Why we DO celebrate Christmas

Some of you read the title to this post and thought, “Who DOESN’T celebrate Christmas?”

Chances are, if that was your reaction, you’re not an evangelical Christian. Or a homeschooler. Because if you walk around with either of those labels on your forehead, you knew exactly what I meant. Not only did you know, you could immediately picture someone who falls into the other camp–someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas.

I’ve heard a whole host of reasons why people shrug off Christmas. Historically speaking, Jesus was probably born in the spring. It’s a Catholic holiday. It has pagan roots. It’s not in the Bible. It’s too commercial. 

And you know what? I agree totally.

It’s unlikely that Jesus was born in December. That just doesn’t line up with any census ever issued. And yes, Catholics celebrate Christmas. It’s Christ’s Mass, for goodness sake. I’m not sure why that’s supposed to lessen our celebration. Those pagan roots? Yep, pretty sure the date and many of our traditions started out with folks whose main goal wasn’t edifying the Lord. There’s clearly no mention of Christmas in the Bible (there’s that Catholicism angle again), either. And seriously– does anyone even debate the commercial aspect of Christmas?

There’s a whole lot of potential dirty laundry lurking behind the idea of Christmas as we know it. And yet …

In my family, we celebrate Christmas.

We not only celebrate Christmas–around here, we relish it. We sing carols. We decorate. We bake. We give gifts.

We dive headlong into the idea of God With Us.

But why? Why do we chose to partake in a holiday that is becoming more and more conflicted in our community of life-minded folks? Why haven’t we joined the ranks of those who eschew the tinsel and tree in favor of Biblical Feasts? Why do we continue to be “of the world” when it comes to Christmas?

1. Christmas is full of teachable moments. From Jesse Trees to Truth in the Tinsel, from The Nativity Story to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, from nativity scenes to discussing why lights are such an appropriate symbol for Christ, Christmas is soaked in opportunities to share the hope we have with our children. While we grab every chance we get to create a legacy of faith, Christmas, especially, presents so many natural moments for discipling. Through specific, planned activities as well as casual conversation, we’re  literally handed an entire month of mentoring opportunities.

2. We join in the community of international believers when we celebrate Christmas. Where there are Christians, there is Christmas. This is a universal truth. Every nation, every tribe that professes Christ has it’s own version of honoring the birth of the Christ child. In some, it is a solemn affair. In others, a colorful frenzy of worship. Christmas in countries where the Gospel is suppressed is celebrated quietly, in secret. What a gift we have– to loudly proclaim that we number ourselves among those who call Christ Lord! When we rejoice in the babe in the manger, we take part in a global fete centered on God’s amazing love for us.

3. Christmas is an amazing evangelism opportunity.  Through acts of kindness, hospitality, and even the decor we choose for our homes, we can continually point to Jesus. The key here is not to confine your outreach to the month of December, but to extend its reach into the entire calendar year.

4. Christmas gives us a wonderful reason to pause and reflect. I don’t know about you, but my soul yearns for Advent. The process of setting aside time, disciplining oneself to stop and ponder the magnitude of a centuries old promise fulfilled in the act of a teenage girl giving birth to God’s own son, of the Creator of the Universe becoming flesh … Centering my devotions on these facts enriches my prayer life well into the new year.

5. Christmas binds us to the past. Traditions inherited from our families of origin or started in our own home are precious ties to generations past. A real tree, or artificial. Presents on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. Even favorite carols take on deeper meaning when they’re imbued with a sense of family mythology. Tales of faithful ancestors, stories of Mom and Dad’s childhoods, even memories of just a few year’s prior, all are part of the legacy we pass on to our children and, in time, our children’s children.

6. Christmas points us to the future. It’s impossible to truly focus on the joy of the newborn babe in swaddling clothes without realizing the truth–this baby was sent to die. For us. From the beginning, this was God’s plan: that He would dwell among us as the Word become flesh. He would enter the world in the most humble, beautiful form we humans can imagine. And then … He would be crushed. His death would buy our freedom. I can’t think of anything more worthy of celebration.

And that, my friends, is why in my house, we celebrate Christmas.