Last Wednesday our pastor lead a short study on reasons some Christians object to celebrating Christmas. I wasn’t sure if I should sink low in my seat, sit up really tall or try to blend in with everyone else. However, I'm not against Christmas. I just desire to observe it in spirit and truth.
I want my children to know the facts. I can’t lie to them and say that Jesus’ birthday is December 25, when that is the date the pagan’s celebrated the rebirth of the sun god. I do think it’s great that pagan celebrations have been redeemed by Christians and we are showing the world who the one true God is. But, at the same time, I would like to see less and less Christians getting bent out of shape when a sales clerk says, “Happy Holidays,” or a student mentions “Winter Break.” The truth is, a lot of religions and people groups have celebrations this time of year. We can’t force someone into a relationship with Christ by demanding him to say “Merry Christmas.”
What I am against is the modern-day Santa Claus. Yeah, I know, I get grief every year. I get questions and statements like, “How can you rip your child of something so magical?” and “It’s just make-believe.” My response is there is plenty of magical things and make-believe in their lives. But more importantly, when a child plays make-believe he knows he's playing make-believe. My daughter knows the Chick-Fil-A Cow is a costume with a person inside. She knows cartoons aren’t real. She knows dolls don’t eat and grow. And she knows Santa is just pretend. Besides, I don’t want my kids to get greedy around Christmas. We are redeeming the holiday, are we not?
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