Free Republic

Many of us parents just learned that ONE teacher complained that it offended her and they nixed the tradition. We are HOPPING mad and plan to do something about it. Any EFFECTIVE ideas????

With the economy in sad shape I have heard reports of people changing their gift giving habits this year. As the owner of a company that produces custom gifts, I would like to hear from Freepers what plans they have for gifts - both personal and business - this season. Are you planning on giving more, less, or the same? Are you cutting back on who you are giving to or are you giving to the same number of people, but changing the value of the gifts? Are you planning on giving more "home made" gifts? If so, what kind?

Memories of children crying over confiscated Christmas toys still upset the Rev. Tom Hill. Hill, a former Giving Tree volunteer, also remains baffled by the diapers. There were boxes and boxes in storage, he said, and yet Giving Tree Director Libby Wright resisted handing them out to mothers in her program. Wright often said food was in short supply when she sought donations, Hill said, even after he discovered Wright was storing large amounts in one of her organization's homes. Wright declined an interview request for this story. Hill, who now runs his own food program for the homeless, said...

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! ! The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting...

As the kids display symptoms of post-Halloween MSIH (Massive Sugar Intake High) on this first night of November, I thought I'd take the opportunity to get a head start on this years Christmas list.

It is high time Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw were taken to task for their support of Barrack Husein Obama. I first must admit that I have been a fan of Brad and Tim for a long time. I love the way they put to tune and words of how it is to be a man is in the world. After all, how can you not enjoy listening to the way Brad strings together the words in his song titled, “I'm Still A guy”, or how he seems to lay his heart out in the tune titled, “I'm Gonna Miss...

John Satawa's family has displayed a nativity scene on a street median in Warren, Mich., virtually every Christmas season since 1945, but following an intimidating letter sent by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Satawa's county has put stop to the 63-year-old tradition. The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation proclaims its purpose in the letter to the Road Commission of Macomb County was to "protect the fundamental constitutional principle of separation of church and state." But Satawa contends there's nothing unconstitutional about his privately owned and maintained Christmas display. With the help of the Thomas More Law Center, Satawa has filed...

As we enter the holiday season I would like to encourage you to consider starting a new tradition in your family. Seeing as how Christmas is all about the birth of Christ and not any of us I have been a little baffled as to why we get the gifts. Now I am not trying to take away from the childrens excitement. However, this could be the year to start a new tradition that teaches and encourages missions and giving...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2009 – The American Red Cross again will sponsor a national “Holiday Mail for Heroes” campaign to receive and distribute holiday cards to servicemembers, veterans and their families in the United States and abroad. The card campaign includes those working and receiving care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. A special P.O. Box address will be published the first week of November online at http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail. In the meantime, people shouldn’t send cards to Walter Reed unless they are addressed to a specific wounded warrior. Due to security restrictions, Walter Reed cannot accept generic mail addressed to...

Research Firms Predict Sad Christmas David BodamerOct. 20, 2009, 3:09 PM Most of the major predictions are now in for the holiday shopping season. Here we’ve put together a roundup of what various trade associations and research outlets are predicting. Projections range a bit this year. Some groups are calling for a slight decline, other say sales will be flat and some say sales will show a slight uptick. In part, the differences stem from the different way the groups look at the numbers. ICSC and Retail Forward, for example, looks at same-store sales while the National Retail Federation looks...

Hmmm. I could have sworn Nancy Pelosi had the votes for this thing back in July. Then last week they were almost to 218. Now it appears that Steny Hoyer may be punting the House bill into late December or, worse (for the Democrats), into the legislative graveyard of 2010.

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and girlfriend Kathryn Rogers have promised the town $100,000 toward the cost of new holiday decorations. The gift is part of $350,000 in private donations pledged by a few town residents, Town Council President David Rosow said at Tuesday's council meeting. Limbaugh wanted to help bring "brightness and cheer" to a town he dearly loves, said Rosow, who is a friend of Limbaugh's. Rosow solicited the donations to cover the entire cost of the new lights and garlands, and installation of wiring to support them. "No one I called said 'no,' " Rosow said....

