If You Don't Celebrate Christmas, Why Not?

jamespyles said:

I know this is an odd question to ask on a Christian forum, but I want to know if I'm the only one who does not observe Christmas in any manner.

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You may be surprised to know that this is not as odd a question as you think.

Religiosity of Christmas Since 2005
Thinking of the way you personally celebrate Christmas, is it a strongly religious holiday, somewhat religious or not too religious?


It seems America is the only place we tend to get figures on these things, but while the Vast Majority of US Non-Christians Celebrate Christmas, they view it as a secular holiday - More Americans Celebrating a Secular Christmas.

Figures show that those declining from celebrating Christmas, is rising.
You might not get an accurate statistic though.

jamespyles said:

My wife and children are Jewish and non-believers. Thirty-three years ago when we got married, I knew she was Jewish but neither of us were religious, so as two secular people, we figured there wouldn't be issues.

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Congratulations on your marriage and passing thirty years together.

jamespyles said:

Well, long story short, we both found faith but in different directions.

Frankly, I'm fine with not celebrating Christmas. We stopped many years ago when our children were young (they're all adults now). In all likelihood, Jesus wasn't born anywhere near December 25th and he left no directive to celebrate the day of his birth in any event. I'm not afraid of any "pagan origins" to Christmas and Easter, but since I didn't come to faith until I was about 40 years old, I never developed an emotional or theological attachment to either of those celebrations.

In a nutshell, those are my reasons. What about yours?

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I don't celebrate Christmas for various reasons.

1. From an early age, it didn't seem to have much meaning beyond materialism, and what didn't seem selfish, appeared hypocritical and not genuine - where one day everyone felt obligated to feign love.
2. Later, I learned that persons weren't celebrating the birth of Christ, as it was claimed, since Jesus wasn't born that year, and didn't give approval to anyone to celebrate his birthday, which neither he nor his followers celebrated.
3. Hence, the question - where did the celebration come from, and why? Though there are various answers given, two facts are verified :

With these things in mind, I saw it as important to abstain, since the scriptures admonish "Test and prove what pleases the Lord.".
There are other scriptural principles that help me in this also.

Something that really stood out to me, when I started talking with people who said, they knew that Jesus wasn't born December 25th, and that no where did he command anyone to celebrate his birthday, or birth, is that people were willing to make excused to keep celebrating. This despite the fact that the knew Christmas was actually secular, since billions of non-Christians celebrated the holiday, and they knew that as they put it "Jesus was taken out of the holiday".

That made it even more clear to me, since they on the one hand admitted that Jesus was never in it, but they want him to be "put back in".
It brought to the fore, the hypocrisy I saw in Christmas, as a youth, and I saw the truthfulness of 2 Timothy 3:4, 5 -
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

I saw they would prefer God not be pleased with them, than give up a tradition, lest they lose the feeling of pleasure they get from it, or lose the approval of friends and family.
I'm happy to have turned away.

P.S.
Others have expressed relief from the burden that was lifted from them. I have also heard many who celebrate, say how exhausted they are, just for that one day.
One lady complained - 'Never again.' She worked hard the day before - preparing; Got little help, and everyone enjoyed themselves - without much concern for her, she said.
Lots of people are beginning to see what I saw, in my youth.

Sorry I gave more than a nutshell. I think that was a coconut shell.

jamespyles said:

In an odd way, that's one of the less attractive aspects of Christmas for me: the loot.

One of the more attractive things (I still think the lights are pretty and like the smell of fir trees) is when it inspires Christians to be more "Christ like," and by that I mean, to nicer to people, give to charity, perform random acts of kindness. One of my sons says that people should be that way all year round, not just for a few weeks a year, and my response is better for a few weeks than not at all.

