Old Fashioned Christmas

The card on top is an old Christmas card from 1946 (doesn 't belong to me).

Below it are Christmas cards hand painted on dried peepal leaves. I get these from our Catholic Book shop some of them have nativity scenes on them.In Mussoorie I used to get hand painted batik cloth cards, they are very unique.

I groan at the commercialization and stress of Christmas In our family w e've had moderate, but happy, holy celebrations with lots of fun with family, friends and fellowship.

When we lived in a housing complex our non-Christian neighbours thought we weren 't celebrating Christmas as we were not having rave parties in our flat and dressing up in new clothes.Gave us an opportunity to witness to them and tell them what the real meaning of Christmas was.The Indian media has shown Christians in very poor light specially the movies, it was a reaction to the British Raj, I think.They wanted to portray everything connected to the British and the West as degenerate and decadent and shameful. They got plenty of examples from Hollywood too. But things are getting much better since the 90s.

Christian television coming into India has done a lot of good.

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Mrs Mac did an excellent post on Christmas and I want to place it here with her permission

Whatever happened to:
neighborhood church bells
a reverence for religious and national holidays
special occasion dresses
waiting until December 25 for a present
a much anticipated long distance phone call ... for just a few minutes due to cost
99.9 % of stores and businesses closing for Christmas, Sunday, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.
saying "Merry Christmas" ... instead of "Happy (generic) Holidays
Christmas savings programs through your bank so you didn't owe on credit cards for six months past Christmas
moderation
being content with whatever present you received ... instead of handing out a wish list
driving to grandma's house for a family gathering
meaningful Christmas music
nothing remotely Christmasie until after Thanksgiving ...
the real reason for celebrating Christmas ...
whole intact families

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Two Hindu girls visited us this morning.They are business management students and are interested in the Bible.I was busy with house chores so mama talked with them. They promised to come to church on Sunday Dec. 23rd. Remember them in prayer.

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Went to the meat shop before they close for the Muslim holiday break.Its funny but whenever we go for pre-Christmas shopping we bump into the Pastor of the Seventh Day Adventist Church - in different shopping centers too.Strange.Never meet him shopping at any other time. He tried real hard to influence us with his teaching and now he knows we are firmly grounded on our doctrines and know how to answer him.