I received this in an email today. All I could do is check it through Snopes and it was not mentioned. The originator's name, address and phone numbers were on the email, but for obvious reasons I'm leaving them off this post. The email: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thought you might be interested in this information from the White House. This isn't a rumor; this is a fact. We have a friend at church who is a very talented artist. For several years she, among many others, has painted ornaments to be hung on the various White House Christmas trees. The WH sends...

A Celebration Of Christmas & 1st Amendment Rights Regarding Religious Expression In The Public Square On December 1st, 2009, the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee (SNSC) will again sponsor a display depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. For the second year in a row, the crèche--with figurines representing Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus--will stand in the State Capitol Rotunda Building in Springfield, Illinois. In 2008, the SNSC made history when the Secretary of State's office provided a permit to the group, allowing the Nativity Scene to go on display. The crèche and manger scene stood in the State Capitol Building,...

Feds lift ban on 'Jesus' on Capitol Christmas tree: This hit the net yesterday, and after the conservative net went a little ballistic and fired off some emails, letters, and phone calls, then this morning ..voila.....word comes from Chairman MaoBama's Central Government that the Jesus ban has been lifted. The people have spoken.....Happy Birthday JESUS!!!!! Although a victory for Christmas lovers, this is a sign this years' war on the birthday of Jesus is getting ready to fire up earlier than ever. Just one day after WND reported that rules for the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree program prevented children from...

Reporting from Shepherdstown, W.Va. - Still growing somewhere here on Eric and Gloria Sundback's 100-acre tree farm is the two-story fir that will stand resplendent in the Blue Room of the White House this Christmas. This is because the Sundbacks -- he's 82, she's 83 -- have just turned out a grand champion Christmas tree for a record fourth time, a feat they once mistakenly assumed they were too old to pull off. Now the Sundbacks will once again watch a tree they nurtured from seed, fed and pruned, cast as the glittery showstopper at almost nightly holiday parties, then...

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Retail Federation today released its 2009 holiday forecast, projecting holiday retail industry sales to decline one percent this year to $437.6 billion.*

PHOENIX, Arizona, September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) called on Arizona state and federal officials on Monday to stop enforcing a requirement prohibiting the state's schoolchildren from expressing religious viewpoints through Christmas themes while decorating ornaments for the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree. Arizona was chosen this year to present 4,000 handcrafted ornaments made by elementary, middle-school, and high-school students to decorate Washington, D.C.'s annual Christmas tree. Guidelines for the ornaments include specifications for their size, weight, composition, and the directive that "Ornaments cannot reflect a religious or political theme… Instead share your interpretation of...

The debate over Christmas continues in Texas. As OneNewsNow recently reported, the Texas State Board of Education will decide whether to keep Christmas and Rosh Hashanah in their approved social studies curriculum or replace it with the Hindu holiday of Diwali. But Dave Welch of the Texas Pastor Council believes the board will decide to keep the Christian and Jewish holidays. "I don't think there is any doubt we have a strong resolve by [a majority of] the board members...to retain the mention of Christmas," Welch says. "I think the outcry from the public was very significant." Welch notes one...

MORE THAN 4 MILLION MEALS TO BE PROVIDED DURING HOLIDAYS Bob Dylan will release a brand new album of holiday songs, Christmas In The Heart, on Tuesday, October 13, it was announced today by Columbia Records. All of the artist’s U.S. royalties from sales of these recordings will be donated to Feeding America, guaranteeing that more than four million meals will be provided to more than 1.4 million people in need in this country during this year’s holiday season. Bob Dylan is also donating all of his future U.S. royalties from this album to Feeding America in perpetuity. snip Christmas...

