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Missing Christmas

FollowingHim2

FollowingHim2

Women's Ministry
Staff member
Real Person
Female
Does anyone else miss Christmas?

I desperately miss it. It's much worse this year, which I'm assuming is because things are so out of whack right now that my subconscious is trying to grasp hold of some normality and joy from my childhood.
I have always struggled with missing it somewhat though.
I miss the lights, the decorations, the tree. I miss decorating the tree with the kids and watching them do an awful job and praising them for it. Then them asking if they can eat all the candy canes right now because they did such a good job.
I miss seeing their faces on Christmas morning, the anticipation finally coming to fruition as they see all the presents under the tree, with the lights shining on them.
I miss the carols, even the secular ones.
I miss the feel of it, the atmosphere, going around shops and seeing Christmas stuff out and buying a new decoration each year.
I miss the joy of it, the excitement, the love and happiness, the smiles on people's faces.

And at the same time I hate that it's something that we celebrated, because I know it's not biblical, I know there are deeply troubling aspects to it, and I see the problems.
We're not going to do it, (except for the bare minimum with Samuel's family which we do every year, but it's not very Christmasy, which is a good thing), and I don't wish we were going to, I would be deeply upset if we did.

But I miss it.
 
I miss Christmas a little bit. We had a nice tree tradition that the kids enjoyed/hated and I love parties and decorations and joyful ness.
 
I miss it very much too. The songs and the feel of it. Hubby and I celebrated Christmas all our marriage, I always used to go out with decorations would even spend money I didn’t have always had a tree. The children have been surprisingly good giving it up they don’t even ask for a tree or decorations they just want a present. So we get them something small each but there no fuss or anything.
 
FollowingHim2 said:
Does anyone else miss Christmas?
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So ironic you said this! Last night I got out the black and red hunter plaid blanket for my bed, started getting the Christmas lights and decorations in order, and started checking to see how much Christmas wrap I have! It's on my mind and I am definitely ready for Christmas!
 
FollowingHim2 said:
And at the same time I hate that it's something that we celebrated, because I know it's not biblical
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Not everything has to be Biblical for us to appreciate it. Christmas cannot be Biblical because it could not have been ordained prior to the Cross and it had to come after the passing of the Apostles because they spent their lives mourning the loss of the greatest man who ever lived. It took time for the body of Christ to move from mourning the loss of Christ to celebrating the blessing of the greatest gift that God ever gave to us!

And how do we celebrate Christmas?

By honoring the commandment Jesus gave to us (John 13:34): A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

I know we should do this all year long but Christmas is a time, a moment, each year when our hearts and minds are made to focus on the gift that God gave to us and the gift of love that we are commanded to give to one another.

You miss Christmas and in missing it you get the point! You miss the love that Jesus brought into the world and by celebrating Christmas and honoring Christ's commandment you reflect His love for us in your love for those around you.

There is nothing wrong in celebrating the gift of love that was given to us in Christ Jesus. Christmas is the time for that celebration.

As to those who do not celebrate Christmas to me they are like people who live without joy in their lives. Christ wanted us to have joy. That's why His first miracle was to provide good wine at a wedding. He wanted the celebration to succeed because what is a wedding but a celebration of LOVE?

Christmas is also a celebration of love and so far as I am concerned it is Biblical.
 
It’s like having a fine pot of beans on a cold winter’s night that only has a bit or a bunch of hog in it.
No thanks, He told me to come out from among them and be separate.
 
I haven't missed Christmas. I keep remembering what Yeshua said "he who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom" that keeps me plenty sober about Christmas and the other pagan rituals we left behind. It also gives me hope that the kingdom is so much better.
 
In order to be in fellowship with my fellow Torah keepers we DO NOT celebrate Christmas.

That being said I think the alleged pagan roots of it are greatly overblown and in fact may be a complete fabrication by anti-Christian elements. I really did a deep dive on it and none of it had any substance. It was all wild speculation by atheists. The Saturnalia link especially was essentially made up.
 
The Revolting Man said:
In order to be in fellowship with my fellow Torah keepers we DO NOT celebrate Christmas.

That being said I think the alleged pagan roots of it are greatly overblown and in fact may be a complete fabrication by anti-Christian elements. I really did a deep dive on it and none of it had any substance. It was all wild speculation by atheists. The Saturnalia link especially was essentially made up.
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That is very interesting @The Revolting Man, and I'd be interested in reading anything you think would be of particular value.

I agree with @MaryandJim that the tree is a problematic symbol that appears to line up far too closely to prophecy for comfort (I accept that prophecy may be talking about carving idols, but the way it is described does apply very well to Christmas trees too). And all my life we have rejected dyslexic Satan Santa as an unChristian distraction / substitute Christ. And some carols are pagan (deck the halls) or just pointless (jingle bells).

But when you trim off all the pagan elements, you are left with something that truly has meaning and joy. Should we really be going more legalistic than that?

Noting that @The Revolting Man chooses not to celebrate Christmas for the sake of fellowship with Torah keepers - we actually need to be in fellowship with regular Protestants, including family. Furthermore we attend a church where the standard Christian calendar provides a framework as to what is remembered when - and December is when the children there focus on the birth of Christ. We cannot completely separate ourselves from Christmas without causing very serious divisions that are contrary to the functioning of the Body. Furthermore, we create questions in our children over the line between legalism, obedience, joy and fellowship - complex matters that are frankly a stress they shouldn't have to deal with. Why should they have to worry about how to answer the simplest of questions - "what did you get for Christmas?" - without embarrassment, sounding weird, and themselves feeling they are missing out on something? Is it really that important?

