Not Allowing Kids to Get Gifts at Christmas - - It's Wrong

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Drett

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2013
1,663
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#41
This year it falls on Wednesday
The name is derived from Old EnglishWōdnesdæg and Middle English Wednesdei, "day ofWodanaz", ultimately a calque of dies Mercurii "day of Mercury". - Wikipedia
Christmas I can handle. Maybe I'll refuse to recognize Wednesday, though, on account of its pagan origins.
All the days of the week have pagan origins. Moons day, Suns day, Saturns day etc
 

Drett

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2013
1,663
38
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#42
I don't see giving gifts as wrong. I do see that we have commercialized Christmas to an amazing degree in America. My middle nephew was looking through a Lego book a few years ago and he said, "This is what I want for Christmas, Grandma," It was April. I cringed.

There are those things you can do where you buy a goat and such for people in other countries. That is what I want to do for my nephews. Then, of course, give them a little something they can have in their hands as well. My three nephews all have different moms. Two of my nephews have Christmas with their mom's side of the family and then with their dad's side. Talk about an overage of gifts. But is that the nephews fault? Nope.

I agree that we tend to punish our children with our radical approaches. Yes, Christmas is commercialized, but by denying kids gifts, you aren't teaching them anything, except to hate church. Seriously. One of the biggest gripes I heard from young adults who have cut God out of their lives was how their parents destroyed all their He-Man toys or wouldn't let them have a t.v. There are better ways to teach youth about values and morals and right living than to go all crazy and yank away their gifts, like your nephew is doing.

I know that there are families that have their kids volunteer at a homeless shelter for Christmas and take gifts to kids in those shelters and then they have a gift or two themselves at home. It is a fine balance. I am so through with Christmas as it is lived in the world, but that doesn't mean that I would tell my nephews, "Hey. I'm sick of commercialism and so I'm not giving you anything. Deal with it."

Just saying.
Christmas has become commercialised because there is money to be made. Remove the exchange of gift, the money dries up and people find some other avenue to get your money. No pain no gain.
 
Feb 16, 2011
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#43
Giving gifts is good; but what are we giving Jesus? Even the tax collectors and sinners give their children gifts. We need to give to the truely needy in Jesus' name. We need to help with hospital charity and feed the homeless charity, etc. Most will not give 5 dollars they have to charity but they will spend hundreds on the credit card for their kids.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,833
2,890
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#44
I got nothing but a lump of coal every single year...

and I had a wonderful childhood.


But then again, I think coal is fun.

: )
 
Dec 26, 2012
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#45
I got nothing but a lump of coal every single year...

and I had a wonderful childhood.


But then again, I think coal is fun.

: )
And there is also that coal is a diamond in the rough :)
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
8,048
1,609
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#47
it's very hard to respond and not distract from the o.p. but i do agree,i was always told me born in the 30's,,that the generations before that did not view or celebrate Xmas in the manner we do today at all. my great grand parents(one of whom i knew) were born around 1840,my grand parents,1860's-70's(i new all of them) and all said that none of what we see today(they were referring to 1920's-50's) took place in the old days.

now they were referring to "trees",,,in that most 99 percent of people did not put up trees in there house until the 1920's. before that we saw pictures of trees in books from the rich people,politicians ect. after the depression the big stores started advertizing toys gifts ect. for Christmas that you could mail off for,but that wasn't common people could do(couldn't afford it). lol,,I'm really surprised i found this,i was going to try to describe it and wondered if i could find a picture of it and did Folk Toys ,,,,the toy they are calling a spool we called "a tractor",,,thats the first toy i remember playing with,in place of the wax we put a broken color once the wax from the color was all over the wood (wax on wax) the rubber band would unwind real slow. the dirt(sand)would mess it up so on the porch or inside was where i played with it.

most all of the toys on that page i saw one or another kid with and played with some of them also when we visited neighbors kids. in figure 19 what their calling a whisk with a button we made also but different. we took a Bobbie pin and bent it open in a v shape,cut a rubber band and threaded it through the button and tied it back together and tied it to the wide part of the v of the Bobbie pin,,,we would make a envelope and put the different neighbors name on it and wind up the button and put it in their mailbox,,,lol,,,you know how the button would spin when they opened it,,,lol,,,

my daddy was a southern baptist and my momma a church of Christ,the church of Christ was a 30 minute walk down the road so thats where we went,most of the time just the kids but momma went sometimes. my daddy didn't go at first as he got older he did though. he would rather have gone to the baptist church but it was too far. i remember them all talking about the old baptist churches and Christmas. the southern baptist church did not celebrate it in the old days but now most of them do,some still don't though. i was reluctant to say that seeing it's something i remember hearing but i searched it on the web and found several articles on it. "southern baptist did they celebrate Christmas"and they'll come up.

the same for many churches before 1900 if you search each one the same. as time went on and people made better money then stores began to push the holidays more and more and everyone just became used to it. after the old folks began to die the younger generations just assumed it was always that way. the first time i saw a nativity seine in the front of a church everyone in town said that they had left away from the catholic churches for many reasons one of them was that they made statues of all the apostles and Mary,and they viewed that church as if they were returning to making carved statues the same as them. but as years went on it too seemed to take off like the tree did.

by ww2 everyone made good money and the stores were popping up everywhere adds were everywhere at the holidays and it's like the smith and Jones effect took over,it was shameful if you didn't do as everyone else was doing i guess.,,,,
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
8,048
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#48
if you look for the link "folk toys" its in blue it will show the tractor i was talking about,,,i didn't realize the link was only 2 words,,
 
T

tdrew777

Guest
#49
file://localhost/Users/terencedrew/Desktop/Photo%20on%2012-25-12%20at%2011.48%20AM%20%232.jpg

This is our Christmas tree last year. It served us quite well.

Though we have no emphasis on presents, neither do we prohibit them, on Christmas and on birthdays. Any/all of those pictured on this thread would be welcomed.
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
8,048
1,609
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#50
file://localhost/Users/terencedrew/Desktop/Photo%20on%2012-25-12%20at%2011.48%20AM%20%232.jpg

This is our Christmas tree last year. It served us quite well.

Though we have no emphasis on presents, neither do we prohibit them, on Christmas and on birthdays. Any/all of those pictured on this thread would be welcomed.
everything looks quite well it didn't show the pictures you sent,,,,,but every time you send a post i just have to get real close and look at the picture of you all,,,,i see two babies with great big smiles and a daddy behind them with a great big smile,,,I'm glad you all are so happy every time i see the picture,,,,,,,,
 
U

unclefester

Guest
#51
Some ideas here are valid.

Clarify for me - why spend so much time and money for a practice that you call "harmless"? What is the positive benefit of Christmas (and birthday) presents? I see my children and their cousins getting much less than I did on birthdays and enjoying themselves so much more. If no presents come in (sometimes there are none) it does not put a damper on the celebration in the least. The children are grateful - not greedy if, buy chance, a present comes their way. Disappointment? Unheard of! I can remember being a brat over receiving a gift of clothes.

It doesn't seem like rigidity at all. Lack of moderation is what a pile of presents causes. What am I missing here?

Maybe you and I are looking at this from each our own experiential perspectives. I was always grateful for any gift ... including clothing ... even if that meant a simple gift of new pajama's, which it usually was on Christmas day ... and we (all 8 kids) wore them the entire day ... proudly :) A child's joy received from any gift and the gift's "monetary value" are not synonymous. I'm 57 years old and yet I still remember fondly as a child of 5 years old receiving my very own "plastic razor". I had more fun "shaving" 30 or 40 times that Christmas day ... stopping only when somebody else had to use the one bathroom ... lol My enjoyment received required neither time nor money from my parents perspective. I'd call that harmless ... and I'd venture to guess that my parents reaped a positive benefit (and humour) in seeing me so easily amused ... and satisfied. I would not disagree with the adage that he who has little is grateful for much. But if it is in my power to bring my children a measure of moderate anticipation and excitement to open a few gifts wrapped under the tree on Christmas morning, what harm can there be in that ? And more to the point, I'm of the opinion that it is not the presents received on Christmas morning that spoil today's children. On the contrary. It is the endless stream of getting what they want .. when they want .. each and every day throughout the year. Sadly, this seems to be the norm more than the exception in todays world. Be that as it may, Christmas is what each of us makes of it ... for ourselves and for our children. And may they all be blessed :)
 
G

Graybeard

Guest
#52
I hate Christmas time......shops start pushing their agenda from early as October.....pressure from all sides to get into dept.....alcohol flowing instead of milk and honey.....kids with huge expectations and envy what others get.....phony smiles from phony people......drunk maniacs on the roads.......besides, if someone wishes me happy birthday when it isn't my birthday I always correct them by informing them that it is not my birthday!...don't you?..or do you just let the lie continue?
 