Today, it was discovered that Christmas and Santa Claus are really racist metaphors for white Christian people and shall henceforth be banned. The giving of presents obviously favors white children whose parents are more affluent than the “oppressed” non-white proletariat and so the choice was either to redistribute the toys or cancel the whole thing all together. In the end, the White House opted to avoid straight out redistribution affecting toddlers and instead, for purposes of “equal treatment,” ban the whole holiday all together. However, reparations will be deferred on these little tikes until they reach 18 at which time...

Arguments are scheduled Monday in the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on a school district's decision to censor Christmas carols – even holiday melodies without words. Attorneys with the Thomas More Law Center say they will argue to reverse a lower court ruling affirming a policy in the South Orange-Maplewood School District that banned the music after someone complained. The law firm says the school's ban was specifically aimed at preventing Christmas music, including simple instrumentals without words, during holiday concernts. The district had allowed the performance of traditional Christmas music for more than 60 years but...

The economy is putting a squeeze on the nation's biggest arts complex. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is canceling its holiday tree lighting ceremony in December. The decorated tree erected in the center's main plaza has become an annual tradition, with a live televised ceremony drawing both New Yorkers and tourists. Lincoln Center blames the cancellation on what it calls "the challenging economic climate" -- and also construction at the entrance to the plaza. “[Construction] will be completed by next year, but it is in no shape to hold the group that the tree attracts," Kate Merlino, a...

Previous Next Latest Bob Dylan’s Holiday LP “Christmas in the Heart” Due October 13th 8/25/09, 4:55 pm EST Photo: Miller/FilmMagic Bob Dylan has made his latest unpredictable career move: Rolling Stone has learned that Bob Dylan will release a Christmas album October 13th. Entitled Christmas in the Heart, the collection will feature holiday standards including “Must Be Santa,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” All U.S. royalties from the collection will benefit the charity Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Other proceeds from the disc will benefit hunger relief organizations around the world. Although...

These are the one's that everyone in the family says are a must have for all Holiday meals, from Easter to Christmas and everything in between, we think of any reason possible to serve "Gaga's Sweet Potatoes". Gaga is what my son calls my mother, his grandmother, and her sweet potatoes are the big crowd pleaser. We'd be better off forgetting the turkey on Thanksgiving than to show up without these sweet delights.

Thanks for viewing! There is an old saying; “ When July comes Christmas is right around the corner”. It is our wish that all who view will have a very Merry Christmas and thanks for your love and comments!

(CBS/AP) Sources tell CBS News that British police have foiled a plot to blow up an airliner en route from London's Heathrow Airport to the U.S. Sajid Badat, a Pakistani Briton, was arrested in his hometown of Gloucester last week during a series of police raids across Britain. Badat, 24, was charged Wednesday with conspiring with Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber," and "others unknown" to cause an explosion "likely to endanger life" between September 1, 2001 and November 28, 2003. He is also charged with two lesser offenses of "possessing explosives." Shortly after the arrest, Home Secretary David Blunkett...

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 – Troops serving overseas will get a little bit of “Christmas in May,” thanks to a troop-support group that is collecting gifts and snacks to be mailed to them on Armed Forces Day, May 16. “This is a way to thank the troops on their special day,” Julieann Najar, founder of “A Soldier’s Wish List,” said. “There are those who seem to ‘fall between the cracks’ and are in combat zones in between the holidays and do not receive our December Christmas packages. We want to let these men and women know they are also important...

Yes, Christmas is over, but just found this. The parallels to what the Islamists in Bosnia and the "Political Correctness Police" in America are trying to do is striking. Ravnagora _______________ In a country with plenty of serious problems, from a flailing economy to a dysfunctional government, attacking Santa is probably not the cure-all, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. By Anes Alic in Sarajevo for ISN Security Watch _____________ Thanks to a rather absurd, and so far unpopular, move by officials in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, Santa will not being coming down the chimneys of public schools this...

HEILIGENKREUZ, Austria — Working to reach No. 1 on the charts? Try praying. Johannes Paul Chavanne, a monk at Heiligenkreuz Abbey, said there were concerns about how the CD would be marketed.  That's how the monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey found fame. Their compilation of Gregorian chants, a form of sung prayer, has stormed pop music charts worldwide. The debut CD, "Chant: Music for Paradise," was first released in Europe in May and spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on Britain's classical charts. The album made it to No. 7 on the country's pop charts.  It was also the top...