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I am different to you. I rather it be not at all, than they feeling compelled to "wear on a mask" for one day.
Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred. Proverbs 15:17

TheSeabass said:

I see no problem celebrating Christmas as a secular holiday, no different from Thanksgiving or New Years day or the 4th of July. As yourself and others have noted, Christmas' (and Easters') origins are from paganism, not Christianity. Paul said not to go above or beyond that which is written 1 Corinthians 4:6. Turning a pagan festival into "Christianity" would be going beyond what is written adding chapters and verses to God's word thereby changing God's word.

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TheSeabass said:

If men do not follow the word of God, next thing you know there will be thousands of different religious organizations that all contradict and disagree with each other over various issue but all claim to be following the bible.............................wait a minute we have that now from lack of people following the bible....

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Some people say, "where does it say in the Bible, playing a game of poker and betting on horses is wrong?" Or, where does the Bible say I should not watch this particular genre - say "Horror", for example?​

The apostle Paul said, certain things takes growth.

Hebrews 5:

Spiritual Immaturity​

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

pdudgeon said:

I guess my reason is different, but for me it's no longer surprizing to be looked at and separated out as being 'different'.

Three years ago my husband died, just two days before Thanksgiving.
He loved Christmas so much, and he loved it innocently and fervently, like a child does.
The lights, the music, the presents, but also and equally he loved the reason for Christmas itself. For him there was just nothing like Christmas.
He was sincerely devoted to Jesus, and he looked forward to Christmas and the birth of Jesus with as much joy as he also looked for His return.

But with my husband's death that joy went out of Christmas for me.
so now it's a painful time of the year; one not to be celebrated but to be struggled with and gotten through one day at a time.
so i have no tree, no lights.
I send and receive cards, greatfull to be remembered, and I have a turkey dinner by myself. I play a CD with Christmas selections mastered and recorded by my daughter,
but there's no joy, no anticipation, no celebration.

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My condolences to you. You have my deepest sympathy.
I hope that you are continuing to heal from your loss.

Kane Ali said:

I urge all of you to Re-read Matthew Chapter 2 and understand who really sent the star that led the astrologers to Jesus and the result of Herod trying to kill him. Would God send a star to guide a madman to kill His Son and our Savior?

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Thanks for that one - and a good laugh.

jamespyles said:

It will be interesting when Jesus returns to see what he has to say about modern Christian traditions as well as many Jewish traditions.

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I don't think we really want Jesus to return to tell us anything.
We wouldn't be alive after that.

John 12:45-50
46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him - the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

If we don't know, by the time Jesus returns, it's the end for us. Matthew 25:31-46

jamespyles said:

It's still there. As I've said previously, I consider the modern Church celebration of Christmas as a tradition. There's nothing wrong with tradition as such, however there are many like you who don't observe Christmas as a religious holiday, and that's cool. However, there are others who see Christmas as an opportunity to honor Jesus and to good in his name.

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I think we sometimes don't see the whole picture. If we were like Jesus, we surely would not miss it.
As a perfect man who had God's spirit, Jesus could read hearts. He had full discernment.
We can have a measure of discernment, but we really need to get to know Jesus, and his father, to do so.

Likely, you recall Jesus' words at Mark 7:6-8.

6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men

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Interesting, we are talking about traditions.
Jesus knew well where the hearts of men were back then, and he knows where they are today.
We don't know people's heart, but their actions reveal a lot about what's inside.

Remember, Jesus said, at John 15:8 - By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples..
We glorify and honor the father, when we obey the commandments of the son.
The traditions of men, won't get us there.

From what Jesus said, we had better be sure that those traditions are not making our worship vain.
How sure about that are you, regarding Christmas?

My Christmas celebrations had to be greatly downsized because of where I live and who I live with. Mom is 77 and we live in a condo with HOA rules. When I was growing up, I lived in a big house with a front yard to decorate and also had Dad, who could put up real trees. Now I can have a tree on the back patio, wreaths, and a nativity scene, but not much else. And because of HOA rules, lighting the front yard is not an option anymore. I miss the days when the Christmas season was beautiful. In Ohio, most people decorate their houses. In Florida, most people do not. In my heart, there are divine meanings to Rudolph, Santa Claus, gifts, wreaths, candles, and outdoor LED Christmas lights especially the red and white bulbs) even though they have all been commercialized in pagan ways. But what I would get rid of first is my nativity set because I have learned by reading the Bible it is inaccurate. And I would rather decorate when Jesus was actually born, not in December, which according to Scripture is not the time Mary gave birth to him.

