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I wasn't really thinking about the varying ways others might view my story.
I can understand it strange from the standpoint of being Jewish. But I'm at peace with my decision. I know who I am and what my heritage is. Am I sad that my kids don't have a "pure bread" religion like I had or my wife did? We both know we broke the chain in our families that for my side of the family goes back at least to the mid 1800's (that's as far as I've gotten with my family tree).
I'm not sure why this would make anyone cry. No one will sway me in my belief that Jesus was a great man. My putting up a tree, with no prayers said, is only symbolism for my wife as is the menorah for me. I just this putting up the tree has a familial and not religious meaning to me and my wife.
Don't sweat it, TheFlipFlop is just an over-emotional BT Satmar...To you Jesus was a great man, to TheFlipFlop, he was just another dead Rabbi...To each his own...
It's lovely that there are supportive gentiles believing this is beautiful, I feel I must point out that there are different implications with Jewish people celebrating Christian holidays. I'm not judging the OP, but there are other implications to us celebrating Christian holidays that make some of us seem less than supportive. That's all.
Don't sweat it, TheFlipFlop is just an over-emotional BT Satmar...To you Jesus was a great man, to TheFlipFlop, he was just another dead Rabbi...To each his own...
It's lovely that there are supportive gentiles believing this is beautiful, I feel I must point out that there are different implications with Jewish people celebrating Christian holidays. I'm not judging the OP, but there are other implications to us celebrating Christian holidays that make some of us seem less than supportive. That's all.
Honestly. Please expand on this, as I would truly like to understand where different levels of beliefs lie.
I'm not a gentile, and I see the OP's putting up of the tree as a favor he was doing for his MIL, NOT that he was celebrating the Christian holiday in any way for himself. Maybe I'm wrong there. The OP apparently didn't view the tree situation in a religious way at all, but rather as a good deed for his MIL. Probably I am wrong and will be roasted for the POV.
I'm not a gentile, and I see the OP's putting up of the tree as a favor he was doing for his MIL, NOT that he was celebrating the Christian holiday in any way for himself. Maybe I'm wrong there. The OP apparently didn't view the tree situation in a religious way at all, but rather as a good deed for his MIL. Probably I am wrong and will be roasted for the POV.
I was talking to my wife today about the tree, it's name, and the memories. When I was asked to put it up that first year (drag the tree out of the basement etc.), it just started from there. My FIL was sick or something that weekend, and me being the visiting man in the house it became my job that day. I really did a good job, and from that point on my MIL pretty much waited for me to put up the tree each year. I came up with the name for the tree because I found it sort of comical in a Goyim house putting up the tree, and they all thought it so funny that it stuck. Sure, I could have played some religious angle, but decided why bother because it was just a tree. There really wasn't any other issue about me doing so.
But to further my OP, although I really didn't mind putting up the tree over the years, it was the last year I put up the tree in their house that meant most to me (5 years ago). My MIL was at home under hospice care in December 5 years ago. I came down that year and put up the tree, and I could just see in her face, already masked with morphine and the oncoming death, her joy (by this time it had been more than 2 decades of me putting up the tree). She ended up passing away on January 2nd, on her 70th birthday. That day is also my wife's birthday.
You did something to help someone else. The world would be a better place if more people did things to help each other. Well done. Some people get it. Some people don't. Never....ever....worry about the people who don't.
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