In addition to tidings of peace and joy, St. Ambrose Church in Old Bridge has another message for the community this season: Don't even think about stealing the parish's new nativity scene. Not only are Mary and Joseph secured to the manger with steel cords, but the Baby Jesus also will be bolted to his crib and equipped with a high-tech GPS device to track anyone who might snatch him. "GPS. We call it God's Positioning System," the Rev. Bob Gorman, St. Ambrose's pastor, said. The Roman Catholic church is one of about 100 churches and synagogues around the country...

For generations, workers with Catholic Charities have been bringing Christmas to the doorsteps of some of North Jersey's most vulnerable residents. Last week, Carmela French, 77, her upper body stooped from osteoporosis and her legs weak from arthritis, was sitting in a darkened living room in Hasbrouck Heights and watching the show "Seventh Heaven." "The light hurts my eyes," she said. Then came a knock on the door. Eliso Papaladze, a caseworker for Catholic Charities, arrived with a large, gift-wrapped package. "You look good," said Papaladze, 35. "How are you?" "OK," replied French. "But I have to go to the...

Nativity scenes made of real straw. Wise Men 2 feet tall. Menorahs bigger than a human being.   Holiday display in Teaneck. In many North Jersey municipalities, those sacred symbols can be found at the same place people get dog licenses, pay taxes and apply for building permits — town hall.  The display of religious items on public property has long been a charged discussion in American communities, and the case law governing holiday displays is still murky enough to confound local governments trying to create a festive atmosphere for residents.* Fair Lawn for years just lit a holiday tree....

January 11, 2009                                 The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Thus says the LORD:Here is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one with whom I am pleased,upon whom I have put my spirit;he shall bring forth justice to the nations,not crying out, not shouting,not making his voice heard in the street.a bruised reed he shall not break,and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,until he establishes justice on the earth;the coastlands will wait for his teaching.I, the LORD, have called...

January 10, 2009                                     Christmas Weekday       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 5:14-21 Beloved:We have this confidence in himthat if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,we know that what we have asked him for is ours. If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such...

Myths about Santa's sinister helpers are as widespread in Europe as Grimm's Fairy Tales. In parts of Germany, Knecht Ruprecht brings terror into the hearts of naughty children when the gift-giving season arrives. In Austria it's Krampus, the horned devil who torments adolescents with asocial tendencies. In France, Pere Foutard does the proverbial whipping. Kids in America are threatened with coal in their stockings if they act up, but in European folklore, they are beaten with switches or stuffed in sacks. Brutal stuff. But in no country is the tale of Santa's diabolical sidekick as bizarre as in the Netherlands,...

January 9, 2009                                         Christmas Weekday       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 5:5-13 Beloved:Who indeed is the victor over the worldbut the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,not by water alone, but by water and Blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies,and the Spirit is truth. So there are three who testify,the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony,the testimony of...

Like many weeks, I found myself in a small rural hospital waiting on parts to fix an instrument. So I sat down to write a sermon or a Bible study or something on the computer. An older gentleman struck up a conversation. The talk was about cell phones and technology. The old guy likes cell phones, but was clueless on computers. I told him that I was dependent on them for work and then I showed him my Bible software and how incredible that is, and how hard it would be to give that tool up. This is when I...

January 8, 2009                                     Christmas Weekday       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 4:19–5:4 Beloved, we love God becausehe first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,”but hates his brother, he is a liar;for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him:Whoever loves God must also love his brother.Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,and everyone who loves the Fatherloves also the one begotten by him....

Members of Christian Orthodox Churches around the world are celebrating Christmas, which according to the Julian calendar falls on Wednesday.

