In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is a teaching that no one is guilty of the original sin that Adam and Eve committed.

If, let’s say, the president of our country greeted you or, let’s say, the leader of your church or the governor or senator of your state, would you be sitting down while they continued to stand?

The vestments serve a spiritual function of helping to bring the faithful into the atmosphere of understanding. Vestments are iconic representations of our Lord and the angels, serving at the one altar of God.

The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God according to many Christian fathers and Saint John Chrysostom would be forgiven if one were to repent of it.

It would be difficult to substantiate the origin and tradition of the Santa’s bag; however, one I could suspect it had to do with the bags of gold and the symbolism of giving something of great value, that is the compassion and love we should all have for one another.  

Yes, Mary is the mother of Christ our God, known to Eastern Orthodox as the Theotokos.