American Traditions....................

I have never become an American, I am and will always be English. It is easier for my kids to assimilate because although born in England, their lives have been lived here. My traditions are different and although I may not celebrate them, I always remember them. I guess two we have in common are Remembrance Sunday and Christmas. I must say that maybe the only one that means anything anymore is Remembrance Day that one is not commercialized like all the others.

Today is Thanksgiving Day. Is it really? What happened to family time?
Today Thanksgiving is not about giving thanks for the hoards of people who are out shopping !!!. It,s now all about what they can get cheap. Never mind that someone else has to give up their day to serve them. Those who don't mind doing it are in it for the extra money and those who are not resent having to miss their family time. There are those fine people who work in emergency services and the necessary ones to keep us all going and I am Thankful for those every day.

The other side of Thanksgiving, the traditional one here, where the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock. Well, I see that from a different angle. They may well have been welcomed here but look what happened. Talk about betrayal. They then proceeded to come in the hundreds and thousands and stole from the people who lived here. I see nothing admirable about that. Nothing to celebrate. They could have coexisted but no, they systematically killed and committed genocide. Not much to celebrate there and quite frankly we are insulting a portion of the population. So, for me Thanksgiving is a time of reflection and family time, I base it on the British tradition of Harvest Festival. All be it a little late but really that is what it's all about. I say cut out on the Pilgrims and be thankful for what we have today, and not go out getting more "stuff" ............be thankful for what we have.
If only it could have stayed this way

We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the ground, but it is fed and watered by God's Almighty hand.

Likewise the other common holidays of Easter and Christmas are so commercial that they are already shopping today for Christmas bargains. When will this stop? Do we have to become completely broke before people see that it is not THINGS that are important but people. Go feed some homeless people or invite some lonely person in for dinner. Let those who do not need or want to work go enjoy their own family. We have become selfish.
Easter has become a celebration of the Easter bunny and greedy children. Not at all the sacred thing it should be.
Good Friday is ignored now. I was really shocked when first I came here to see everything open on Good Friday. I am sure it's the same in England now. The English have become Godless in these generations. Not only did we celebrate Easter but also Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday) the time before Lenten sacrifice. After Easter came Whitsun,

Whit Monday, also known as Pentecost Monday is a public holiday in several countries on the Monday after Whitsunday. Whitsunday is observed fifty days (approx. seven weeks) after Easter and 10 days after Ascension.This marks the end of the Easter cycle, that began 90 days back with Ash Wednesday at the start of Lent.
Until fairly recently, Whit Monday was a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland. Until 1967, it was a bank holiday in the United Kingdom, when it was replaced by the 'spring bank holiday' on the last Monday in May. In the US Spring break is around that time I think.
They say this is a Christian country (US), it is not!. Things are changing fast. So many other religions are represented here and in the UK. So it's no longer possible to say that.
The next holiday here is probably July 4th and naturally that means nothing to me that I will say here haha.
Christmas has become so commercial and people not allowed to offend others by placing a Creche in public places. I understand why but then why should I have to put up with the satanic Halloween festivals? and again the greediness of children who surely do not need all that candy?.

I am a Christian and it offends me deeply that people celebrate Halloween and all that it stands for. I won't get into that, but I would not try to stop others doing what they want and so why do they try to stop the ancient celebration of the birth of Christ? As I see it the world is (as it will do) is going to hell in a handbasket. Christians have been integrated into the world system of indulgence and greed. That was prophesied. If any true Christian would think about what they do celebrate and how then put that against what Christ told us to do, and what would be pleasing to Him. Well? do your traditions that you are teaching kids, do they stand up to that test?. Would He be pleased? I don't think so, that's me and I do not impose my belief on others. This is MY blog though so I say what I think.
Now I do know that Christ was not born at Christmas, a lot of our Christmas traditions are pagan. However, for me and my reason for celebrating is because it is a great family time and I love the glitz and glitter but I also try to keep the reason for the season in my heart. I accept gifts with thankfulness and give because I love to do that. That is not what it's all about though and I certainly won't make people work on their holiday to serve me. I also do not "play Santa" I tell my grandkids that St Nicholas was a good and Godly man who gave gifts to the poor and especially children. So we remember him at this time of year, but God gave our parents the ability to gift the children and they need to remember that. We are celebrating our Lord Jesus Christ and the gift that He gave us. Eternal Life.