Why I Don't Celebrate Christmas

[Sue J Love]

It really has nothing to do with the pagan roots of the holiday. That is in the past. What I object to and what I believe God objects to is what is happening in the present.

The Focus on Santa Claus

For one, Christmas is primarily about Santa Claus. It does not matter if you have never done the “Santa thing.” For, the celebration of the birth of Christ is being shared side by side with the celebration of a false god who his creators made him out to be a god like God. And who wanted to be God? Satan (Santa).

We all know the lyrics to the song, “He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake.” But only God is all seeing and all knowing. Yet, Santa’s creators gave him God’s attributes of being all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere (he is all over the world in a single night).

All throughout Scripture God chided his people for mixing celebrations of him with celebrations of idols. And, even in the New Testament we are told that we can’t share in the cup of demons and the cup of the Lord at the same time (1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18), which is exactly what Christmas is about, the blending of worship of Christ with idols.

The goal of Santa’s creators is to steal the hearts of people away from the One and Only True God to follow after them and their false god, instead. So, while Jesus Christ is pictured as a helpless baby in a manger doing nothing but just lying there, Santa comes on the scene in all his glory. He is able to ride through the sky on a sleigh and to deliver gifts to children all across the globe in a single night (compare this to Isaiah 14:12-14).

And he asks children across the world to write him letters (like prayers) requesting what they want from him, too. And, children, who have long awaited his return, are anxiously anticipating his soon arrival (like Jesus’ return one day). Again, mimicking God and supplanting Jesus Christ. This is on purpose!

And if you ask most children, at least here in America, what it is about Christmas that they look forward to, it really has nothing or very little to do with Jesus Christ other than they may associate Christmas with nativity scenes, and they may have been told that it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. But that isn’t what they normally get excited about.

The Celebration of Jesus Christ

How did Jesus say he wants to be celebrated? After all, if it is truly his birthday, which it isn’t, don’t people generally ask the birthday boy and girl how they want to celebrate their birthdays? Shouldn’t that be a consideration here? Shouldn’t we inquire of the Lord as to how he wants us to honor him?

Before Jesus was crucified on a cross for our sins he gave instructions to his disciples regarding how he wanted to be remembered. They participated with him in something we call “communion” today. And he told them to “Do this in remembrance of me.” They were to partake symbolically in Jesus’ death in the drinking of the wine and the eating of the bread which symbolized his blood and his body which were given for us on that cross.

But this wasn’t just about a physical act of drinking and eating, but this has to do with us participating with Christ in his death and resurrection by God’s grace, through God-given faith in Jesus Christ. This has to do with us dying daily with Christ to sin and to self and us living with Christ in walks of obedience to him and to his commands (Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26).

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

This is how Jesus wants to be celebrated. He wants us to die with him to sin, and live to him and to his righteousness. He wants us to give our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our spiritual (or acceptable) worship of him. And to worship Jesus is to adore, love, reverence, respect, fear, esteem, obey, and pay tribute to him.

And he wants us no longer conformed to this world. And celebrating Christmas is being conformed to the world, for it is doing not only what God doesn’t require, but it is doing a lot of what he instructs us not to do, which especially has to do with trying to celebrate his birth on a day when the world and many Christians also celebrate a false god (Santa/Satan).

I mean, think about this with me for a moment. Do you truly believe that Jesus is honored by most of the traditions of the Christmas holiday? Do you think that he wants us to go out and buy up a bunch of gifts for people who may or may not even appreciate or even need what we bought them, especially if it means going into debt to do so?

Do you think he is honored by our gift giving? How is that celebrating his birth? When it is your birthday, who gets the gifts? Does everyone sit around a room ignoring you and what you want, giving gifts to each other, then eating more food than they need, and perhaps some of them getting drunk? Do they then sit and watch movies and play games and not include you?

Do you know the gift the Lord Jesus wants you to give others? It isn’t toys and games and movies, most of which dishonor him, if truth be told. He wants you to give others the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they can be saved from their sins and walk with him in holiness free from their addiction to sin, and thus have eternal life with God.

