Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evolving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Rules For the rest of the Site also accessible on the sidebar.
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We do both in our home, The Nativity set that belonged to my grandmother is front and center, the wreath reminds us of new life, in the green, as God has given us a son and eternal "evergreen" life, the tree is a tradition in my culture, and the gifts represent love and gratitude for each other. Once the children are grown up, there is less of the thrill on Christmas morning, but we still want the tradition to go on. Santa does not mean Satan! It means Saint, or holy in Latin, after Saint Nicholas, a bishop known for his generosity, from Myra Greece, thus the gift giving in his name. It has become secular to non believers, but it is a Holy Day for many faithful in the Northern Hemisphere. In Eastern Orthodox churches, it is celebrated on the Epiphany, also known as feast of the Three Kings in many Christian observances in Latin America and Ethiopia. I suppose Jehovas witness people have misconstrued it to some sort of pagan religion, but if you look back historically, it is just tradition that was started with the celebration of Christ and the nativity narrative. If ever there was a time to keep up traditional practices of our sacred observances, it is now, with the threat of secular globalism.
u/lovemyGod Just beautiful! I knew most of what you described and growing up I was taught all of this. When my daughter was about five till maybe ten to twelve, during the Christmas season I bought my daughter a Christmas book. Some were Santa and other type books in addition to the story of Jesus birth. My mom went all out for Christmas decorating, cooking and buying gifts. We were also taught the bible and raised in church. She always made the advent wreath for church. I wish churches still did these old traditions. Blending old and new isn’t a bad thing.
I wish the church's would bring back the bells !
I’m old enough to remember bells, not at a church. I think maybe the courthouse. I grew up in a country church built before the civil war. It didn’t have bells. I don’t remember where I saw someone talking a bells. “They” have removed bells from everywhere. Dang I wish I could remember more.
Not insulting St Nicholas.. just the word Santa itself the symbol, and if you rearrange the letters.. it's a 3am epiphany, didn't go deep
Thank you. u/bibloop is woefully ignorant.