Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

	Easiest question I've been asked in a while.

	In 1975 I had the chance to take a bicycle trip through Isreal.
	Christmas eve was spent in Bethleham. We arrived by bus and passed
	through some tight security. Special passes are required to visit
	during Christmas. Once there we walked around for a few hours. The
	church was closed to us as that requires an extra pass on Christmas
	eve because of the demand to get in. I'd been inside on a previous
	visit though. I should say that my previous visit had been in January
	of that same year. While visiting manger square, the area outside the
	church of the Nativity, I had had a sort of dream. I had a sort of
	vision, though I use the term with hesitation, of singing Christmas
	songs on the square on Christmas eve. Before the crowds and with a
	choir. Now anyone who has heard me sing knows that that is not a likely
	thing to happen. But it was a wonderful thought.

	Well, that Christmas the group I was touring with was invited to sing
	in manger square Christmas eve. A number of choirs from around the
	world were there. All were better than the group I sang with. But
	sing Christmas songs in honor of Jesus on his birthday I did get to
	do. Before the crowds and on live Isreali TV and everything. Miracle?
	Yes I think so.

	After the singing we and an other group were together in a building
	near to the church. The other group was a woman's choir from Glascow
	Scotland. Now they could sing and they sang for us. It was wonderful.
	Together we all sang Handel's Hallaluah chorus. One person, my brother,
	sang an extra hallaluah during a pause (someone had to :-)) but no one
	seemed to mind.

	My brother and I sent a telegram home to our family wishing them a
	Merry Christmas direct from where the first one happened. I bought
	only one thing from the many vendors set up. A pair of cuff links,
	sopposedly silver but I don't really care if they're not, with a
	Jerusalam cross on them. They remind me of that day and of who we
	celebrate on Christmas every time I wear them.

	Christmas was always important and real to me. But somehow after that
	night it became far more real. And more special. Miracles do still
	happen.

			Alfred

	My most memorable Christmas was the first one when I did not 
	participate in the festivites. This was 1988, and was spent 
	with my family in Italy who had not been celebrating Christmas 
	for quite sometime, my father and sister are Jehovah's Witnesses.
	It was a thoroughly enjoyable relaxing time, no worries at all.
	For the first time I had money to spend in the January sales!
	as well as coming back from the holiday fully refreshed, rather
	than going back to work for a rest.

	But, dont think that I'm a scrooge, I have found that giving surprise
	presents to ones family and friends brings more joy than when they 
	expect them.

	Since 1988 I have also become a Jehovah's Witness and don't celebrate
	Christmas because of learning about it's origin. My conscience would 
	not allow me to celebrate it. I feel others are free to choose as they
	wish. For many, as was in my case, Christmas is just an excuse to
	get blind drunk etc... That is not to say that all those celebrating
	it do this, just quite a few here in the UK. 

	Phil.

	There's one Christmas I recall when I was around 11 or 12 years old that
our family experienced what was for us economic hardship.

	My father had started a business that year and it was failing.

	The whole family was notified that this was going to be a lean
Christmas.  We could not afford even a Christmas tree.  So, we made a
Christmas tree of Tinkertoys we'd accumulated over the years.  We decorated
our makeshift tree with old trimmings and tinsel.

	I remember we all went to Christmas Eve candlelight service; my mother,
father, brother, and I.

	True, gifts that year were sparse and frugally selected.  And I seem
to recall that more friends dropped by and visited that year than in others.
But this might be, I confess, of my own imagining.

	It was this Christmas that I realized that the essence of Christmas
lies not in possessions, but rather, in the treasures gathered in the human
heart.

Peace,
Richard

    It was 1967 or 1968, when I was around 13 years old.  In my home town,
    Medfield, we had a big windy snowstorm Christmas Eve, and my whole
    family went to the town common after dark in the storm to sing Christmas 
    songs with a few members of the high school band.  The snow was whipping 
    in our faces (and in all the musical instruments) but it was loads of fun!
    