We have avoided Christmas for years, to the extend practically possible. But that approach is more complex than it originally sounds when you have children, and when you ponder it further and wonder if it is strictly necessary anyway, you end up wondering if it's really a hill worth dying on.
 
MeganC said:
It took time for the body of Christ to move from mourning the loss of Christ to celebrating the blessing of the greatest gift that God ever gave us.

l.
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The three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection?

We still enjoy Christmas at our house, but I do wonder about it.
 
I believe other aspects of the season can be grey area but the Christmas tree is vividly mentioned in the scriptures and is a god already that is carved shaped and worshipped and idolised by being decorated with silver and gold to bring it to life and seen as some traditional magical symbol that brings about the SPIRIT of Christmas.
 
It took time for the body of Christ to move from mourning the loss of Christ to celebrating the blessing of the greatest gift that God ever gave us.

Bartato said:
The three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection?
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No, the century or two that passed after Christ died for our sins.
 
FollowingHim said:
That is very interesting @The Revolting Man, and I'd be interested in reading anything you think would be of particular value.

I agree with @MaryandJim that the tree is a problematic symbol that appears to line up far too closely to prophecy for comfort (I accept that prophecy may be talking about carving idols, but the way it is described does apply very well to Christmas trees too). And all my life we have rejected dyslexic Satan Santa as an unChristian distraction / substitute Christ. And some carols are pagan (deck the halls) or just pointless (jingle bells).

But when you trim off all the pagan elements, you are left with something that truly has meaning and joy. Should we really be going more legalistic than that?

Noting that @The Revolting Man chooses not to celebrate Christmas for the sake of fellowship with Torah keepers - we actually need to be in fellowship with regular Protestants, including family. Furthermore we attend a church where the standard Christian calendar provides a framework as to what is remembered when - and December is when the children there focus on the birth of Christ. We cannot completely separate ourselves from Christmas without causing very serious divisions that are contrary to the functioning of the Body. Furthermore, we create questions in our children over the line between legalism, obedience, joy and fellowship - complex matters that are frankly a stress they shouldn't have to deal with. Why should they have to worry about how to answer the simplest of questions - "what did you get for Christmas?" - without embarrassment, sounding weird, and themselves feeling they are missing out on something? Is it really that important?

We have avoided Christmas for years, to the extend practically possible. But that approach is more complex than it originally sounds when you have children, and when you ponder it further and wonder if it is strictly necessary anyway, you end up wondering if it's really a hill worth dying on.
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When I was reading it all what it biked down to was the claim that “Pagans have parties in winter too.” Nowhere that I read did some one show a particular pagan feast morphing in to Christmas. Saturnalia actually evolved shortly after Christ. The winter solstice isn’t a set date. Christmas trees aren’t idols and no one worships them.

I just don’t think we can accidentally worship false gods because something we do looks a little bit like something a pagan used to do.

I agree wholeheartedly that Santa is a destructive lie that should be banished from all Christian homes. But I think we get too up in arms about parties celebrating Jesus sometimes.
 
[QUOTE="But I think we get too up in arms about parties celebrating Jesus sometimes.[/QUOTE]
I find it the other way round where Christmas is concerned. What I see online and in real life and maybe or maybe not even hinted on this thread is that those who celebrate Christmas especially Christians get really angry and up in arms when people give their reasons for not celebrating Christmas or not buying Christmas trees. Names are even called it’s like it’s some sort of taboo to have your own reasons through your own convictions and research not to celebrate Christmas. I’ve had Christian family and friends who took great offence by our family’s reasons not to buy Christmas trees or celebrate the holiday, calling us names. It’s always been the other way round in my experience, like you can’t just give your own reasons not to celebrate Christmas without being persecuted for it one actually has to be brave to COME OUT and declare they no longer celebrate it. This is my experience by the way.
 
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Yes, I think that is a fairly neutral statement and goes both ways:
The Revolting Man said:
But I think we get too up in arms about parties celebrating Jesus sometimes.
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It's a personality thing. Many people get really upset and divisive about things, regardless of which side of an issue they are on. If they happened to be on the other side they'd probably be equally divisive about it.
 
FollowingHim said:
Yes, I think that is a fairly neutral statement and goes both ways:

It's a personality thing. Many people get really upset and divisive about things, regardless of which side of an issue they are on. If they happened to be on the other side they'd probably be equally divisive about it.
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Yeah but you’d expect me to be on one of those sides slinging gasoline soaked mud bombs at the other.
 
Which just reinforces your primary point to me, honestly. If you of all people are in the middle, then the middle is a good position.

Like with a massive anti-tyranny protest that occurred here a few days ago. The media made it out to be a bunch of nutters, because it was organised by a church that is widely (arguably wrongly) considered a cult, and there were patched gang members in attendance on motorbikes. I on the other hand see that as a major endorsement - if the complete extremes of society, drug-dealing criminal gangs and conservative Christians, are both agreeing on something, then that something must be pretty universal common sense.
 
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