Winter Festival Christmas and Christian Christmas

Dear Readers,

As most of you are aware, I have been on a long and pleasurable conversion to Judaism.

You are also likely aware that I have traditionally, and hopefully will , always enjoy Christmas. These ideas might seem to conflict with one another until I define just exactly what I mean by "enjoy Christmas."

Firstly, let me STATE EMPHATICALLY that I have ABSOLUTELY NEVER had any personal belief in the religion of Christianity. When I was very young, I didn't "have faith" or otherwise recognize its validity as the surprme monotheistic religion.

As an adult, not only do I not believe in it as a religion, I don't like it as a religion. I don't begrudge my Christian friends their right to believe in what ever religion they please, to include Christianity, but it just simply isn't for me.

As an American, I find the Christmas season to be a powerful and colorful holiday. I have been able to identify two distinct, and yet sometimes intertwined holidays celebrated here in America during our "Christmas season".

The first and foremost is what I call "Winter Festival Christmas." The second is "Christian Christmas."

Christian Christmas is fairly obvious to identify, it involves conscious and considered religious devotion to the birthday of the Christian messiah Jesus. The celebration of Christian Christmas might have some or many trappings of Winter Festival Christmas as decorations, but it is essentially a religious celebration of the birth of the Christian messiah.

Winter Festival Christmas is all of the color and pageantry of the American Christmas season to include, SANTA CLAUS, lights, presents, egg nog, many Christmas Carols, the Christmas tree, and among other things ,the wonderful feeling of happiness and good will towards men that seems to readily come forth during this holiday. This is the Christmas I love and heartily celebrate!!

I truly love Winter Festival Christmas!! It is a beautiful, fun, and American holiday. It is true that other countries celebrate some form of Winter Festival Christmas in addition to Christian Christmas, however Americans have made this particular holiday into a super duper experience unrivaled by any other holiday globally. I am speaking of Winter Festival Christmas when I say "super duper".

Most countries have their religious holidays, and I am not comparing one religion to another in this article. I am merely trying to make distinct for the reader just exactly what kind of Christmas I enjoy.

If you have any doubts over whether or not Winter Festival Christmas is a real or worthy holiday, please see the below video links...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vPaGQEskSKM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XSH9ryRzHQ4

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAY I PRESENT FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE, A "SUPER DUPER " MOVIE--- THE CHRISTMAS STORY!!!!!!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uZieW2F90Is
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-8GDTqsAl_U&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UZ6HCcEIURU&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=huhh2jw5UUg&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=utM_Uk3aA9c&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3d3u5l-dqx0&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sz4lC7XH5S0&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mz9HkyowGb8&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5Dl2mWJjlUE&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_53Ie8jOSl8&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=L7yaV4dPD-Q&feature=related

Merry Christmas !!!!
Ho Ho Ho!!!!
Mike Miller
Indiana,
2007