What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Goddlefrood" <gav_fiji at ...> 
wrote:

Goddlefrood:
> > Geoff:
> > These traditions are not actually part of the essential message 
> > of Christianity and, hence, of Christmas and really are  
> > irrelevant to what the season is all about; however, they make 
> > useful red herrings to distract folk from investigating what our 
> > faith is all about.

> Goddlefrood:
> Peace on earth, good will to all men, salvation through penitence 
> etc. What peaceful times we live in. The matters referred to, 
> and many others, are part of the Christmas tradition whether 
> some Christians like it or not. 
 
> I've always celebrated Christmas, I've even been to the occasional 
> mass (my school was CofE, I got married in an Abglican church, my 
> wife's a Catholic). This wasn't about Christianity, it was about 
> Christmas and no amount of proselitising is going to change that. 
> Trees, Father Christmas, decorations, turkeys and many other things 
> are part of Christmas, full stop.

Geoff:
Agreed, in the sense that you are using Christmas. But 
they are not part of "the reason for the season" and 
therefore, for me, my previous comment holds good,


Goddlefrood: 
> laying good odds that trees abound in the homes of 
> many on this list, that Father Christmas / Santa has called at 
> the homes of many of our children and that turkeys are in trouble.

Geoff:
Yes, you would get your result from my end certainly 
but the things you mention would go in the same file 
as shorts, sun lotion and shirtlessness in the summer; 
my enjoyment of the summertime can be just as good 
without them in the same way that my celebration of 
Christmas as a Christian does not depend on turkeys 
or Santa or pressies - although they add a hedonistic 
twist to events.

For tomorrow - or actually now today - Happy Christmas 
to all.