What is Christmas? Simply it is supposed to be the time Christians celebrate Christ’s birth. However, that is not what it has come to represent. In fact the courts have ruled that Christmas is not part of Christianity.
So what does God say about Christmas? In fact God really never addresses Christmas through the Bible, but he does address possible issues that are associated with Christmas. So the real question is why do you celebrate Christmas? If the reason you are celebrating Christmas is honor Christ and recognize Him as your Lord and Savior then I would say you are probably ok, but if it is to celebrate the giving of gifts then that could be considered idolatry.
In the beginning, Christmas was not the joyous tradition we celebrate today. In fact it was almost the exact opposite. It was a quiet and solemn time according to many scholars. It was not until either the 18th or 19th century when the more modern concepts of Christmas as we know them today came about.
I am not exactly how long it has been going on, but for at least 40 years I have heard some Christians and non-Christians say that Christmas has become to commercialized. I find this funny because the people that say this are some of the worst offenders when it comes to going out and buying gifts. They are the ones who are out on Black Friday to get those best deals pushing and shoving their way through the crowds not caring whom they hurt in the process. They are the ones who go out and spend hundreds if not thousands on gifts they really cannot afford.
Who celebrates Christmas? A lot of people worldwide. I have non-Christian friends who celebrate Christmas just like most Christians with one exception, they are not celebrating the birth of Christ. These people are giving gifts like that is the main purpose which I find weird, but looking at it I can also certainly understand. This is due to the way the stores treat this holiday.
Where did the idea come to exchange gifts on Christmas? Well research has led me to the birth of Christ where Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh were given as a gift to Christ, but the actual date when we started giving gifts to one another really is not known. But giving gifts on someones birthday is understandable, so why do we give gifts to each other? A lot of people think it has to do with the pagan holidays which were also around the same time, but the exact date and reason I could not obtain. In other words, no one really knows why we celebrate Christmas the way we do today.
So I go back to what is Christmas and why do you celebrate it? If you do not know, then I urge you to take some time to figure it out as that is a really important reason.
I pray that you are able to figure out why you celebrate Christmas and that you really think about they way you love God and treat others as Christ has commanded through the Great Commission. I pray that if you are one of the masses that gets caught up in all this frenzy to spend money on stuff that you do not really need that you will consider giving it to an organization that could really use it. Remember that there are people who are homeless, cold, and starving for both food and attention. So consider these things before becoming so selfish to think it is all about you.
May God bless you.