format_quote Originally Posted by
tomtomsmom
Well Grace Seeker it is kind of complicated but I will try to break it down so it is understandable.
Growing up my father, though not athiest, didn't claim any religion. My mother was baptist growing up but turned away from the church in her youth. So I was never taught religion as a child. Which is party why it is so hard to wrap my head around it now. I know who God was, kinds. I knew that Christmas was supposed to be celebrating Jesus' birthday. But I never really understood.
So growing up Christmas was presents, turkey, and family.
Now I believe in God, though I am still not sure of exactly what he should be called. I believe in Jesus, though I don't understand the whole trinity thing.
My husband is muslim. We are not a Christian household. So doing Christmas the christian way just doesn't work for us. We do what does work, so we can still feel the love and joy of the season. My family is very understanding of this. They have all taken great strides to try and make things easier for us. They know that if they decide to pray, that we will not participate. And they have gotten used to reading labels to make sure there is no pork in the beans!:D
That's an interesting post, tomtomsmom.
In some ways my position isn't that dissimilar to yours.
I am the only Christian as my family at home.
We largely celebrate Christmas in the tradition it has become in this country.
As parents (and partly through financial circumstance) both my husband and I are fairly anti-consumeristic in our outlook. We exchange gifts and enjoy good food, but really on a much smaller scale than many people I know.
We don't go in much for the Santa-thing.
Really, Christmas for us is a time to enjoy the good things we have - that includes material wealth as well as family time, each other's company etc.
For me as a Christian, of course, it also includes an awareness that all these things are God's blessings in our lives; and a celebration of his greatest gift of all - the birth and life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As a family we do go to church at Christmas (the only time in the year we go together) and we do put out a nativity scene at home. At the moment those are merely tokens, and remnants of a religious past in an increasingly secular society ...
Every year I pray that the celebration of the birth of Christ will become more meaningful for my husband and children, and I trust that - God willing - one day it will! :sunny:
Peace