That is what Jesus cares about. That is what he wants from us, but not one day a year but every day. He wants our all on the altar of sacrifice laid, our hearts under the Spirit’s control. He wants us walking in obedience to his commands and us forsaking our sins. And he wants us sharing Jesus with others and encouraging our brothers and sisters in the Lord to walk with him in holiness and righteousness and not in sin.

I mean, read your Bibles. The Jesus of the Scriptures is not to be celebrated as a helpless baby in a manger while all powerful false god Santa Claus flies through the air and brings gifts to children all over the world in a single night. If you think Jesus is okay with that, then you don’t really know him, not intimately. And you don’t know his word and what it teaches.

So, Why Don’t I Celebrate?

So, why don’t I celebrate Christmas? Because of all of the above. Because it is not what our Lord wants, and in many cases it actually opposes what he wants from us in the way of showing him honor and in the way of celebrating his life. Christmas is a pagan celebration, but not because of its pagan roots, but because of how it is celebrated today.

So, please take this to the Lord in prayer. Ask him to show you his heart and how he wants to be celebrated, and then obey him. Don’t do Christmas because you have always done Christmas or because people won’t like you if you don’t. We celebrated Christmas the last time in 2011. And when we didn’t celebrate it in 2012, it cost us the approval of many people.

So, don’t look at that. Don’t look at what you have always done. Take time to get alone with the Lord in his word and look at the ways the Lord Jesus said he wants us to honor him, for that is what this is all about, right? Well, it hasn’t been, but that can change if we are willing to make those changes.

Often when I ask why,
Teach me then on You to rely O Lord,
You surely know what is best
May I learn that in confidence and strength I can rest
Then, leaning fully on You, my questions fall one by one.
Oh, dear Lord, please don't ever stop working with me
'til You see I can be all You want me to be

I am willing Lord, I am willing Lord,
To be just exactly what You want me to be

By Joni Eareckson Tada

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[B-A-C]

It really has nothing to do with the pagan roots of the holiday

Is Christmas Really Rooted in Pagan Origin?

While the intentions of many of the “Christmas is pagan” crowd may be good, their research is flawed. These claims have little to do with historical facts. It is the observance of the birth of our Lord that truly matters this holiday season.

www.christianity.com

Christmas Trees​

• Eternal Life: The evergreen nature of Christmas trees symbolizes eternal life, reflecting the everlasting life offered through Christ
• Light of the World: The lights and ornaments on the tree represent Jesus as the "Light of the World," bringing hope and illumination to darkness
• Holy Trinity: The triangular shape of the tree can symbolize the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)

Christmas Wreaths​

• Eternal Life and God's Love: The circular shape of the wreath, with no beginning or end, symbolizes eternal life and God's unending lov
• Victory Over Sin: The evergreen branches used in wreaths represent Christ's triumph over sin and death

These symbols help Christians reflect on the deeper spiritual meanings of the holiday season.

 

[backNforth]

Nuthin' but icons, vanity and vexation of spirit.

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. (Job 14:4)

The Focus on Santa Claus

For example:

Santa has been given the attributes of God, and is presented as a god-like figure:

