Quiet?

[CelticRose]

We are being very quiet people. :) Shy? Or is everyone just super busy at present?

[oliveplants]

Good question. I miss all the discussion.

[CelticRose]

Me too.

[vespasia]

...so lets start one....any suggestions?

[oliveplants]

Okay, today being Vaentine's, what do y'all do for/about holidays?

[vespasia]

I do not.
For me Valentines day is a purely secular day used to generate profit, make people feel guilty for forgetting by loading on emotional baggage of the 'if you loved me' sort to make them spend more than they can realistically afford and thats before I even get close to what it does to the lonely and those for whom relationships have failed.

Personnally I prefer to save anything special for my actual wedding anniversary. That means more to me. It does not have to be something super expensive; simply making time from both our busy jobs to spend time with each other and switching our mobile (cell) work phones off!

[CelticRose]

Nice try Olive, but I'm in the wrong country. It's not big out here like it is in the states & DH & I don't celebrate it ~ to say nothing of all the reasons Vespasia mentions.

For someone who is normally quite garralous I seem to be strangely bereft of ideas for discussion at present. Menno was so good at starting things off! Drat the man!

[catlover]

I caved in to Valentine's day and bought the children, hubby, and a family friend chocolate and a card...

It felt like the right thing to do at the moment. :blush:

[oliveplants]

Hey, it's a start!
DH and I do get each other a little something, but I do not have the children hand out cards like most here do. It's about marriage, not anything else. I read a little history yesterday, and children were involved in an ancient pagan thingy on Feb 15; they drew names and paired up for the year, often such pairings led to marriage.

So I honor St Valentine and the personal sacrifice he made in defense of the ordinance of marriage by celebrating mine.
I wonder if there are other saints' days worth remembering? :confused: He's really the only one I know about, because of the holiday.

Do y'all 'do' any holiday? I know it isn't a big thing among traditional Anabaptists, but this group is anything but traditional. :D

[vespasia]

Catlover,

There is nothing wrong with letting your friends and family know you love them.

As for anything with 'pagan overtones' ...for me that causes a personal dicotomy...am I doing this for the right reasons, old habits or WHAT. On that i will always be 'the weaker brother'. HOWEVER it does not mean for someone else that this is so

So on the whole I prefer to err on the side of caution as I know all too well what I can be like if I start down that particular black rabbit hole.

I do not hold with 'saints days' because for me they mean nothing but I do like to celebrate the birth of Christ, remember his crucifiction and really celebrate his resurrection. I toyed with the idea of should i hold with 'jewish' holidays but concluded that I am a gentile who came to Christ and I do not need to become a jew before I can have Christ. (hope that makes sense I am running on empty due to hours worked and lack of sleep.)

[oliveplants]

I do like to celebrate the birth of Christ, remember his crucifiction and really celebrate his resurrection. I toyed with the idea of should i hold with 'jewish' holidays but concluded that I am a gentile who came to Christ and I do not need to become a jew before I can have Christ
Me, too!

Get some rest, sister.

[CelticRose]

We aren't big on secular holidays; all that public patriotic sentiment rather repulses me & my cringe factor goes into overdrive. We do Eater & Christmas in a very low key way & going to church is always the most important part of our day.

[catlover]

We aren't big on secular holidays; all that public patriotic sentiment rather repulses me & my cringe factor goes into overdrive. We do Eater & Christmas in a very low key way & going to church is always the most important part of our day.

I am not really into nationalism myself.
I like Easter, Christmas lately really bums me out with all the materialism involved.

[CelticRose]

Just Christmas? There are Easter eggs in the shops here already! Now I'm not against eggs; anything chocolate is good with me, but we never got enough of it to make the kids sick. God ordained plenty of celebrations in scripture but as with so much else it is the heart with which we do these things that is the most important.

[catlover]

Just Christmas? There are Easter eggs in the shops here already! Now I'm not against eggs; anything chocolate is good with me, but we never got enough of it to make the kids sick. God ordained plenty of celebrations in scripture but as with so much else it is the heart with which we do these things that is the most important.

I know...I just noticed the eggs...:sigh: I wonder where Jesus is in Easter Celebrations?

[CelticRose]

The lady who does our youth talks does a great thing with eggs ~ the hollow variety. The kids get to take a bite...what does the egg now remind them of? The empty tomb!! Mine have never forgotten & though they are big now they still talk about it.