Question:
This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X-mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious. I come from a Roman Catholic background and although I do not practice Chritianity anymore, I find it hard not to exchange gifts with my family. I love them no matter what religion they follow. I was just wondering if anyone else has done the same.
Response:
There is no SPECIFIC rule about exchanging gifts on Christian Holidays. There is no real rule forbidding too much, except the Three Fold and the such. Sahmain and the others are Wiccan holidays, but they are the only ones you are forced to follow. There is a holiday on December 21, celebrating the Winter Solstice, so the gifts could be for that. Joe Ferraro
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Thank you. I’m fairly new this, so I wasn’t sure if it was forbidden and such. I’m used to the Roman Catholic ways which state you’re guilty for pretty much anything you do, say or think.
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My family still gives gifts on the xtian christmas, and we do easterbaskets too. When you have little kids it is hard to separate them from the holidays when they are exposed to them so much. I used to live with an Eastern Orthodox family and they required everyone who lived there to keep the Orthodox holidays. Since my family was Protestant, this made for some conflict. (And the BS you had to go through with these people only took the fun out of it if I went anyway.) Once I left I swore I’d never depreive myself of the harmless entertainment and joy of a holiday just because it wasn’t of my religion, because by doing so I was only separating myself from my friends and family. They were all willing to celebrate my holidays, so why not reciprocate. Besides, doesn’t the charge of the Goddess say that "love, laughter and pleasure" are her rituals? BB Wolfman – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X-mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious. I come from a Roman Catholic background and although I do not practice Chritianity anymore, I find it hard not to exchange gifts with my family. I love them no matter what religion they follow. I was just wondering if anyone else has done the same.
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I come from a Christian background and most of my husbands family is Christian also, so we celebrate all the Holidays, Jewish & Christian and now will be adding Wiccan. This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X-mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious. I come from a Roman Catholic background and although I do not practice Chritianity anymore, I find it hard not to exchange gifts with my family. I love them no matter what religion they follow. I was just wondering if anyone else has done the same.
– Shoshana the Jewwitch "Much learning does not teach understanding."- -Heraclitus
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Wolfman: You and I are more one than we think! Another Kindred not afraid to say they do Christmas and Easter for their kids! It is so nice to see that some of us are so sure of who we are as individuals, (witches, wiccans, pagans) that we show our true colors even if it means flames from saying we are not *True* to our craft if we allow the christian aspects any where near our lives! Aine In each of us there is another whom we do not know. Carl G. Jung Is buaine focal na toice an t-saeghail arw photo page–by Weyland Greywolf http://members.xoom.com/celtic_farm/photo.html
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My family still gives gifts on the xtian christmas, and we do easterbaskets too. When you have little kids it is hard to separate them from the holidays when they are exposed to them so much. I used to live with an Eastern Orthodox family and they required everyone who lived there to keep the Orthodox holidays. Since my family was Protestant, this made for some conflict. (And the BS you had to go through with these people only took the fun out of it if I went anyway.) Once I left I swore I’d never depreive myself of the harmless entertainment and joy of a holiday just because it wasn’t of my religion, because by doing so I was only separating myself from my friends and family. They were all willing to celebrate my holidays, so why not reciprocate. Besides, doesn’t the charge of the Goddess say that "love, laughter and pleasure" are her rituals? BB
Here too. I mean we do the Winter Solstice and like what we did years before becoming pagan we just gave the peoples that are celbrating christmas ther gifts when we could get together… kinda like it wasn’t always around Winter Solstice or not…. we just stay up all night unlike our christian friends to call back the sun… Easter is just like Ostara so why worry about it… Summer Solsitice is just a great idea to cook out for and have fun in the sun time… Samhain is well Samhain …… Imbolc and valentines day is so close and so close to each other in ideas why not… gee I like the extra day to tell peoples I love them or to hear myself Thnaksgiving is the one I have a hard time with but here online i have met many native people who told me stories of "Thanksgivings" from the killing of natives…. so I really don’t want to celebrate that but have a feast with family.. Starlite
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I come from a Christian background and most of my husbands family is Christian also, so we celebrate all the Holidays, Jewish & Christian and now will be adding Wiccan. This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X- mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious. I come from a Roman Catholic background and although I do not practice Chritianity anymore, I find it hard not to exchange gifts with my family. I love them no matter what religion they follow. I was just wondering if anyone else has done the same. — Shoshana the Jewwitch "Much learning does not teach understanding."- -Heraclitus
because we dont belong to a religion dousnt mean we cant respect their holy days, many jewish people allow christian staff both the jewish and christian holy days. why cant we do the same, I get cards and gifts, from christian friends, and give them christmas cards and gifts back, They send them to me for Yule I send them to them for christmas. Easter is very much a mixed pagan and christian holiday, I still buy chocolate eggs for my very adult children and grandkids, (they love chocolate eggs ) and I still make real eggs boiled in herbs to colour them, and give them to neighbours children to roll down the local hills. they love them to. and that is very much a pagan thing. — The ‘Old Craft’ lady http://www.oldcity.demon.co.uk/shez/
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writes – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X- mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious. [snip] Oh, definitely, and I still do! (I even give gifts to other friends who aren’t Christian.) Exchanging gifts on Christmas was a 19th-century invention, anyway–the Puritans outlawed celebrating Christmas because it was celebrated at the time rather the way we celebrate New Year’s Eve today: drinking, debauchery, and public vandalism. Read Stephen Nissenbaum’s "The Battle for Christmas". For me, Christmas as it’s celebrated in my family was always pretty secular. It’s a time to see relatives I hardly ever get to talk to, and it’s an excuse to give things to people. I like giving things to people. Rimrunner ever wonder why santa wears a red suit?
