Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, jolly Sun Return, and Happy Festivus!
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Monday, December 15, 2025 20:18
VIEWED: 6282
PAGE 1 of 4
I may not be around much for a bit, so in case I miss this ....
Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, may it be a great one, full of joy and fond memories. And just in case I miss this too ...
May the next year be happy, healthy, and prosperous for you all. We might fight like cats and dogs, but don't all families?
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I read yesterday that the original people who came up with Festivus (The holiday pole and airing of grievances was made up) had a clock in a bag nailed to the wall next to a sign that said "Fuck Fascism."
There's a holiday sentiment I'm totally on board with.
May you feel however you damn well feel like this season, and every season 
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Christmas eve:
"New Testament written in what year?:
But from the middle of the 1st century AD texts begin to be written which will
later be gathered into a New Testament, representing the updated covenant
revealed by Christ. The earliest such texts are the letters (or Epistles) written
between about 50 and 62 AD by St Paul to various early Christian communities.
"When were the books of the New Testament written?
"Here’s an important fact to keep in mind: Jesus died in roughly A.D. 30 to 33,
not the year 0, since A.D. does not mean “After Death” but Anno Domini (“in the
year of our Lord”).
"With A.D. 30 as ground zero, most scholars date Paul’s letters between A.D. 50
and 66, the first three Gospels between A.D. 50 and 70, and John’s writings some-
time between A.D.. 80 and 90. That makes the majority of the epistles and three
of the Gospels dated only twenty to forty years after the death of Jesus."
........................
My own opinion or suspicion:
Joseph & Mother Mary didn't exist. Jesus didn't exist.
The New Testament is a fictional work wholly produced by the early Catholic Church.
I'm not saying this to be mean to Christians. They can believe in Jesus, but I can't ...
Quite by accident, I once had an epiphany. Jesus Christ wasn't in it. & that proves
nothing.
Merry Christmas to All!!
... oooOO}{OOooo ...
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I'm pretty sure that everyone knows that Jesus was a Jew.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I may not be around much for a bit, so in case I miss this ....
Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, may it be a great one, full of joy and fond memories. And just in case I miss this too ...
May the next year be happy, healthy, and prosperous for you all. We might fight like cats and dogs, but don't all families?
Merry Christmas to you too Sigs. Hope Santa brings what you want. :)
And to everybody else on the board, I hope you make it a mission to improve some things in your life next year. I can't believe that a year has gone by since I stopped drinking (well... in another 8 days). It's nice to have memories again, when everything wasn't Groundhog Day on repeat.
If you're one of the people of the mind that 2017 was the worst year ever, I suggest to focus on the things you can actually do something about to help yourself and those you care about in 2018. 2017 was the best year I've lived in many years, and absolutely none of it had anything to do with politics except for the time I spent here in the RWED.
Merry Christmas Haken. Thanks for keeping the signal going.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:No such thing as Year Zero.
Originally posted by Oonjerah:
Christmas eve:
"New Testament written in what year?:
But from the middle of the 1st century AD texts begin to be written which will
later be gathered into a New Testament, representing the updated covenant
revealed by Christ. The earliest such texts are the letters (or Epistles) written
between about 50 and 62 AD by St Paul to various early Christian communities.
"When were the books of the New Testament written?
"Here’s an important fact to keep in mind: Jesus died in roughly A.D. 30 to 33,
not the year 0, since A.D. does not mean “After Death” but Anno Domini (“in the
year of our Lord”).
"With A.D. 30 as ground zero, most scholars date Paul’s letters between A.D. 50
and 66, the first three Gospels between A.D. 50 and 70, and John’s writings some-
time between A.D.. 80 and 90. That makes the majority of the epistles and three
of the Gospels dated only twenty to forty years after the death of Jesus."
........................
My own opinion or suspicion:
Joseph & Mother Mary didn't exist. Jesus didn't exist.
The New Testament is a fictional work wholly produced by the early Catholic Church.
I'm not saying this to be mean to Christians. They can believe in Jesus, but I can't ...
Quite by accident, I once had an epiphany. Jesus Christ wasn't in it. & that proves
nothing.
Merry Christmas to All!!
... oooOO}{OOooo ...
Jesus died around age 39 or 40, IIRC. So was born around 7 or 6 BC.
So were the Roman Decrees to arrest, kill the make-believe Jesus also make-believe? Were the Romans make-believe? Were the Jews make-believe? Is all history make-believe?
What is your theory on why all the texts of the major religions (Bible, Koran, Torah, Veda, Tripitaka's, etc) have similar stories? Like the same 40 days and 40 nights of deluge, for example? Did every opposing Religion conjure the stories together, in collusion?
