i'm between churches right now. recently left my old one. but this is where i've been visiting. the pastor is an old friend of mine.
Being Jewish, it was a tough time during the holidays seeing the entire school decorated in x-mas garb and essentially dismissing that there might be someone else in the school that isn't a christian. I see no problem in calling the time off the "winter holiday." In what way is it a bad thing to include other points of view? As far as the govenment goes, if you are going to have Christmas as a national holiday, why shouldn't Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Kwanza be celebrated as national holidays? I don't remember seeing the words "Christian Nation" anywhere in the Constitution.
Damn, you're right. Christmas is what made this country great. F*****g libpigs. Why do the liberals hate America?
Gee Reg , do ya think those hate mongers over on the AM dial might just be after a knee jerk reaction to keep you from looking at what's really going while they dehumanize their perceived enemies? It's a pretty transparent propaganda tactic, surley you are smarter than that. Of course as a liberal athiest the entire commercialization of Christmas looks like a manipulation of the masses by corporate interest to me. Like Hallmark inventing holidays where cards are appropriate or Debeers promoting the two months salary wedding ring. It's all about moving the crap merchandise out and the rube's money in. Happy Holidays
Yeah, but if the giving and receiving rubes make something out of it, then it doesn't sound as bad as you wrote it...
Manager: Okay, people. We need to cook up a new holiday for the summer. Something with, eh, gifts, cards, assorted gougeables. Woman: How about something religious? We had great penetration last spring with "Christmas II"!
I thought it was freedom, democracy, capitalism, and the idea that everyone has a chance to make it in this country that made us great. Little did I know it was the Christmas celebrations the whole time. Damnit!
Hearing John Mayer has a new album out has just made my Sunday, Monday,Tues and the rest of the month. JM is badass.
Tell me about it, it snowed last Thursday. You're more than welcome to move to the great white north. I can use all the help I can to revive my dream of Clutchfans North.
I've always thought that Christmas was at the end of the year because it gives a little something to be happy about in the cold of winter.
No offense...but VERY easy to say for somebody who does not have a boss. Without the designation as a holiday, I can easily see hard working Americans finding out that they will have to work on Christmas.
Does God send a message to Americans celebrating Christmas? http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?docID=522847 Death Rates Highest During Holidays A study finds a bump in both cardiac and non-cardiac deaths on Christmas and New Year's Day. By E.J. Mundell HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDayNews) -- Researchers have some sobering news during this festive season: Americans are more likely to die on Christmas Day, the day after Christmas, and on New Year's Day than on any other day of the year. In a comprehensive study of 53 million U.S. death certificates spanning the years 1973-2001, researchers discovered significant spikes in both cardiac and non-cardiac deaths during the holidays. They also warned this trend is on the rise. "From the point of view of a public health problem, it's something that's getting worse over time rather than better," said lead researcher David Phillips, a professor of sociology at the University of California at San Diego. He believes the phenomenon may stem from patients' tendency to postpone medical care during the holidays, as well as holiday-specific staffing patterns at hospitals nationwide. The findings appear in the Dec. 14 issue of Circulation. In 1999, a study led by Dr. Robert A. Kloner of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles found death rates jumped by about a third in December and January compared to those seen in the summer months. However, the study looked only at deaths occurring over a 12-year period in and around Los Angeles. Phillips's study is much broader than that. "We were the first to look at this phenomenon using all death certificates from the entire country" over a longer time span, Phillips explained. This enormous statistical power enabled the researchers to identify patterns in mortality for every day of the year. They found that three days -- Dec. 25 and 26, and Jan. 1 -- were the worst in terms of deaths from both cardiac and non-cardiac causes. "In the case of heart deaths, there's an 11.9 percent excess [of deaths] on those days" beyond what would normally be expected during that season, Phillips said. "In the case of the non-heart deaths for those three days, what you find is an extra 12.2 percent of deaths," he added. The observed spikes in death rates were especially sharp among individuals who died soon after onset of their symptoms -- patients who were dead on arrival (DOA) by the time they reached emergency care. During the holidays, DOA rates climbed by nearly 5 percent over normal, the researchers found. Why the sharp rise in deaths around the holidays? According to Phillips, a close examination of data ruled out likely suspects such as cold weather or changes in diet and exercise patterns. For example, he said, the rise in holiday deaths was seen even among nursing home patients, whose diets and activities tend to be strictly controlled. Kloner suggested that the emotional stress associated with the holiday season might be to blame -- things like "dealing with relatives whether you like them or not, financial stresses, and travel during the holidays." But Phillips disagreed. He pointed out that the Christmas and New Year's Day peaks in mortality were also seen among individuals affected by advanced Alzheimer's disease. "Many of these people don't even understand anymore that there is a holiday going on," he said. Based on that finding, "we don't think the evidence points neatly toward the idea of emotional stress playing a role," Phillips said. Instead, two factors -- patient attitudes to symptoms and hospital staffing changes -- appear most likely to blame, he said. According to Phillips, too many patients adopt an "'I'll take care of that later'" attitude when presented with unsettling symptoms during the holidays. "They underuse urgent-care facilities. That's been shown in previous studies," he said. There's also the added complication of holiday travel. According to Phillips, individuals far away from their doctors may choose to put off needed care until their return. Holiday staffing patterns at hospitals may play a key role, as well. "It could be there's reduced levels of health-care staffing, or staff members who are unfamiliar with individual patients," Kloner said. According to Phillips, more study needs to be done to see if better hospital staffing practices can reduce the holiday rise in mortality. The findings are much more than a minor statistical bump, he said. According to the study, the "holiday effect" may account for an additional 42,039 U.S. deaths over the study period. And it's a trend that's been growing in significance year by year, the researchers add. According to the study, the first three years of data (1973-1975) pegged excess holiday mortality at just 0.95 percent above what would be expected during the winter months. By the study's end, 1999-2001, that bump had risen nearly fivefold, to 4.4 percent above seasonal norms. "This effect is getting bigger over time," Phillips said. "It seems risky to ignore it." More information To learn more about the warning sings of heart attack and stroke, visit the American Heart Association. (SOURCES: David Phillips, Ph.D., professor, sociology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.; Robert A. Kloner, Ph.D., M.D., director, research, Heart Institute, Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, and professor, medicine, cardiovascular division, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Dec. 14, 2004, Circulation)
IMO, Thanksgiving is the best holiday invention ever.....good food spent w/ family & friends where everyone can reflect and be thankful for what they have......no widespread promotion or consumerism for superfluous material goods, no having to buy greeting cards (which are like the dumbest waste of time and paper ), and no having to dress up in goofy costumes or paint rotting eggs. Thanxgiving OWNS!
