Well, I guess this is the big day.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a large entry prepared. I really wanted to write something on the Christmas songs. You know, the ones that take “Christ” out of “Christmas” (or was Christ ever “in” Christmas?). Such as, “Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why, Santa Clause is coming to town. He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been <u>bad or good</u>. So, be good for heaven sake!”
What?! Is Santa “God” or something?! Last I checked, only God can know those things. Now, I can see how some might say “Oh, come on Paul. It’s just a little kids’ song.” YES! It is a kids’ song and THAT is the problem. Starting them off early into a lie…
Should we/they (if not “we” as in Christians, than “they” as in non-believers) be LYING to our/their children?
No really, it is a lie to sing that to them. Even the whole thought of “Santa” is a lie. “Oh, but it’s fun.” Lie = Fun? Hmm…
People tend to replace Christ with Santa instead of using a biblical basis for telling there kids to obey. The kids aren’t taught to obey because it’s right and God said so, but because Santa won’t get them a gift. And again it’s all going back to presents or actually the “GETTING” of them …Selfishness. So the kid obeys for a selfish reason. Christmas (for the kid) is a self-focused day. They are thrown a present every year from day one and after a while they come to expect it. Not because they deserve it but because “Christ was given a gift from the three wise men” or whatever the reason may be.
Telling kids that Santa has the power to know if you were good or not is a lie! It’s not “cute and adorable ’til they find out”. It’s just a lie. Some Christians tie the holiday to Jesus Christ and his birth. That is their reason for celebrating it.
I believe this is wrong.
First off, Christmas was “invented” (for lack of better words) long before Christ. Another thing, why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th? Why have we converted the holiday to mean Christ’s birth? What does Christ’s birth have anything to do with this day in the middle of Winter?
Look what I have quoted below:
Its seems that no one really ever gives a thought to the idea of the date December twenty-fifth as the day of Christmas. If you look at our evidence as to Christ’s birth you will read from the bible, ” And there where in the same country shepherds abiding in a field, keeping watch over their flock by night,” In the dead of winter seems most unlikely.
That the date actually goes back to Rome with a festival called Saturnalia. It was a time of revelry, celebration, eating and drinking. It was at once a solstice observance and a harvest festival. On the Julian calendar it was proclaimed in 46 c.e., that the Saturnalia would fall on December twenty- fifth.
The early Christians found a birthday celebration of a religious figure strange or blasphemous. The only people who celebrated birthdays were the pagans in Rome. Holidays where declared for the birthday of Ceasars and for the gods. Gift giving at a birthday is a wholly pagan concept and the early church banned it. Slowly the idea of giving alms to the poor and to the church for Christ birth is mentioned in the tenth century. By the eleventh century, families privately gave a token to their servants and expected nothing from them
…
Despite Christianity’s adaptation and absorption of the feasts, symbols, and customs of the pagan past, the evergreens were still perceived as taboo for the early church elders. In 575 AD, church laws forbade the custom of garlanding houses with the laurel greenery. Records from the 15th century writers in Italy and Germany note the use of hanging flowers, branches, and garlands of fir. The eight-century English missionary St. Boniface, also known as Wynfrith of Crediton, took the gospel to these Germanic druids. His tale is that one Christmas Eve he cut down the people’s sacrificial oak. In its place a young fir tree instantly sprang up. By this miracle the pagans were converted.
It’s true to say that “we don’t celebrate Christmas for those reasons, Paul”. “We have changed it and are celebrating it for our own reasons.” And that is fine! But don’t say “I celebrate Christmas because it’s a Christian holiday.” If you’re going to celebrate Christmas, celebrate it because it’s fun and it’s a tradition. But it doesn’t tie to Christ and for us to tie this holiday to Christ seems like just an excuse to celebrate Christmas “for a better reason”.
That’s my point.
Today, like any other day, is an excellent day to worship God and to be thankful for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Just look around. Google it. Find out for yourself how Christmas began and how Christ was “attached” to it.
I’m not saying “don’t celebrate Christmas”. I’m saying, don’t attach Christ to it more than you would any other day.
We should call it Santamas. At least then we’d know it for what it was. Haha!
I’m sorta tired right now. So I can’t remember everything I was thinking of writing. Chances are, I’ll edit this a few times as I remember what I wanted to add to it.
;)
If you think this entry was “hum-bugg”, just wait for next Christmas. I have a feeling it’ll be a whopper.
:P
Celebrate Christ’s birth everyday!
-Paulie
P.S. I’m REALLY sorry I haven’t answered your comments. I’ve had very little time.