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
What is your theory on why all the texts of the major religions (Bible, Koran, Torah, Veda, Tripitaka's, etc) have similar stories? Like the same 40 days and 40 nights of deluge, for example? Did every opposing Religion conjure the stories together, in collusion?
People of the time were BORED. Mind-bogglingly BORED. The only entertainment they had -besides screwing goats- was storytelling. For instance, even without having seen any of the movies or TV series, most people today know quite a bit about Batman's backstory.
People travelled and told stories then, in exchange for food or lodging. It was a real thing. They were called BARDS...They told the stories on trade routes across the globe.
Ever heard of the Cult of Mithras? Older than Jesus, but many parts of his stories were similar in nature. If fact, most of the bible has been recycled from stories that predated Jesus.
Throughout time there have been people telling stories of super humans, that other people have believed without question, because this planet is truly dull and unmagical...but it's fun to think there could be more. Here's a whole wiki page on people who were worshipped as gods
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_been_considered_
deities
The fact is, all of their followers have been used and then died out, with never a shred of actual proof they existed at all. Because THERE ARE NO GODS. I know...it's sad.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by G:
It always nice to give and receive gifts! Depending on your family situation, it can be nice to have everybody together again.
I think if the people in my family had to buy each other gifts, there would be actual seizures involved. Literally, my grandmother has given my daughter two gifts, one was at her baby shower and a couple years ago she gave her a bar of craft soap. Not kidding.
My mother hasn't seen my kid in five years and has talked to her twice on the phone. I don't think she's gotten anything for her since she was five. A few years ago, she brought the movie Brave (2012) and watched it with her then SHE TOOK THE MOVIE WITH HER. My brother's kid doesn't even register on her radar, so it isn't just us...
My dad may have been a shit parent, but he was an awesome grandparent. Pisses me off SHE'S still breathing.
Then, there's my husbands' family...who uses buying things as leverage to get what they want. I stopped going to Christmas at their house 5 years ago because it is just NOT WORTH IT, EVER. For the past five years, we've gotten pine scented candle sets, and she knows we all have allergies to the pine scent. Their way of being passive aggressive.
So, when someone says "Merry Christmas" to me I just can't help but think "Merry Asshole Day To YOU, Too."
It is what it is.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I love Christmas. Even tho I know it's a mish-mash of Xtian and pagan holidays, and long after I gave up the notion of the birth of Christ, it has very happy memories for me ...
Waking up as a little child, to creep into the living room with my two sisters where a tree, with gifts, had magically appeared.
Trying to guess what was inside the packages using the Xmas tree lights, and trying to stay quiet because mom and dad were sleeping in (having spent the night putting up the tree).
Later, "helping" dad saw off the bottom of the tree and keeping it in wet sand in the basement, and decorating the tree
Finally being judged to be old enough to stay up for midnight mass, with the wind biting my nose and cheeks and looking at the moon riding high in the sky with wind-propelled clouds scurrying across its face.
Singing Christmas carols - in Polish - which I still remember to this day.
A lullaby
Family parties ... the grownups playing rummy or pinochle and laughing and drinking beer in the kitchen ... us kids in the back room goofing around ... my aunt's butter cookies and my other aunt's turkey ...
Walking thru the neighborhood, where every neighbor put up SOMEthing, Christmas lights glowing softly thru falling snow or shining on the drifts of the last snowstorm, or even wetly reflecting off sodden autumn leaves.
Just the fact that people would go through the bother of putting up those lights ... not to be a showcase, but just to be PRETTY ... something for everyone to enjoy ... made me feel warm and loved and safe ... not just because of my family, but because of everyone.
That's why, even after our DD was born so catastrophically, I put up SOMEthing in the window, even if I could only manage a few strings indoors.
I know it sounds too good to be true, but that's how I remember the holiday. Every child should feel so blessed, at least once in a while.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Well, now that I'm retired, I did something that we haven't done in YEARS ... put up a tree.
It used to be our family tradition (even if we were isolated on the West Coast) but the trees just kept getting larger and larger until one year ... many years ago .... we bought the tree that broke us. It didn't LOOK that big in the lot; it was beautiful and majestic and full. But when we got back home, we had a helluva time hoisting it off the car and into the house ... musta weighed 200 lbs and full of sap ... then we had to cut 2' off the leader ... then we tried putting it into one of those dinky tree stands and it -literally- splayed the legs up. So hubby had to construct a 3' x 3' plywood stand with guy wires to eyebolts in the corners .... spent forever righting the tree, and that was all BEFORE we decorated it.
So, never again! I would put up decorations, but NO TREE!
Anyway, with more time this year, I bought a 4" tree. A little jolly tree that DD and I decorated. I found the lights that I had carefully stored away, and some treasured ornaments and a garland, and it's magic.
So MERRY CHRISTMAS! or whatever you celebrate this time of year! May your days become sources of treasured memories.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME