crickl's nest

Fri, Dec 8 2006

Celebrations
Topic: Holidays/Vacations
I have a few friends, who I greatly respect and honor their choices, who choose not to celebrate Christmas. You have probably heard some of the reasons, and to them it is very important. I in no way want to dishonor that, but I simply want to tell you about my journey in why we celebrate Christmas.

I thought this through a few years back because some friends and I were talking about how to make Christmas more of a celebration of the Incarnation than selfish gift craziness. So here are a few thoughts for you to ponder as we go through our traditional Christmas seasons.... It 'just so happened' that I had just done a study and research project on the Jewish feast days a few years ago, in order to teach the feast days to my kids while we were homeschooling. All their feast days reminded me of our own elaborate holiday celebrations. I realized that God LOVES a celebration.

He required it!

Every day celebrating Christ is essential in our homes, but He Himself set aside these Jewish feasts to celebrate and remember important things in their heritage, setting up lavish traditions and visual reminders for the Jewish people. These were also, we know now, to point to the Messiah, fulfilled in Christ. So now I have no reservations about putting up lights, decorating the house, sing carols about the blessed event, baking special treats, setting up the manger scene and wanting to surprise people with special gifts....like God did for us. What a surprise those shepherds got that night, hmmm?

I hope you are having a very merry Christmas!

If you have ideas on how to really keep our focus on Christ, let me know! I'd love it! And I may add to this post as the next few days roll by.

by crickl at 11:40 AM PST
Updated: Fri, Dec 8 2006 4:30 PM PST
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Sat, Dec 9 2006 - 9:53 AM PST

Name: eph2810
Home Page: http://eph2810.com

Christie -- I have never heard that Christians don't celebrate Christmas. Although I have to agree that it has be too commercialized over the years, I wouldn't think of not celebrating Christmas. If we as Christians don't even celebrate the true reason for the season, wouldn't we give in to the "world"? Just wondering and pondering about this.

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Mon, Dec 11 2006 - 8:31 PM PST

Name: crickl
Home Page: https://www.angelfire.com/art2/crickl/view/

Iris, I think there are a lot of reasons why some Christians choose not to go through the holiday trappings. Some traditions have pagan roots, like the tree....some want to focus on Jesus instead of materialism....some just are convicted in their hearts not to.

By the way, I loved your story on your German Christmas traditions!!!

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Mon, Dec 11 2006 - 10:30 PM PST

Name: e-Mom
Home Page: http://chrysaliscom.blogspot.com

We seem to be on the same page... I've thought about posting on the three main Jewish festivals too--and God's clear OT commands do so. (Done away with in the NT by Jesus, along with the Sabbath observance). Christmas does have pagan undertones... as you've said, the tree, the time of year (winter solstice) and so on. We addressed the issue in a small way by stripping our family celebration of all Santa references (except stockings!). Instead, we focus on the birth of Christ. Some years we've even baked a birthday cake. I think each Christian family must become informed, and then decide what to do on the basis of faith. Thanks for posting this!

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Tue, Dec 12 2006 - 10:43 AM PST

Name: joannmski
Home Page: http://joannmski.blogspot.com

For us, Christmas is a lot of churching! So you can pretty easily keep Christ as your focus. During December it's the month of Advent, which makes you focus on being ready for the coming Christ (both the first and the second comings). We go to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. We also keep the 12 days of Christmas, so it's not all over in one day. But it is a struggle to keep especially the little ones interested in the Christ and not the Santa parts of Christmas.

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