• Eternal: Santa is as old as man, he has always been, and he will always be. Santa is eternal. Jesus is eternal (Revelation 1:8).
• Flying and gifts: Santa goes into the air and gives gifts. Jesus ascends on high and gives gifts (Ephesians 4:7-8).
• Coming soon: Santa shall descend from the sky. Jesus "shall descend" from the sky (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
• Rewarding works: Santa gives his gifts according to whether you are good or bad. Jesus gives his gifts according to whether you are good or bad (Revelation 20:12-13).
• All Seeing: Santa sees you when you are sleeping, and knows when you're awake. Jesus sees you when you are sleeping, and knows when you're awake (Proverbs 5:21).
• Clothing: Santa wears red clothes. Jesus wore red clothes (Revelation 19:13).
• Hair: Santa has hair white as snow. Jesus had hair "white as snow" (Revelation 1:14, Daniel 7:9).
• Entering: Santa can come in though the doors are shut. Jesus can come in though the doors are shut (John 20:19).
• Home: Santa’s city is in the North Pole. God’s city is in "the sides of the North" (Psalm 48:1-2, Leviticus 1:11).
• Omniscient (all knowing): Santa knows if you've been bad or good. Jesus knows if you've been bad or good (Proverbs 15:3).
• Omnipresence (everywhere at one time): Santa can be in one billion homes in a 24 hour period; that is eleven hundred & fifty-seven homes per second, virtually omnipresent. Jesus is omnipresent (Matthew 18:20).
• Omnipotent (all powerful): Santa is powerful enough to carry presents for a billion children. That is Omnipotence. Jesus is Omnipotent (Matthew 28:18).
• Ho! Ho! Ho!: Santa says, "Ho, ho, ho". Jesus says "Ho, ho" (Zechariah 2:6), and in this same verse, Jesus says, "flee from the land of the north." Also, the word "ho" appears in only three verses in the entire scripture (Ruth 4:1, Isaiah 55:1, Zechariah 2:6). Ho! Ho! Ho! Three Ho’s! Santa is trying to impersonate Christ (Matthew 24:5)!

Children have been told from an early age that there is someone who "knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake." One day that child's "god" (for indeed only the Lord God knows these things) is discovered to be non-existent. When a child is 6, 7 or 8 he finds out he has been lied to by his parents and society. Their faith crumbles and a sacred trust is broken. Their parents represent the authority and security to which their very lives depend, and they find out now that there is not a jolly, fat Santa Clause with attributes as God.

The Devil has just now destroyed a belief in one who "knows when you are sleeping, awake, bad or good, etc.!" Now you take that same child to Church services, or teach this child about God, expecting them to believe in another who knows all about them. What would any of us expect of a child whose faith and trust were already attacked with such deception?

If you have any involvement in such a deception, repent of it. Jesus said, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones (children) which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Mat.18:6). The worship of Santa Claus is a sin of idolatry likened to that of witchcraft (1 Sam.15:23, Gal.5:19-21).

Who is the god of this world? The Lord God of the scripture has revealed Himself as God, but there is another whom the Lord ascribes the title of "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), "the prince of this world" (John 12:31). The devil has "come down" unto us (Revelation 12:12), and walks on the earth (Job 2:2). Indeed, the Devil has done such a good job in his work of deception that the vast majority of men, women and children do not even believe that the Devil exists. They have cartooned him as a mythical horned and forked-tailed boogie man, and in that lies his opportunity to have people succumb to the powers that are his.

It is this principle that lies at the belief system of Santa. SANTA with a juggle of letters spells SATAN!

Santa Claus is a god to the children of the world, or as some say, "Father Christmas". But Jesus specifically said, "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9). The parents purposely lie to their children, and lying is strongly condemned in the scripture (Pro.6:16-19; 19:5,9; Eph.4:25, Col.3:9, 1 John 2:21-22, Rev.21:8,27; 22:15). Parents tell them that they should fear Santa Claus because "he knows if you've been bad or good". If they have been bad, they won't get all these worldly gifts. If they are good, they get these gifts. The scripture condemns worldly gifts (Exo.23:8, Deut.16:19, 2 Kings 5:15-16, Pro.17:23, Ecc.7:7, Mat.23:19, Pro.21:14). True gifts are from God only (James 1:17, Eph.2:8; 3:7; 4:7, 1 Cor.7:7, 2 Cor.9:15, Rom.1:11; 6:23, Acts 2:38, 2 Tim.1:6). And the gift of God cannot be purchased with money (Acts 8:20-21).

Santa Claus comes from the Dutch dialect "Sante Klaas," because this referred to "Saint Nicholas." Nicholas was a man in Germany who gave children presents, and had them sit on his lap. Unfortunately, the reason he did this was not for good, but for evil. He was a convicted child molester.

 

[Rockerduck]

Forget the fairytale santa, celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew and Luke make a big deal out of the birth of Jesus otherwise it would not be in the Gospels.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10; Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12; And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”