    Afterwards, we delivered a freshly baked cake and a basket of goodies
    to a family in our neighborhood.  (This family, which we were very 
    close to, was out of money and luck that year.)  I remember my sister,
    who baked the cake, slipped on the ice while carrying the cake in her 
    hands, fell forward, and ended up with her nose stuck in the frosting.  
    We all laughed hysterically... cause she wasn't hurt and she looked
    funny with frosting all over her nose.
    
    Then we all went home and popped popcorn and strung it up on the tree.
    It was very memorable, since my parents were ACTUALLY GETTING ALONG
    with each other that Christmas -- a very rare thing in the household 
    I grew up in.
    
    Paul

    
    Last Christmas, 1991, was the most memorable.
    
    I was driving from NH to Chicago, when suddenly in western
    Massachusetts, my car died.  I spent Christmas at the Kripalu Center in
    Lenox, MA, instead.
    
    Seeing an Indian guru deliver the Christmas morning service (or
    satsanga) forever obliterated any thoughts that the religions of the
    world are not saying the same thing, albeit in different ways.
    
    Kripalu is ecumenical, btw.
    
    Cindy

                                                     
    This Christmas is going to be a very interesting one.  Since I'm
    staying in the area this year, I'll be singing at Christmas Eve 
    service at church (Unitarian Universalist), then going to spend 
    the night at the home of my Hindu friends.  Should be fun.  
    
    I'm bringing along my Xmas CDs of choral music from England (John 
    Rutter: Carols at Clare, and Sir David Willcocks: Cambridge Singers) 
    along with the Boston Camarata singing Baroque, Medieval, and 
    Renaissance music.  And of course, the chorus to Handel's Messiah.
    
    Cindy

    The first Christmas my oldest son and I went to Kentucky... He was
    3 years of age, and wanted there to be snow, but there just wasn't
    any. Then we prayed and asked God to give us now... and the days
    passed, with no snow... then on Christmas morning, he woke up and ran
    to the window like every morning while we were there, and with glee
    exclaimed, "Mommy, it's Christmas *all* over!" :-)
    
    
    

    
    (Um...Nancy...I didn't get it.  Was there snow when he woke up?) (;^)
    
    Hey, I had a great Christmas!  After singing in the choir at my church
    that was packed to capacity for Xmas eve service, I stayed over at the 
    home of my Hindu friends...over 20 relatives there.  Most of us slept 
    on the floor in sleeping bags.  They had a Christmas tree with lights, 
    the little children were looking forward to Santa coming, and we all 
    sang songs before going to sleep on Xmas eve.  I sang the Christmas 
    carols.  (;^)  And little Amoli sang Om Shiva while being accompanied
    on the tabla.  A great time was had by all.  My gift from the family 
    was a beautiful wool shawl.
    
    Before going there, I did not know what to expect.  And in the end, 
    it was not so different.  It reminded me of so many Christmases 
    past, actually....family coming together, celebrating God being born 
    on Earth, Christmas tree and gifts, music, laughter, children with 
    sparkles in their eyes...
    
    Well, OK, the food didn't resemble Christmases past as it was Indian
    ...which I didn't mind as I just *love* Indian (vegetarian) food...(;^)
    And most everybody spoke in Gujarati for the majority of the day too 
    (which I'm fast learning.)  But the rest...well, it was pretty much
    the same.
    
    Cindy

Thanks for sharing a bit of your Christmas with us here, Cindy (.9).

Christmas was pleasantly quiet in our household.

My 13 year old son served as an usher at the 11:00PM Christmas Eve worship.
We were up until 2:00 Christmas morning, so we slept in.

We gave Ricky a guitar for Christmas.  Actually, we gave it to him on
December 16th, the last day of school before break.  This year we didn't
try to hold gifts back until the 25th.  It was effective in defusing
the anxiety of delay, which in the past has nearly driven Ricky (and his
parents along with him) up the wall.

Ricky is an expert on the virtues of delayed gratification.  He's been
lectured on it repeatedly throughout his life.

We opened gifts as they arrived.  We honored the birth of the Child no
less.

Peace,
Richard