Originally posted by TJ:
They come in chocolate now? How would the little fluffy yellow baby chickens hatch from a CHOCOLATE rabbit egg?

What, are you stupid?

Originally posted by TJ:
:rolleyes:

Didn't you learn anything in school?

If the boy bunny porks the girl chicken, the CHICKEN will lay the eggs with bunnies in them....so there will be no bunny eggs with chicks in them...what, they didn't teach you this stuff in Sunday School?

(I think this is a rooster here though?...so the pic is more illustrative of homosexual beastiality...or, perhaps, the rooster is getting it from a she bunny with a strap on?)

CHRISTMAS TREE TRADITION HAS ANCIENT ORIGINS
King Tut never saw a Christmas tree, but he would have understood the tradition which traces back long before the first Christmas, says David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture with the Springfield Extension Center.

The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death.

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life.

Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits.

Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions.

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth.

The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio, adds Robson.

But the custom spread slowly. The Puritans banned Christmas in New England. Even as late as 1851, a Cleveland minister nearly lost his job because he allowed a tree in his church. Schools in Boston stayed open on Christmas Day through 1870, and sometimes expelled students who stayed home.

The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal.

Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression. Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape then wild ones.

Six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.

Premission was granted for Internet use by --- Written by: David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture; Springfield Extension Center

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CHRISTMAS TREE HISTORY
Did a celebration around a Christmas tree on a bitter cold Christmas Eve at Trenton, New Jersey, turn the tide for Colonial forces in 1776? According to legend, Hessian mercenaries were so reminded of home by a candlelit evergreen tree that they abandoned their guardposts to eat, drink and be merry. Washington attached that night and defeated them.

The Christmas tree has gone through a long process of development rich in many legends, says David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture, with the Springfield Extension Center.

Some historians trace the lighted Christmas tree to Martin Luther. He attached lighted candles to a small evergreen tree, trying to simulate the reflections of the starlit heaven -- the heaven that looked down over Bethlehem on the first Christmas Eve.

Until about 1700, the use of Christmas trees appears to have been confined to the Rhine River District. From 1700 on, when lights were accepted as part of the decorations, the Christmas tree was well on its way to becoming a tradition in Germany. Then the tradition crossed the Atlantic with the Hessian soldiers.

Some people trace the origin of the Christmas tree to an earlier period. Even before the Christian era, trees and boughs were used for ceremonials. Egyptians, in celebrating the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year -- brought green date palms into their homes as a symbol of "life triumphant over death". When the Romans observed the feast of saturn, part of the ceremony was the raising of an evergreen bough. The early Scandinavians were said to have paid homage to the fir tree.

To the Druids, sprigs of evergreen holly in the house meant eternal life; while to the Norsemen, they symbolized the revival of the sun god Balder. To those inclined toward superstition, branches of evergreens placed over the door kept out witches, ghosts, evil spirits and the like.

This use does not mean that our Christmas tree custom evolved solely from paganism, any more than did some of the present-day use of sighed in various religious rituals.

Trees and branches can be made purposeful as well as symbolic. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees.

Written by: David Robson Extension Educator, Horticulture Springfield Extension Center

Originally posted by eli:
haha, actually i graduated from Tulane , which is a much better school than UT, especially in my two majors, so no i do not wish i was going there.

Originally posted by Claus Von Christensen:
I'm a dyslexic agnostic...is there a Dog?

Originally posted by NY Madman:
Knock it off you "Jew Bashers".

Eli is here to straighten you out with false information and politically correct emotions.

You white people aren't allowed to question the actions of any Jewish person. Especially if those actions are against any perceived symbol related to the evil Christians.

The only ones allowed to "Jew bash" are Muslims and dammit .... Eli will defend their right to hate Jews and even kill them.

Haven't you people learned the rules of political correctness yet? One of it's enforcers, Eli, is now here to set all of you straight.

Originally posted by Rockaholic:
I have no problem with someone wishing me a Merry Christmas, but I have often wondered why people who may nor know me at all would just assume I share the same religous belief that they have.

Originally posted by Claus Von Christensen:

jew's aren't white?, what race are they?

Originally posted by RReuscher:
If I remember right, isn't Hanukkah a minor Jewish holiday? Hasn't the importance of this holiday grown in the last few years mostly because of the time of the year it occurs, and has been used as a political big stick?

Originally posted by babyX:

Quote:

Originally posted by Rockaholic:
[b]I have no problem with someone wishing me a Merry Christmas, but I have often wondered why people who may nor know me at all would just assume I share the same religous belief that they have.

(this isn't directed at you, Rockaholic, but your commented provides a jumping-off point. When I say "you", I don't mean you, personally)

It's not about assuming you share the same belief system, it's about sharing their own with you. If that person is concentrated on Christmas as their celebration, it seems only natural to me to wish others a merry Christmas. It's also a fairly innocuous method of sharing that belief. People tend to bristle when Christians proclaim their belief in Christ, whether they knock on the door or stand on street corners preaching: "Oh geez, another Bible-thumper telling me I'm going to hell." I'm not a Bible-thumper, nor am I a door-knocker, but I will do what I can to represent my faith. And if that means wishing folks a merry Christmas instead of happy holidays, then that's what I'll do. If I offend someone or they reply with greetings representing another faith, then that opens up an opportunity for me to talk to them about it and for us to share our perspectives peacefully. It's not about shoving it down your throat, it's about sharing what we know to be true.

Edited to add: That being said, I understand that there are extremists out there, as there are in every religion, wanting to shove Christ down your throats. I don't condone said behaviour, nor am I trying to endorse or excuse it.[/b]

Originally posted by Desert_Rat:
How many of you get hammered on Cinco De Mayo? (mexican independence day - are you from Mexico?)