Do you ever chuckle to yourself about the contradictions of Christmas? The holiday that is supposed to promote Peace and Joy, rather tends to bring about controversy and frustration. Not only do we fuss over what to give or how to celebrate, but there are arguments over whether or not to celebrate.
Contrary to my nature, I'm not going to engage in this debate (at least not today). I think we all know that Christmas was started as a pagan holiday and that December 25 is an unlikely birth date for the Savior. What we do with that information is up to us.
"One man esteemeth one day above another:
another esteemeth every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."
"He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord;
and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."
Romans 14:5-6
My parents celebrated Christmas like most families (only without Santa Claus). Although Dad was a school teacher on a tight budget, the tree was somehow always surrounded by presents on Christmas morning. But we went through a period of drought where we could not afford gifts. By the time that had passed, we had stopped celebrating Christmas altogether and didn't re-start the tradition until after I left home.
Last night I was talking to my Dad about my favorite Christmas ever. Funny thing is: there were no presents that year. But my Dad made that day so special that it is indelibly marked in my memory. I'll tell you about it, next time...
Two thoughts after re-reading this:
ReplyDelete1) When I said, "What we choose to do with the information is up to us." I meant that each family needs to decide how they handle this holiday and not try to play God with each others' conscience. Many of my readers will remember a time when I was arrogantly hard-nosed about NOT celebrating Christmas. Looking back, I shudder at the damage I did to the Gospel by my foolish pride. At the same time, we do need to stop and think about how we celebrate and why. Some celebrate to the glory of God. Others choose not to celebrate, to the glory of God. But none of us can judge the motives of someone else.
2) I said that my family celebrated like other families (only without Santa Claus). That's not exactly true. Dad made sure that Christmas wasn't about getting presents, but giving them. And, instead of tearing through the packages to see what "we got", we would sit in a circle and hand our presents to the recipients personally. In retrospect, I really appreciate the way my Dad handled this holiday.