ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?

[CellarDweller]

The guitar also has Christmas lights to accent it, and the hat's band has holly and berries on it.

[CellarDweller]

Ennis' truck has a Christmas tree and present in the back.

[CellarDweller]

The Texas wreath.

[CellarDweller]

Christmas smurfs.

[CellarDweller]

Christmas Simpsons

[Penthesilea]

LOL
Do you have any "Christmas" ornaments?

Some of them are Christmasy, you just have to look.

Not to speak for Brian, but to me Christmas ornaments means stuff like glass baubles, bells, straw stars, etc.
But I totally like your tree every year. It's so American, and it's sooo Chuckie! And of course I love all your Western/Brokie themed ornaments!
And thanks to my Brokie friends, I also have some un-traditional ornaments on my tree (like my Ennis truck, a cowboy boot, etc.). And my tree has gotten much more full since I see your Americans' ones For German circumstances, my tree is overdecorated, but it's still less full than yours.

This is a typical German tree, mostly naked, with few carefully placed baubles Many people have even less baubles on it, and maximum two different colors on the tree.



(pic from the net, not mine)

[CellarDweller]

I don't mind trees that are sparsely decorated.  I've seen trees that have no ornaments on them, just the lights, and they look very pretty that way.

Truth be told, my tree could have more on it, but I choose not to have a ton of ornaments.

[serious crayons]

The whole concept of Christmas is pagan. The Christian church took over the mid-winter festival.

Exactly. Many of our Christmas traditions are of pagan origins -- the tree, the yule log, all the lights, possibly the celebrations and feasts. Even the date itself, Dec. 25, has more to do with the winter solstice/darkest time of year (Chrissi -- it's an ancient version of Longerdays!) than it does with the actual day Jesus Christ was born. That's what was clever about the Church's conversion of pagans to Christianity -- they kept some pagan traditions to appeal to the converts.

Easter traditions are much the same. So are Halloween traditions, for that matter! I realize Halloween is not a Christian holiday, but the day afterward is. I think Christians established All Saints Day to Christianize pagans' Samhain.

[serious crayons]

LOL
Do you have any "Christmas" ornaments?

Not to speak for Brian, but to me Christmas ornaments means stuff like glass baubles, bells, straw stars, etc.

I just went to look at mine and I have very few Christmas-specific ornaments. I'm too lazy to take and upload a photo, but there are a lot of foods (a slice of watermelon, a red-and-green transparent glass chili, a glittery peanut, a bottle of Tabasco). There are some animals, some musical instruments, some kind of abstractly colorful glass ones. The closest I have to explicitly Christmas is a very lovely bulb with angels painted on it that I got as a gift, a Christmasy-decor bulb with a picture of an ore boat on it because my ex-husband was into shipping-related stuff, and a few vintage bulbs with vaguely Christmasy designs, like wintery scenes. I have a couple of bells and a pearly dove. I used to have a few Santas, but they must have broken or disappeared.

I have a disco ball and an hourglass, both of which are more New Year's Eve than Christmas. I usually top the tree with a paper crown I got when my ex-husband and I went out for NYE the first year we were dating.

So yeah, I'm a pagan, even though I live in the city.

I would love to have an Ennis truck ornament! Tree and present in the back or otherwise! What a great idea.

In recent years, my ornaments have languished in bowls and baskets because my son-in-law thought Christmas trees were "pagan". (I tried to tell him that the pagans [which simply means "people of the country"] worshipped the oak tree, not evergreens, but he didn't seem to listen.) He has mellowed over the years and now it's acceptable to have garlands inside and outside lighted trees. So, I'm glad I didn't get rid of my ornaments.

Lee, I don't mean to be obtuse or insensitive, but why would you have to forgo a Christmas tree because your SIL doesn't like them? Can't he just not get one for his own home?

I mean, I think menorahs are Jewish and I'm not, but that doesn't mean my mother-in-law couldn't have one (if I had a Jewish MIL). I wouldn't object to however she wanted to practice her own religion. That is, if it didn't mean sacrificing babies or something. But I think that's pretty rare in most churches these days. 

[Front-Ranger]

Lee, I don't mean to be obtuse or insensitive, but why would you have to forgo a Christmas tree because your SIL doesn't like them? Can't he just not get one for his own home?

We usually celebrate Christmas at my home and I wanted him to feel comfortable there, and to feel comfortable bringing their children there. It's also because I want to be a good m-i-l and respect his preferences, because when I was a young bride, my preferences were not respected, and I still know how stinging that felt.

I mean, I think menorahs are Jewish and I'm not, but that doesn't mean my mother-in-law couldn't have one (if I had a Jewish MIL). I wouldn't object to however she wanted to practice her own religion. That is, if it didn't mean sacrificing babies or something. But I think that's pretty rare in most churches these days. 

My s-i-l doesn't think of Christmas trees as part of the Christian religion. They also celebrate the birth of Christ in the fall rather than on Dec. 25. They also don't tell their children about Santa Claus (except to explain that he is based on a real-life St. Nikolaus). This has actually been beneficial. Knowing who the giver is, the children seem more appreciative of presents.

Although they have a Jewish lifestyle, they don't celebrate Hannukah or light the menorah. S-i-l explained to me that Hannukah is just a commemoration of a minor battle victory. Their major holidays are in the fall, with Purim and Yom Kippur, but it seems like they don't celebrate those as much lately either. I think that's part of the reason why they want to change churches because the congregation is not engaged enough to put on these events.