Why do we celebrate? When I look at the traditions of Christmas, that we as Christians hold near and dear to our hearts, I wonder if it matters what we are celebrating. I mean what does eggnog, trees, stockings, house lights and going into debt have to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus? The focus on loving people and being with family seem to be the current spirit of Christmas and hope for the season. If this is true, why do Christians knock all the other religions that celebrate the holiday under their names (Hanukkah, Rohatsu, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and Yule) when they are celebrating the same things us Christians are. Love, family and good will.

Christmas is gone. It is no longer a religious holiday, we have given it up for something else. What we do at Christmas is good, but so are the things “non-Christians” do during the same time. Christmas was started by the Church in about the 4th century to combat the pagan celebration of the winter solstice. The church designed many holidays to give spiritual meaning to these pagan celebrations in an attempt to convert them to Christianity. It looks like the church gave up on Christmas years ago and it has returned to its original state…a pagan celebration.

I say let it go and let’s celebrate the birth of Jesus in July, the month he was actually born in. I’d be curious if we would do all the same fanfare for that date as we do the current one. I wonder…