This is a serious question to any non-Christians out there:

Do you celebrate Christmas?

If so, why?

What are you celebrating?

Yes, I realize that the second most Holy day has morphed into commercial overkill. But it all stems from a celebration for the birth of Christ.

honest input would be appreciated.

that's a great question. for me, it's about being with family and giving. why? tradition, really. that's the only thing i got from it as a child that i still believe in. i have a lot of good christmas memories from my childhood. i feel that i would be robbing my children if i didn't do the same for them. basically, i just love the look in their eyes and the excitement in their voices when they get something "cool" for christmas. that's a lot of fun. the wife keeps religion involved in the holiday. that's her department. when they have grown up and moved on, i may not celebrate it anymore. actually, my wife will likely still want to, and we all know how that goes.

Actually Christmas is more likely associated with the winter Saturninas festival in ancient Rome where, when Christianity was adopted as an official state religion by the emperor Constantine, Jesus was given the Decemeber birthdate to fit Christianity in with mainstream Roman religious festivals.

I celebrate Christmas because it's an American cultural holiday, possibly the biggest one of the year.

maybe they celebrate Xmas or Festivus.

I do not consider myself a christian though I do belive in God.

I am with Lofty. For me and my family, it is more about tradition than anything else. When I was growing up, Xmas was never about christianity or the birth of christ as much as it was about the family getting together. Me and my brothers playing the annual family football game, the big dinner, teasing each other, wowing over the big gifts, etc. It is the same now with my kids.

pretty much ditto lofty and uncleb

[Threadjack] I guess I'm out of this one, because I love the Lord and am proud and thankful to be a Christian. Even though December 25th is almost assuredly not the date of His incarnation on earth, it's good and proper that we designate a day to celebrate and honor His coming to dwell among us. [My apologies for intruding.]

Family. Why should I oppress my views on them?

Let me start by saying that just because I do not identify myself as "Christian" does not mean that I am a total non-believer. I do still beleive that Jesus was a great prophit who performed miracles and was chosen specifically by God to do his work. But there is a lot about Christianity that I very strongly disagree with as well. There is also a lot things I strongly agree with from other religions that directly contradict Christian teachings.

That said...yes I do celebrate Chrsitmas. Regardless of my beliefs on Jesus's divinty, he was a great man who deserves respect and reverence and celebration. The other reason I celebrate Christmas is because of the more secular themes of Joy, Love, Friendship, Family togehterness, etc.

And besides that, long before it was celebrated by the Christians, Christmas (or Yule) was actually a pagan holiday with similar themes.

My family never celebrated christmas in all my years of growing up.

It stemmed from strict adhearance to what the bible told/asked of us to do and what it didnt.

My parents attended somewhat of a seventhday adventest orginazation.

It was a combination of old testement celebrations mixed with new testement teaching. They followed many things required of from the old covenent, clean and unclean meats.. celebration of the holy days (see leviticus 23)...ect.

Basically, if the bible didnt specifically tell us to do it or there were ANY undertones of pegan celebration mixed in the holiday we didnt do it.

ie.. easter...for example, according to them (and i still somewhat agree to this day)that the bible does not ask or tell us to celebrate Easter, but rather tell us to commerate his DEATH!

If you research where the word Easter came from, more that likley you will find that is stems from the pegan firtility god of Easteaur (sp?). Hence the Easter tradition as we know it of spreading eggs all over the place. Anyone ever wonder what eggs and rabbits have to do with christs crusifixion???

anyway.... there are also pegan rituals mixed up with christmas... ie.. idols.. christmas tree... ule log.. ect.

thats my little story and brief explination as to why we didnt celebrate christmas as a child.

With a little research.. you can quickly see how the roman/pegan and christian holidays as we now call them were clumped all into one in order to satifsy the need for religious calm at that time.

Just my little story!

v

Tuck... key word in your thread.. "WE".. has christianty ever taken into account what CHRIST wanted us to do????

Not to be argumentative.. but to me.. there in lies the problem. Christians all across the world have made it a pratice of doing to much WE.. and not reflecting on what christ actually guided us to do! WE.. tend to put our own twist on things and try to say WE are doing it for christ. Did he ever ask us to. I personally think he looks on what WE as humanity and christians have done with his birth and shakes his head in discust!!! Just look at what christmas has become for many....???? debt.. depression.... crime.. ect. Do you ever think there is a reason he didnt make a big hullabalo about his birth. WE have created the hullaablo... christ didnt ask us to do anything to celebrate his birth. He asked us to celebrate his death.. instead we mix it up with eggs and rabbits and call it easter???????

just a thought!

v

Tuck... key word in your thread.. "WE".. has christianty ever taken into account what CHRIST wanted us to do????

Not to be argumentative.. but to me.. there in lies the problem. Christians all across the world have made it a pratice of doing to much WE.. and not reflecting on what christ actually guided us to do! WE.. tend to put our own twist on things and try to say WE are doing it for christ. Did he ever ask us to. I personally think he looks on what WE as humanity and christians have done with his birth and shakes his head in discust!!! Just look at what christmas has become for many....???? debt.. depression.... crime.. ect. Do you ever think there is a reason he didnt make a big hullabalo about his birth. WE have created the hullaablo... christ didnt ask us to do anything to celebrate his birth. He asked us to celebrate his death.. instead we mix it up with eggs and rabbits and call it easter???????

just a thought!

v

VFR - Very thoughtful post, thanks. And quite true. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't point to Himself, but to the Father. There's no doubt that much, if not most of what occurs at Christmas and Easter grieves the heart of God. However, there is nothing wrong with having special days to focus our attention on the birth, life and crucifixion of our Lord, and to spend time in our homes in honor of His incarnation and sacrificial death. The harm is in what has become of these "holidays". It's a precious and meaningful thing to gather our children and read the Christmas Story (the real one), and sharing with them what Christ has done for us. Thanks again for your post. Tuck

The real Christmas Story?

Tuck,

"However, there is nothing wrong with having special days to focus our attention on the birth, life and crucifixion of our Lord, and to spend time in our homes in honor of His incarnation and sacrificial death"

shouldnt this be EVERY DAY in our lives? i guess thats why i dont see the reason for a "special day".

I think for this is the very fact why he did not make it a point to honor himself by creating or wanting us as christians to create a holiday to commemorate his coming into the world. Not to mention it takes away from the real reason he was on this earth... TO DIE FOR OUR SINS!

Just another thought?

I guess its like my daddy taught me about being with girls when i was young. Its like riding in a canoe down a river... knowing there is a large waterfall at the end. You need to get out of the canoe and portage wayyyyy before that current from the waterfall grabs you,.. After a point.. there is not going back... your going over the falls!

Moral of the story... stay away from it, dont dabble in it. If there is a chance you can get caught up in it, why start down that river!

If christ wanted us to celebrate his birth... or make any event about it what so ever.. i think in his great wisdome.. he would have made mention of it. Possibly he didnt even want us "to get to close to the waterfall" ?

v

ps. i am not on a moral banter here.. just my feelings on christianty.. and interpretation of the bible, and the question posed at the begining of the forum. I dont claim to be a banner for christianaty.

ps. i didnt get out of the canoe!.. meet alex.. my daughter.. 13 🙂

daddy was right about dem women!!! their current is STRONG 🙂 LOL

V

VFR - I didn't go far enough. It SHOULD be everyday, as we pray, talk, listen and worship with our children. What I was referring to is gathering our extended family. We can't always do this everyday. It's good to come together and share in the fellowship and love, keep family ties strong, and spend time together. The holidays are very special in our family as far flung members come back to the home fire, hug their mother, and sit and read the Christmas story from Luke's Gospel. You're right, it shouldn't be just once a year with our immediate family. Tuck

Nope. I'm Jewish - I celebrate Hanukah. Christmas, to me, has a religious meaning - one that I don't believe in.

Tuck,

I know exactly where you are coming from 🙂 im not a total grinch

v

winter solstice..................duh.

I guess the real question is WHY do we celebrate the birth of Jesus on a date that was certainly NOT his birthday?