Christmas

Over the last few years there seems to be a trend toward Christians ceasing their celebration of the traditional American holidays, especially Christmas.
Reasons I’ve heard given include: God didn’t command us to celebrate them, Jesus didn’t celebrate them, They started with pagan beliefs, and they are really a celebration of pagan holidays with a veil over them to make them appear Christian.
I understand and totally respect that you feel that way, if in fact you do.  However, that is how YOU feel, not me, and I’m a christian too.  So I’m going to address this from my perspective, and why I choose to celebrate Christmas.
Jewish tradition doesn’t celebrate birthdays, so God didn’t actually COMMAND anyone to celebrate the birth of his son, HOWEVER, the biggest party ever went down the night of Jesus’ birth, and you better believe there was celebrating going on all over the place.  The only people mentioned at the time of Jesus’ birth that were not celebrating were actually not good people... (Herod).  A lot of babies died in that time too... because someone choose not to celebrate... now don’t get me wrong, this will further my point, but I’m certainly not saying that not celebrating is going to end up killing people... don’t jump to conclusions that I don’t intend, but do hear me out.
Who was scared but chose to celebrate anyway?  Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wisemen.  Who didn’t join the celebration?  The innkeepers, I think, did not join this celebration, don’t know why, but aside from showing Mary to a barn to birth her baby (wait, I know you scholars will probably tell me it wasn’t a barn, but it was where animals were kept, so lets call it a barn for that particular reason alone and leave the rest of that argument out of this article) the innkeeper isn’t mentioned again, so I think it is safe to say they ran back to the house they lived in or had other business to attend to.  Herod didn’t attend the birthday party either, why? Cause he thought this kid was going to grown up to take his thrown, and that wasn’t acceptable so he tied what he could to annihilate the kid and secure his thrown.  What is the difference between Mary’s fear that she wasn’t good enough, or prepared enough to be the mother of GODS child, and the fear that Herod would loose his thrown to this kid?  The difference is in their hearts.  Mary wanted God’s will but she was scared she wasn’t good enough, however she trusted the Lord and His plan.  Herod was scared his thrown would be taken away and didn’t trust the will of God, so he tried to kill God’s son.  In Herod’s heart was distrust, selfishness, and desire for more, in Mary’s heart was trust, and obedience, and willingness.  Their hearts approached the birth of Jesus with completely differently.
Now how did God celebrate?  I ask first, what do we do for the biggest parties?  Food, yes, Music, yes, presents, yes, decorations, yes, guests, yes. So what did God do? He put the biggest decoration ever in the sky, a brand new star.  Then he got a choir and musicians to go down to a field and sing and announce his child’s birth, he invited guests, the shepherds, to come see his baby, and he sent wisemen (rich guys from another country) to bring presents, expensive presents I might add, but orchestrated by God nonetheless, because each gift represented something significant that would occur in Jesus life (that is a different topic though, if you are curious please look it up, it is pretty cool).  The only element of this birthday party that I don’t find in our current celebration is food. So maybe this is God’s way of saying ‘don’t get fat on my account’... but otherwise I think it is pretty safe to say that God was excited for his child’s birth and had a party.
True he didn’t celebrate any year after (at least not that we know of), and true Jesus May have been born in either September or in the spring, but in the lack of an actual date, any date is fine, just like when a child’s birthday is around a time of year that is not convenient to celebrate some people choose to celebrate the child’s half birthday instead... lets not get annoying over the date that has been chosen.
The birthday of Christ was actually estimated to be around Dec 25th BEFORE pagan holidays began to be celebrated around that time anyway... look it up if you don’t believe me, my husband just showed me a very short video that had a timeline showing when Christ’s birthday was estimated and then when the pagan holidays began, and then some other interesting facts as well, and all he did to find it was google the phrase, “Why Christmas is not a pagan holiday”.  But to be fair to the scholars who have looked all this stuff up already and don’t care to argue about it, here is my simple truth.  Jesus cared more about your heart than he cared your holidays.
He addresses the hearts of his people over and over again, constantly looking not at the sin, or act, or behavior, but at the heart of the matter and then addressing the person about their heart rather than their actions.  I don’t think he would be upset that we are so THANKFUL that he came to earth to live among us, and eventually offer himself as the greatest sacrifice ever that we celebrate a day in our year saying thank you to him for the gift of his birth as a HUMAN... how could that be wrong?
Well, it can actually, and this will sound counterintuitive to my whole argument when I say this, but celebrating a holiday that isn’t sanctioned by God himself CAN be sinful.
Why would I say that?  Because each person needs to take a very serious look at the traditions they do each year to celebrate these holidays, and figure out the answer to two things... 1. Why do I traditionally do this?  2. Does this tradition point to Jesus?
Sometimes the answer to one question will also answer the other, but not always... so look carefully, are you celebrating the birth of Christ because it honors Jesus? Or are you doing it because someone taught you to, or any number of other reasons.  And then look again, if you do it because you think it is a good reminder of Christ at this time of year, then when you do it are you standing in awe of Christ while you do it?  If no, then maybe you need to get back to the heart of it, or cut it out because it no longer serves the intended purpose.
Here is a glimpse into Christmas at my house.
I decorate my house, why?  Because I love to have a home where people feel inspired, and comfortable, and festive... why? Because I think it honors Christ to make people feel that way.  Also, the stars and the angels, they were God’s design, and I can’t recreate that, so I do what I can with Christmas lights on the outside of my home.  Ordinarily I would only decorate with red and white lights, but my family over ruled me a few years ago, and we got multicolored lights, and when the lights, die I intend to go back to red and white.
