Back to Monday, December 3, 2007 issue

Don't confuse the celebration with the religion; trappings not very Christian

Editor, San Diego Jewish World

Just read your article on mixed households and the December difficulties.

Let's all try and remember that "Christmas" with all its cheer and presents and Santa Claus and so on is to a large extent a pagan festival and not a Christian one. Indeed some of us call it Christmess!

Just look at Santa Claus - more commonly known as Kris Kringle to some. All from Norse myths!

Why else would the poor guy live at the north pole? If he had anything to do with Christianity he would have lived somewhere in a hot and dry climate!

Let's look at elves, tinsel, holly, reindeer and all the Ho Ho Ho that comes with the commercial trappings of Christmas and actually find ANY Christian imagery that is associated with all this. There is NONE!

It's all a commercial beat up!

As for the story of the birth of the Christ Child and the three wise men etc - well let's not forget that Jesus was born a Jew and since he had a Jewish mother, stayed a Jew, whether he liked it or not and  whatever anyone says NOW!

Let's not reinvent history!

Peter Garas
Canberra, Australia