ViaCrusis said,
Your claim that Jesus gave a day called "the memorial of Jesus Christ" isn't found in the Bible. It sounds like you're confusing the Lord's Supper with a day of observance. But the Lord's Supper isn't a day, it's a sacred means of grace (aka a Sacrament). Scripture teaches that whenever we come together to partake of the Supper of bread and wine we partake of Christ's body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16) and proclaim His death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).[/QOUTE\]

I understand that people will choose to believe what they choose to believe and that is their right. But the scriptures show me that on that night the angel of death destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, the Israelites ate a “supper” consisting of roast lamb or kid, unleavened bread and bitter herbs; and it was termed the “passover supper” because God’s angel of death spared or ‘passed over’ their firstborn while destroying all the first-born of Egypt. That is they were spared provided they carried out all the instructions including the splashing of some of the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and on the upper part of the doorway belonging to the houses in which they ate the supper, and remained inside.(Exodus 12:3-13) This last supper was an annual event the Israelites observed. Jesus Christ instituted the lords supper on this annual celebration of the event the night the Angel of death came and destroyed the firstborn of Egypt but saved the firstborn of Israel. The scriptures show that when it comes to remembering this day/night that the Angel of death came, that Jesus instituted the lords supper on this day/night so we are to proclaim his death and until Jesus comes. This means the scriptures are teaching me that we are to do this in remembrance of Jesus. The Memorial means we're having a memorial service that is held to remember a person which is Jesus Christ. So we remember Jesus on the day/night and the way he said to remember him, that's an Memorial to Jesus Christ. So since this day was instituted on the night the Israelites ate the last supper this memorial of Jesus Christ is remembered on that date each year, so is a memorial of Jesus Christ death, because on that day that Jesus instituted giving bread and wine to his apostles saying the bread represents his body and the wine represents his blood Jesus sacrificed his life on that very day. Just as that angel of death killed all of Egypt's firstborn on that day, the sacrifice of Jesus happened on that day, they held the last supper, which was when Jesus instituted the Lord's supper.

Yeshua HaDerekh said:

Yes, you are wrong. It is quite clear that he says THEREFORE LET US CELEBRATE (KEEP) THE FEAST. Pascha, as well as Pentecost, has been kept from the beginning of the Church (directly linked to Pesakh and Shavuot). You obviously do not know Church history.

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You and I will continue to disagree. Because I disagree that 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 is telling us to observe Christmas or Easter.

BARNEY BRIGHT said:

You and I will continue to disagree. Because I disagree that 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 is telling us to observe Christmas or Easter.

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Then you disagree with Scripture because it CLEARLY says so regarding Pascha.

jamespyles said:

I also consider Christmas to be a Christian tradition and as such, I have no problem with it. Given my rather unique life situation, we also observe the holidays on the Jewish calendar. I even have a little sukkah kit that we bought from an Israeli company that I construct in the backyard every year.

I know it can be traditional among some Messianics to celebrate Jesus's birthday during Sukkot, and one theory is that he was born in a sukkah, but that hinges on how we understand when the Priestly division of Abijah served.

A couple of references, since I've done some research:

A Question of the Division of Abijah

Was He Born in a Sukkah?

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I don't know they celebrate Christmas, Christs birth. They do celebrate a form of sukkot.

I like how many of you are responding directly to the OP, who hasn't been seen on these forums since 2018. Best of luck with that.

I have to agree

dzheremi said:

I like how many of you are responding directly to the OP, who hasn't been seen on these forums since 2018. Best of luck with that.

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Most people do not address the question at hand, which was why someone DOES NOT celebrate Christmas.

