the play had some pagan god or goddess.

I have no objection to that. What I object to is, if they can portray pagan entities, why not be able to balance it with Christianity? We weren't the only ones to notice this discrepancy, either. A lot of parents and others mentioned it.

I think the spirit of Christmas comes from within each of us. The exterior displays (lights, trees, gifts) are just an expression of what we feel about Christmas. Sure Christmas has become commercialized, but society made it that way. It is up to each person to decide what Christmas means to them and to celebrate in their own way. You don't have to fall into a totally commercialized trap. The decision is yours.

I base my Christmas spirit on what I feel like each year, my family and friends. This year my Christmas spirit is up from the past few years. To show that I have decorated a lot more. Both at the office and at home. It seems to brighten everyone's day a little more, and to me this year that is what Christmas is about.