For many of us, Christian or not, when we hear the word “Christmas” we think of gift giving, family get-togethers and a whole lot of shopping. But is that really what Christmas is, and what does “Christmas” actually mean to a Christian? In fact, should Christians celebrate Christmas at all? Though the answer for most followers of God and his Son, Jesus, would be a “yes,” it is best that we examine why it's alright for us to celebrate the blessing we received when Jesus came into this world and our lives.
Though secularized, Christmas celebrates the gift of love. There is a good reason why a Christian should not feel bad when celebrating the day in which God gave us His ultimate gift, that of His one and only Son. That reason is because we were given Jesus, a gift for which we should rightly feel free to sing out from the highest mountaintops in celebration. In essence, casting away the legitimate feelings of joy we feel over the presence of Jesus on the day he was born, just because much of the world has secularized this event, does an injustice not only to us as Christians, but also to Jesus and His Father, God.
There are numerous biblical references that support the Christmas celebration. Some Christians believe that because there is no specific scriptural command to do so, it might not be proper to celebrate the entrance of the Son of God into our lives. For sure, there are a number of secular traditions surrounding Christmas that may not be scripturally or Biblically noted but which are still at least sympathetic to the idea of Christmas and the ways in which Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Gospel writer (and Apostle) John informs our view of why it is right and proper to look at the birth of Jesus as a cause of celebration: In John 1:4-9 of the New International Version, we're informed that Jesus is the light of the world, and this also helps to form the basis for why we place a star at the top of our favorite Christmas tree (“In him was life, and that life was the light of men”), as it signifies the Star of Bethlehem.
It's okay to have a Christmas tree, after all. A few Christians base their whole argument against the celebration of Christmas on the Biblical verses in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 10:1-16 of the NIV) that forbids the cutting down of trees and then the bringing of them into our homes for the purpose of decorating them. However, this passage refers to the act of taking the tree and then creating an idol out of the tree from its wood that is decorated with gold and silver in order to worship it. Of course, today, no Christian is worshipping the tree in any way, just as no Christian would worship anything other than God and His only Son, Jesus. The tree is a sign of joy at the thought that Christmas is the birth of Jesus and His eventual act of sacrifice He made for all of us.
Christmas is the celebrated birthday of Jesus. Although we do not know the true birth of Jesus (most likely born between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C.), December 25 (Christmas) is the day that we celebrate it. And like every birthday, the celebration of it should be a joyous occasion, especially given that the person who was born became our Savior; therefore, redeeming us from the punishment of sin.