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BARNEY BRIGHT said:

You and I will continue to disagree. Because I disagree that 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 is telling us to observe Christmas or Easter.

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And Barney, while I disagree with your point of view, I have to say that your posts have been concise, to the point and focusing on the OP question. You have been clear with what you believe and why, without accusing or forcing others to agree. You were asked to state your views, you did and I appreciate and respect your point of view, even if it is different from mine. And you seem to have the understanding that you do not have to celebrate it, and at the same time, you seem to know that you also do not get to choose how others celebrate. Am I correct?

I do celebrate Christmas, and am about as far from sola scriptura as one can get. For me, the highlight of Christmas is not the material aspect, like it is for children, but the spiritual aspect, a season of preparation, hope joy and peace. The highlight of the season for me is Christmas Eve Mass, or the Midnight Eucharist as the high church calls it. There is a service with a string quartet, choir, incense candles and it is one of the most beautiful and aesthetic expressions of the beauty of Christmas that I can imagine. I always celebrate that

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There is every year, more and more talk about the "War on Christmas" To me, that is a myth brought to you by descendants of the ones who brought you the great Satanic Panic of the 1980s. The only group in America to ever make Christmas Illegal was Christians, oddly enough, Puritans in the Massachusetts colony.
The reason people do not say "Merry Christmas " is because in America our society has become so mixed that many people might celebrate a different religion, or none at all. It is a way of sending a well wish and happy greeting to everyone, saying"Happy Holidays" vs "Merry Christmas." I have Jewish and Muslim friends who do not celebrate Christmas Also the Buddhists where I still on occasion attend meals and classes, do not celebrate Christmas. But as American, they know that it is a holiday season which pervades everything, in society for a month or two, mainly commercially . For me, the spiritual focus of Christmas has replaced the material

Oddly enough, the ONLY people who have told me that I cannot or should not celebrate Christmas were certain Christians, mainly fundamentalist or Biblians... And they always failed, because I celebrate it anyway, in the presence of Christians who, like myself, cherish the observation of the holiday. No one in America gets to choose how others celebrate or even WHAT others celebrate . We must all remember this above all else. Telling others what and why we believe as we do is acceptable, but trying to force our views onto others is not. We must always remember this.

Yeshua HaDerekh said:

You are wrong...

1 Corinthians 5:7-8
"Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast"

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You are wrong, Paul refers to the Passover feast, which Christ, the Passover Lamb, modified. Paul did not refer to the Pagan Easter.

sparow said:

You are wrong, Paul refers to the Passover feast, which Christ, the Passover Lamb, modified. Paul did not refer to the Pagan Easter.

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No I am NOT wrong. He is referring to PASCHA...as I said. Read it in the original Greek...

Yeshua HaDerekh said:

No I am NOT wrong. He is referring to PASCHA...as I said. Read it in the original Greek...

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I have lost track of where our disagreement started, but in my mind the debate is, should we keep the Biblical feasts or the Paganised feasts of Christendom, like Christmas and Easter.

Pascha refers to the Passover, and to some Paschal refers to the angel of death that passed over. My point was, Paul did not refer to the Paganised version with bunny rabbits and easter eggs.

sparow said:

or the Paganised feasts of Christendom,

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Don't exist.

You won't find a single shred of evidence that presents Christmas or Pascha as pagan.

-CryptoLutheran

.

RickardoHolmes said,
Barney, while I disagree with your point of view, I have to say that your posts have been concise, to the point and focusing on the OP question. You have been clear with what you believe and why, without accusing or forcing others to agree. You were asked to state your views, you did and I appreciate and respect your point of view, even if it is different from mine. And you seem to have the understanding that you do not have to celebrate it, and at the same time, you seem to know that you also do not get to choose how others celebrate. Am I correct?[/QUOTE\]

I'm not a person who tries to force people to agree with me. We all have the ability and the right to choose what we believe after we have read, studied and done research on the topic being discussed.