No, I write them myself, but I'm a native Spanish speaker and I also have a Spanish version of the newsletter, I don't know if you knew that. I write the Spanish version, and the English version is translated by AI to ensure it's well-written.
No, it reads well. I have been conversing a lot with Microsoft Copilot in recent months, which uses ChatGPT, and some of the phrasing reminded me of that. Perhaps the AI translation ends up choosing similar phrasing as it would when writing from scratch (in so far that AI ever does that, I mean).
Oh yes, I was afraid that would happen, that the English translation of my words would lose the naturalness I have when I express myself. That's the downside of translations; unless it's done by a professional translator, no matter how much technology advances, it never fully captures the tone, rhythm, and connotations a native speaker uses. Sometimes the writer's mistakes are "corrected" by AI, resulting in a text that's perhaps too well-written...
Well, at least I'm glad they're readable and clear.
thank you for this awesome history of this holiday. The connection with Jesus has recently mystified me because, as far as I've heard, He was born in the spring. Maybe we should take the Christ out of Christmas and put it where it belongs ... closer or as a part of Easter. Imposing the raucus holiday you've cited here with Christianity really taints His identity as well as brings political and religious chaos to it. Maybe all the secular hubbub and confusion around this time of year shows another reason to rebel and raise Hell. Let the Grinch, Snoopy characters, and now even Bluey cartoon characters reign and shift Christ to His actual birthday.
Hahaha, yes, this time of year has become a bizarre mix of everything, where everyone tries to take advantage of the situation. As a curious aside, on Christmas Eve in Spain, the King gives a traditional speech. This means that it's simultaneously a pagan holiday for families to gather and celebrate the abundance of food, a supposed religious celebration, and a moment the state uses to make its presence felt and remind us of patriotic values. And all of this is surrounded by absurd consumerism, as if you couldn't give a gift any other day of the year.
Indeed. I've been thinking a lot lately (I know, it's dangerous) of taking Jesus our of the present-day December holidays and tacking His birthday onto Easter. He was supposedly born in the spring, so how about celebrating his birthday maybe a couple of weeks before Easter. Have the days between the two holidays to think about His mission and what it was all about. Bring forth the "other" stories that The Church rejected to flesh out this man's remarkable life and teachings. Oooo, is that too radical? More Mary Magdelaine and less Apostle Paul's interpretation of Christ. IDK. What do you think, Alvaro? I'll bet the people in Provance would go wild. Celebrate Mary Magdalaine as the Thirteenth Disciple ... give her her own day.
Ugh, I honestly couldn't say what the impact of that would be, but I did hear once that Mary Magdalene is relegated to the background, even though she provides a lot of information about Jesus' life and is also, according to the Bible, closely related to the main story that is now considered "canonical." So it could be.
That's exactly what happened. It's curious to see the huge change this holiday has undergone and how it's been redirected to make it profitable through modern consumerism. When the focus is no longer on celebrating individual harvests, it's advertised as a time for family gatherings and absurdly large meals. A senseless waste.
A great insight. Disturbingly, some of the descriptions of the old Christmas are now reflected again in society - but now all year long.
Thanks, Chris :)
I'm happy it inspired you! Yes, you are right that what used to happen at Christmas now happens more frequently all year round.
Are your posts written with AI, like ChatGPT?
Hi!
No, I write them myself, but I'm a native Spanish speaker and I also have a Spanish version of the newsletter, I don't know if you knew that. I write the Spanish version, and the English version is translated by AI to ensure it's well-written.
Did something happen with the translation?
No, it reads well. I have been conversing a lot with Microsoft Copilot in recent months, which uses ChatGPT, and some of the phrasing reminded me of that. Perhaps the AI translation ends up choosing similar phrasing as it would when writing from scratch (in so far that AI ever does that, I mean).
Oh yes, I was afraid that would happen, that the English translation of my words would lose the naturalness I have when I express myself. That's the downside of translations; unless it's done by a professional translator, no matter how much technology advances, it never fully captures the tone, rhythm, and connotations a native speaker uses. Sometimes the writer's mistakes are "corrected" by AI, resulting in a text that's perhaps too well-written...
Well, at least I'm glad they're readable and clear.
thank you for this awesome history of this holiday. The connection with Jesus has recently mystified me because, as far as I've heard, He was born in the spring. Maybe we should take the Christ out of Christmas and put it where it belongs ... closer or as a part of Easter. Imposing the raucus holiday you've cited here with Christianity really taints His identity as well as brings political and religious chaos to it. Maybe all the secular hubbub and confusion around this time of year shows another reason to rebel and raise Hell. Let the Grinch, Snoopy characters, and now even Bluey cartoon characters reign and shift Christ to His actual birthday.
Hahaha, yes, this time of year has become a bizarre mix of everything, where everyone tries to take advantage of the situation. As a curious aside, on Christmas Eve in Spain, the King gives a traditional speech. This means that it's simultaneously a pagan holiday for families to gather and celebrate the abundance of food, a supposed religious celebration, and a moment the state uses to make its presence felt and remind us of patriotic values. And all of this is surrounded by absurd consumerism, as if you couldn't give a gift any other day of the year.
It's chaos.
Indeed. I've been thinking a lot lately (I know, it's dangerous) of taking Jesus our of the present-day December holidays and tacking His birthday onto Easter. He was supposedly born in the spring, so how about celebrating his birthday maybe a couple of weeks before Easter. Have the days between the two holidays to think about His mission and what it was all about. Bring forth the "other" stories that The Church rejected to flesh out this man's remarkable life and teachings. Oooo, is that too radical? More Mary Magdelaine and less Apostle Paul's interpretation of Christ. IDK. What do you think, Alvaro? I'll bet the people in Provance would go wild. Celebrate Mary Magdalaine as the Thirteenth Disciple ... give her her own day.
Ugh, I honestly couldn't say what the impact of that would be, but I did hear once that Mary Magdalene is relegated to the background, even though she provides a lot of information about Jesus' life and is also, according to the Bible, closely related to the main story that is now considered "canonical." So it could be.
Hi! :)
That's exactly what happened. It's curious to see the huge change this holiday has undergone and how it's been redirected to make it profitable through modern consumerism. When the focus is no longer on celebrating individual harvests, it's advertised as a time for family gatherings and absurdly large meals. A senseless waste.
Thanks Jordan! This perfectly matches what I've researched, great!