because that rotten cola company used him in an advertisment with a red suit. he used to be green or white before that, your cola people have a lot to answer for….. — The ‘Old Craft’ lady http://www.oldcity.demon.co.uk/shez/
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This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X-mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious.
[snip] Oh, definitely, and I still do! (I even give gifts to other friends who aren’t Christian.) Exchanging gifts on Christmas was a 19th-century invention, anyway–the Puritans outlawed celebrating Christmas because it was celebrated at the time rather the way we celebrate New Year’s Eve today: drinking, debauchery, and public vandalism. Read Stephen Nissenbaum’s "The Battle for Christmas". For me, Christmas as it’s celebrated in my family was always pretty secular. It’s a time to see relatives I hardly ever get to talk to, and it’s an excuse to give things to people. I like giving things to people. Rimrunner ever wonder why santa wears a red suit? — Murder of Crows: http://www.nwlink.com/~noah WANT A CD? EMAIL ME! "It is the fact that someone could wind up using the phrase ‘Because I was there, bitch’ in a discussion about a computer that wants more than anything to be friendly and warm and fuzzy that makes me feel that the Internet is the greatest thing ever introduced to human communication." — Jeff Vogel regarding the iMac
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We kind a keep up the tradition because of the kids, but it would be logical to have four gifts a year besides the birthday. Expensive, or divide. BB Etherial – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? The more gift giving side than the religious side. I’m not talking about going to midnight mass on X-mas eve or anything. Has anyone exchanged gifts in the past? Just curious. I come from a Roman Catholic background and although I do not practice Chritianity anymore, I find it hard not to exchange gifts with my family. I love them no matter what religion they follow. I was just wondering if anyone else has done the same.
Response:
This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background?
I give Solstice gifts to those for whom it is appropriate, Christmas gifts to those for whom it is appropriate, and birthday gifts to those for whom it is appropriate (4 family birthdays between mid December and Twelveth Night) and Santa gifts to those for whom it is appropriate. Thinking about WHY you are giving/not giving gifts may not be a bad idea. What are you celebrating? Can you honor the beliefs of another person and not feel untrue to your own? Are you giving gifts out of love for family and friends on a day of great joy for them, are you celebrating the return of the Sun/Light/Hope to the Winter dark? And if you have chosen/been chosen by a Deity/ies, historically, what was the time of great holidays celebrated in His/Her/Their worship? -WAS- the winter Solstice marked in some way or was another season celebrated? Are you trying to make a break with old patterns of behavior while you are sorting out how if much at all you have changed your thoughts on the subject?
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone still celebrate Christmas if your family has a Christian background? I give Solstice gifts to those for whom it is appropriate, Christmas gifts to those for whom it is appropriate, and birthday gifts to those for whom it is appropriate (4 family birthdays between mid December and Twelveth Night) and Santa gifts to those for whom it is appropriate. Thinking about WHY you are giving/not giving gifts may not be a bad idea. What are you celebrating? Can you honor the beliefs of another person and not feel untrue to your own? Are you giving gifts out of love for family and friends on a day of great joy for them, are you celebrating the return of the Sun/Light/Hope to the Winter dark? And if you have chosen/been chosen by a Deity/ies, historically, what was the time of great holidays celebrated in His/Her/Their worship? -WAS- the winter Solstice marked in some way or was another season celebrated? Are you trying to make a break with old patterns of behavior while you are sorting out how if much at all you have changed your thoughts on the subject?
i still celebrate christmas. i celebrate solstice as well. yule is just for those who live under my rooftree and those who know about my spirit path. the rest is for the public world , and as a small piece of comfort that i didn’t have to give up any thing about my old life(except my insecurities and doubts). i enjoy the christmas carols and the tree. and i wouldn’t have it any other way. bright blessings arrow
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Thank you. I’m fairly new this, so I wasn’t sure if it was forbidden and such. I’m used to the Roman Catholic ways which state you’re guilty for pretty much anything you do, say or think.
Then what is the point for belonging to a relgion in which you are "guilty for anything you do, say, or think"? Just curious as such
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