I decorate a tree too... why?  Because The evergreen tree has two important qualities about it that I think represent it’s creator (GOD) really well... first it is shaped like a triangle, having three points and three sides, and God has three parts to him as well, we call him the trinity, but some disagree with that term as it isn’t in the Bible, what is in the Bible is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  It is incredible to me that God has seen it all, and created a tree that so accurately shows himself to be one.... also the evergreen is always green, always growing, always alive, and so is God, who is biblically referred to as Omnipresent, and Omnipotent.  God is, was, and always will be... and my tree is green, was green, and always will be green... even after I cut it down, bring it into my house to decorate it, and then as I drag it outside it will still be green (mostly).
I have two traditions in my house, that go with tree decorating.  1. Each family member chooses an ornament that represents the year and themselves in that year.  And 2. My tree aside from the ornaments my children choose will be decorated with red and white with an acceptable addition of silver only.
First I’d like to look at tradition number 1.  Why do I do that?  It goes back to my first Christmas alone as an adult in an apartment.  I had NOTHING... I bought my tree and a bunch of multicolored bulbs to decorate with (this is back before I’d decided red and white only) and then I set it all up in my apartment. And I was lonely. So lonely.  And my tree was expensive and the ornaments were hard to afford on my first real job’s pay after making sure I could pay my rent and afford to eat.  So I decided that my kids would have at least one ornament every year to collect and take with them when they have their first tree.  And to remind them of a year of God working small changes in their hearts, and showing himself to them.
The second tree decorating tradition is that I decorate in red and white only... this is because the red symbolizes the blood Jesus shed for my sins, and the white is the pure as snow state he leaves me in after washing away the guilt of my sins with his own blood.  This is a reminder that not only did a tiny baby come to live with us, as a human among us, but he grew up and did the one thing none of us could do for ourselves, he cleansed us with his blood and made us capable of entering into God’s presence.
I give gifts. Why?  Oh so many reasons!  I love that I can give to others, and make them have a tiny bit of the Joy that God’s only son’s birth gives to me, through a gift that I truly thought about the receiver with.  I love that the wisemen gave gifts at Jesus’ birthday party, and that they gave three gifts, if that is enough for Jesus, then that is enough for my children.  They receive three gifts, and just as Jesus had practical gifts I also give my children well thought out practical gifts as well.  Not just ‘things’ for the sake of things, but things that I know they will get use out of and be drawn back to time and time again, for extended use... if a present could be forgotten in a few days I don’t want it in my home.  I gift things to my children whether they are naughty or nice, not because they deserve it, but because they do NOT deserve it, just as I do not deserve the love of Christ, but he gives it freely to me daily, forgiving me of all my sins. I give gifts to strangers whenever the Lord directs me to do so, filling their lives with hope, a gift that God offers to each of us, through the birth of his son. I give because he gave.  I give gifts so that my children learn how to receive gifts as well as how to give them to others.  Because learning to graciously receive a gift is just as important as graciously giving them.
I make a giant christmas breakfast every year, why?  Well this doesn’t show up in scripture, around Jesus birth, but rather in his life... because I want to SERVE.  I prepare a giant meal and serve it to my family because I want to be an example of a servant to my children, as they grow, so that they too will want to serve others.  And then since I make the meal so big we can enjoy it all day and I have the chance to sit and truly be with my children on the holiday, which is something I want to do every day, but doesn’t happen as often as I would like... but it is purposeful on Christmas.
Christmas Eve we wear matching pajamas and watch the nativity story on DVD.  Why?  Because matching pajamas are fun, because the kids always need new pajamas, and because it is a unified house, with one motive, to love God, and to love each other.  And the movie?   Well it is a really amazing portrayal of the first Christmas. And I want everything we do to reflect Christ at Christmas, and every other time of year.
What we don’t do:
We don’t lie to the children, there is no giant elf that leaves them christmas presents, and if they ask about Santa we gladly tell them the true Santa story, about St. Nicholas, and how he was a gift giver, and the legends that are around the man behind the story are because there was some truth to it, but he doesn’t fly in a sleigh, live forever, or watch them while they are awake and asleep. I tell my kids that every house has a Santa, usually mom or dad, and that we do it because it is a fun reminder to be a gift giver like that man was a gift giver, offering (like God did) very practical gifts that filled a real need, but there is no reason practicality can’t also be fun. And on occasion the kids do leave out cookies for ‘santa’ and then they speculate on who will eat them, mom or dad.
We do not have pictures with Santa. Why?  To be honest there’s is one Santa that I would take my kids to, but he isn’t in the same state as we are currently, and the only reason I would go to him is because he is a good Christian man, and a friend of mine whom I usually only saw at Christmas time when he was playing Santa at a retail store that also gave him floor time to read about Jesus’ birth every day.  Otherwise we don’t have pictures with Santa because it would confuse the message I’ve given to my children about the man being dead hundreds of years ago, and how we don’t celebrate him, but rather Christ at Christmas.
We do not have an Elf on our shelf. Why?  Because again this confuses the kids, no one is watching to see if they are good or not, my kids get presents not because they were good, but because I love them... I don’t want to use anyone other than Jesus in their lives to encourage good behavior.
So there you have it, I have so much more I could say on the subject of Christmas, and why I’m still a good Christian even though I celebrate Christmas, and want to keep him at the heart of it.

The last thing I’d like to say is that if Christ isn’t at the center of your Christmas, perhaps you shouldn’t celebrate it, but if he is, do so without holding back.  Sing, Dance, laugh, love, and celebrate so long as the thing you are celebrating is Jesus, and not all the traditions and ‘stuff’ that has to be done.... it just isn’t Christmas when it becomes about the traditions instead of the man you set out to honor when you do the ‘stuff’ you do.

There is no stress in my home pertaining to Christmas, it is all about Jesus, and I know he sees my heart before he sees anything that I do, so stress isn’t a thing in this house, not at Christmas.  Busyness sure, but stress no.