Marry Christmass from Orthodox Christians! Church sends Christmas message 5 January 2009 | 16:21 | Source: Tanjug BELGRADE -- Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) head His Holiness Patriarch Pavle and the archbishops have sent a Christmas message to the Serb Orthodox believers. Orthodox Christmas in Serbia is celebrated on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar. The highest Church dignitaries called on Orthodox believers to return to the world that appeared with the birth of Jesus Christ, and to his depiction of the truth which is the sole foundation of life and the purpose of existence. The traditional Christmas message, to...

(English-language translation) The sight of three sumptuously-dressed potentates giving the first Christmas gifts has been portrayed in innumerable ways: in classical paintings, in greeting cards, and even in some billboard on a public square. We know their names: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. Standing on one side of the stable, in the company of animals, shepherds, and a few angels fluttering around the beams. They sing John Henry Hopkins' immortal Christmas carol "We Three Kings of Orient Are", and each one describes the meaning behind the gift he carries. There is only one problem. The Bible never mentions only three kings...

January 6, 2009                                         Christmas Weekday       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another,because love is of God;everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.In this way the love of God was revealed to us:God sent his only-begotten Son into the worldso that we might have life through him.In this is love:not that we have loved God, but that he loved usand sent his Son as expiation for our sins....

Away in a Manger January 5th, 2009 by Fr. William Saunders As we learn each week from the saints, one must wonder, “How did the saints celebrate Christmas?” One of the best examples whose celebration lives on in our own is St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). Thomas of Celano, one of the first biographers of St. Francis, wrote, “More than any other feast, he celebrated Christmas with an indescribable joy. He said that this was the feast of feasts, for on this day God became a little child and sucked milk like all human children. Francis embraced with great tenderness...

Did you ever stop to contemplate the spiritual power of a baby? They're innocent -- fresh from Heaven -- and breathe purity. One priest recently said that he would take the power of the presence of an infant over that of an adult healer. A baby enters the world and brings people together, as Jesus was a magnet in the manger. A baby comes with angels -- as an angel appeared to the shepherds. Angels heal. A baby loves without reserve (there is healing in love) and does not judge. A baby finds joy in simplicity. From the very start...

January 4, 2009                                         Epiphany of the Lord       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 60:1-6 Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your sons come from afar,and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant...

Feast ofthe Epiphany  See also the page "Twelfthnight" Also known as Feast of the Epiphany, Three Kings Day, or Theophany, this Feast is a great and very important Feast in memory of Jesus showing His glory in 3 ways: as an infant to the Magi, at His baptism, and at His first miracle at the wedding in Cana. So important is this Feast, that it is a Holy Day of Obligation in many parts of the Catholic world, though not presently in the United States. The symbols of the day are the same as those mentioned on the page describing...

Feast of the Epiphany    (See the page on Twelfth Night firstfor the basics of the meaning of this Feast)  As described on the page on Twelfthnight, this Feast -- also known as the . "Theophany" or "Three Kings Day" -- recalls Christ revealing Himself as Divine in three different ways: to the Magi, at His Baptism, and with His miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. For families who practice traditions involving "the Magi" or "La Befana" leaving gifts for children, the day begins with the wee ones discovering what was left for them while they slept on Twelfth...

Through the use of holiday and religious symbols, NGOs such as War on Want, Amos Trust, and Pax Christi have been manipulating Christmas to advance a political agenda, and in some cases, have been promoting antisemitic canards. NGOs organized an event entitled, "Bethlehem Now: Nine Alternative Lessons and Carols for Palestine," involving "traditional carols with untraditional lyrics, interspersed with poetry and prose readings, to highlight current reality in the Holy Land."

Twelfth Night      The Eve of the Feast of the Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas, and tonight is known as"Twelfth Night" (or "Twelfthnight"). It begins the celebration of Christ's revealing His Divinity in three ways, which is formally celebrated tomorrow:  to the Magi who, guided by the great and mysterious Star of Bethlehem, came to visit Him when He was a Baby (Matthew 2:1-19)   through His Baptism by St. John, when "the Spirit of God descending as a dove" came upon Him and there was heard a voice from Heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son,...