A Christmas Celebration to Remember. Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

A Christmas Celebration to Remember

“When I was a child, I celebrated Christmas and believed in Santa Claus. I have long since stopped keeping Christmas. Here’s why.

It was the first Christmas celebration I can remember. I was 5 years old and filled with anticipation and excitement—Santa Claus was coming to our home and bringing presents for our family, including my brother and me.

Waiting for Santa

Our family was living in a remote region on the east coast of South Africa. Dec. 25 finally arrived, and we were informed that Santa was making a special trip to personally deliver our presents. You can imagine our excitement. As darkness descended, our family gathered together in the lounge for this special event. We were told that Santa would emerge through the lounge door, not the chimney.

My father finally announced that Santa was about to arrive and that he was going outside to meet him. We distinctly heard the roar of an engine. It was Santa arriving! I waited with bated breath, my eyes firmly fixed on the lounge door. Then I heard the plodding of steps. Slowly the door opened, and there he stood — Santa Claus.

Santa opened the large sack he had slung over his shoulder and proceeded to hand out gifts to everyone. He handed me the exact fluffy dog I had asked for — this remarkable individual actually knew what I wanted for Christmas!

After handing out the gifts, he announced that he still had other families to visit, and with a final “ho, ho,” he disappeared through the door. A minute later there was the sound of an engine starting up, and Santa was on his merry way. How he was able to visit everyone in one night was beyond my reasoning ability. I was so enamored by my fluffy dog that I barely noticed my father returning afterward to join the family.

A surprising discovery

A few years later my mother asked me to fetch some items from our attic. While there, I noticed a cardboard box tucked away in the corner. My curiosity was aroused, and I slowly opened the lid and peered inside. To my utter amazement, it contained the garments, and even the beard, Santa wore that evening!

Astounded, I approached my visiting grandmother with my discovery. She then spilled the beans!

The individual I had met was not Santa, but my father disguised in Santa attire. My grandma informed me that there was no such person called Santa — but she assured me that the intentions of my parents were honorable and that, more important, it was a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a time for families to spend together.

Does the Bible have anything to say about the celebration of Christmas and the involvement of the fictitious figure of Santa Claus? 

The problem with Christmas

Before we proceed, carefully consider these important questions.

Are the opinions of people more important than what God says? Should we follow our own opinions and feelings, or should we follow the teachings of God’s Word? A good starting point is Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Keep that scripture in mind as you read the rest of this blog post.”      Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/a-christmas-celebration-to-remember/?

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This was borrowed from my son, Peter Blue’s FB page

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Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah

“Since so many holidays have pagan origins, some have wondered, is there anything wrong with national holidays like Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah?

Since so many religious holidays have pagan roots, some have wondered if all modern holidays are suspect. What about national holidays such as Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and the Jewish national holidays of Purim and Hanukkah?

Purim and Hanukkah mentioned in the Bible

Though Purim and Hanukkah are not commanded feasts of the Lord, they are mentioned in the Bible. The book of Esther describes the events that led to the establishment of the festival of Purim, as God saved the Jews from destruction by evil Haman. Hanukkah was also called the Feast of Dedication, mentioned in John 10:22-23. It celebrates the rededication of the temple after it had been defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes.

Days for giving thanks

Both of these holidays were established to give thanks to God, just as the American and Canadian Thanksgiving days are. Though some modern customs of these days may not be pleasing to God, they are not rooted in paganism and do not subvert any of the truths presented in the festivals of God.”    From: https://lifehopeandtruth.con-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/thanksgiving/

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Update.

Jay and I installed the gray carpet in the mini-house living room.  I chose gray so that it would match the gray marble linoleum that is in the adjacent kitchen and bathroom.

My friend and her husband brought over the matching loveseat, ottoman and area rug that they had been storing for me, and here it is:

It matches the couch which is in the main house.  At least we have somewhere comfy to sit now.

Zack and I fixed a louvered door which is going to be installed like a little hallway wall by the bathroom door in the mini-house.  Then we took my old mechanical “clicky” keyboard apart to clean it.  I am gradually getting it back together. Using a spare “non-clicky” one for now.  It just isn’t the same, because I learned to type on a very old mechanical typewriter when I was nine years old.

I bought a stack washer/dryer set, and had 24 hours to try it out.  We hooked it up in my garage, and the washer part worked ok, but the dryer really had something wrong with it, so I took it back.  My van is so big it can haul just about anything. This prompted a deep cleaning in the area of my garage where my washer and dryer had to be put back.  

Next time you can, unhook your dryer and get all the lint out of the back of it and the vent !!  It can be a serious fire hazard.  I am glad buying the W/D set brought this to my attention, time could have plodded along and no thought ever been given to cleaning it, until it was too late.

For the church potluck I took organic chicken, rice and veggies.  The pastor and his wife were over their colds and able to come this week, but there was a very small crowd, but at least, Jay went with me. He is really trying to stay off the beer and work here a little bit.  There are so many things that Zack doesn’t know how to do, whereas Jay and I have been working on stuff for over 20 years.  He started working here in 1994, way back when my Johnnie was still alive.

The Bible readings were Gen. 32:4-33:20, Ob. 1:1-15 and James1:1-12, and the teaching was about the difference between Hanukkah and Christmas.  Both have lights and rejoicing.

Two of my friends have switched to ‘smart phones’ and can’t do a thing with them. It’s difficult to teach old dogs new tricks, but I guess I will have to get one too, some day.