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If there's no Santa ... why do the presents?
(A Calvinist Christian friend (yes, I have one of these) and I have had a number of discussions related to the upcoming holiday. Not only are the fun traditions pagan (tree, yule log, giftgiving), but strict Christian tradition does not honor the birth of Christ, because this act, God becoming flesh, debased God, and only the redemption of the Crucifixion restored God's purity. He points out that the one of the first things that Cromwell did in the Reformation was to ban Christmas celebrations, and that for a long time 12/25 was just another day in session in the US congress, with the only days off being Sundays, when church services were held in the Capitol building. Now of course it could be the case that he is just cheap and unwilling to give presents, but that's his story and he's sticking to it.)
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