H

Huckleberry

Guest
#53
[video=youtube;eWW_F82HV-A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWW_F82HV-A[/video]
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
8,048
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#54
i don't really care for cell phones there to small but each and every drunk driver i see swerving all over the road i remember the little babies in the other cars that they(the drunk) decided they didn't care if they kill while driving drunk and call 911 and tell them the license # color of vehicle and direction,,,,
 
Feb 17, 2010
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#55
I have an adult nephew (35 years old) who is married, with two daughters (ages 9 and 7). A few years ago his church announced that it was wrong to exchange gifts at Christmas. Claimed it took away from the true meaning of Christmas. As such, his girls no longer get gifts at Christmas. I feel really bad for them. This guy has a good heart, but is making a huge mistake. Your kids only get one childhood. I feel bad because one day he'll wake up and realize that it was a mistake to rob these kids of Christmas.

I need some advice. Should I talk to the guy and try to change his mind? If so, what should I say?
We do not have or do Christmas. If that is the only day my child deserve a gift from a loving father, then I am as hypocratical as all the other Christmas people. I teach my children no day is a gift day, and no dai is not a gift day. EVERY DAY is a day to worship, love and do good. No one day will save you or make you a good person. It is the good heart of EVERY DAY that makes you a child of God. not Christmas no easter not Sabbath.

So ask my 10 yearold daughter, do you get Christmas presents? she would say EVERY DAY.... the gift of giving love, is CHRISTMAS every day. IF my child is unhappy about ANYTHING, we talk about it, WE HAVE NEVER BEEN UNHAPPY ABOUT NOT KEEPING CHRISTMAS... NEVER.

There are way more days she gets gifts than others get christmas. I cannot eve ndo a delivery without getting a "chritsmas" card when I return home... She would make me a card from scratch and say... Dad, you are the best dad in the world, I love you... This happens at least three times a week. And if I see how she respects elders, how lovingly she is the least whenever she plays with friends, and how well she behave her whole life... I Tell her... My child your obedience to dad's and God's rules are so beautiful. You are truly a blessing and a child of light in this dark world... I will tell het she outshines ANY CHRISTMAS TREE all the days of the year, even on Christmas...
 
H

Huckleberry

Guest
#56
We do not have or do Christmas. If that is the only day my child deserve a gift from a loving father, then I am as hypocratical as all the other Christmas people...
Yes what a terrible hypocritical "Christmas" person I am for only giving my children gifts on Christmas.
Why would they deserve a gift on any other day of the year?
So that's why I make them pay for all their own Easter candy and birthday gifts.
On the fourth of July, they get to buy the fireworks.
Also, when we go out to eat, they all get separate checks.
And of course they have to foot the bill for all their own activities.
You wanna play baseball or be a girl scout? Cough up the dough!
 
Feb 17, 2010
3,620
27
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#57
Yes what a terrible hypocritical "Christmas" person I am for only giving my children gifts on Christmas.
Why would they deserve a gift on any other day of the year?
So that's why I make them pay for all their own Easter candy and birthday gifts.
On the fourth of July, they get to buy the fireworks.
Also, when we go out to eat, they all get separate checks.
And of course they have to foot the bill for all their own activities.
You wanna play baseball or be a girl scout? Cough up the dough!
Huckie, if the shoe fits,,,,, put it on my man!
 
T

tdrew777

Guest
#59
Thanks for your wonderful perspective, U. Fester! You do what you have purposed in your heart - it is beautiful! No one has convinced me to bring the tradition of buying piles of presents to our country - I'll do the beautiful thing on my heart. But you did not answer my question - do you do the lightbulb thing on holidays?
 

Hizikyah

Senior Member
Aug 25, 2013
11,634
372
0
#60
I have an adult nephew (35 years old) who is married, with two daughters (ages 9 and 7). A few years ago his church announced that it was wrong to exchange gifts at Christmas. Claimed it took away from the true meaning of Christmas. As such, his girls no longer get gifts at Christmas. I feel really bad for them. This guy has a good heart, but is making a huge mistake. Your kids only get one childhood. I feel bad because one day he'll wake up and realize that it was a mistake to rob these kids of Christmas.

I need some advice. Should I talk to the guy and try to change his mind? If so, what should I say?
When did not celebrating Babylonian sun gods become wrong? The Messiah was not born on DEC25, every sun god in existence was. Pine trees and Santa are more pagan than harry potter...setting a child in "santas lap" comes from people stting their child in the glowing hot hands of Molech in child sacrifice ritul, and the "putting the branch" to their nose, the evergreen branch...



Yeremyah 10:1-6, "Hear the word which Yahweh speaks concerning you, O house of Israyl. This is what Yahweh says: aDo not learn the way of the heathen and do not be deceived by the signs of heaven; though the heathen are deceived by them For the religious customs of the peoples are vain; worthless! For one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, so that it will not move; topple over. They are upright, like a palm tree, but they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not give them reverence! They cannot do evil, nor is it in them to do righteousness!"