Christmas: To Celebrate or not to Celebrate?
As Christmas Day quickly approaches, I am aware that there are a number of people who are not celebrating
or observing the birth of Christ at this time. There are those for whom Christianity is not part of their
heritage or belief system who do not celebrate Christmas for those reasons (though they may profit
financially from the increased economic activity brought on by the celebration). But there are also a number
of followers of Jesus who have a conviction that it is not appropriate to celebrate Christmas and choose to
not participate in any Christmas observances. This includes church Christmas services, the singing of
Christmas carols, Christmas gatherings with family and friends and the exchanging of gifts. There are a
number of reasons why these brothers and sisters in Christ are reticent to give themselves over to the
“Christmas spirit.” Some of these reasons are:
 The historical fact that the Christmas holiday is the recycling of Roman and Pagan winter solstice
holidays.
 The probability that Jesus was not born this time of year, rather, more likely, in the summer or fall.
 The fact that Christmas is not a biblical holiday, per se. It is not rooted in the Jewish feasts that God
gave Israel nor is there any New Testament precedent for such an observance.
 The crass commercialism and spirit of mammon that has overrun the holiday.
 The traditions associated with Christmas that have little or nothing to do with Jesus or the gospel,
including the legend of Santa Claus, Christmas trees and decorations, mistletoe, and gluttonous
indulgences—to name a few.
Christians who choose to not celebrate Christmas are in the minority and most of them do so as a matter of
private conviction. To make it an issue would certainly risk misunderstanding or even reprisal.
Campaigning against the observance of Christmas would be futile, if not precarious, considering the cultural
giant that Christmas has become in the church and society. Even many Christians who do observe Christmas
have chosen to drastically curtail and alter their traditions and gift giving to reflect values which are more in
line with the gospel. Unfortunately among those who choose to not celebrate Christmas at all are those who
make it a major issue and claim spiritual superiority over the unenlightened majority in the church (this is the
posture of most Jehovah Witnesses). But most who have chosen to not celebrate do not try to force others to
their point of view. For them it is a matter of conscience and they live and act accordingly.
While I am sympathetic to the stance of these fellow believers and I would not (and could not) argue with the
reasons mentioned above, I think that the reasons to celebrate the birth of Christ at this time of year outweigh
the reasons not to:
 Christmas is biblical—no matter what time of year it might be observed. “Christmas,” in its basic
sense, means the religious celebration of the birth of Christ. The birth of Jesus is a documented
biblical event. Just because the world and the devil have tried to hijack Christmas into something
unbiblical does not nullify the legitimacy of Christmas.
 If it is agreed that it is permissible and beneficial to observe the birth of Jesus as a legitimate biblical
occurrence then when do we do it? The reality is that any time of the year could have been chosen
and there would still be controversy regarding the historicity of the calendar time. The fact that the
time that was chosen was in conjunction with Roman and Pagan winter celebrations is troubling, I
admit, but instead of seeing Christmas as paganism tainting the gospel can we not see Christmas as
the gospel redeeming paganism?
 Christmas is perhaps the greatest open door for the gospel in our post-modern culture. The carols
that continue to be played in the stores and malls contain some of the best biblical theology regarding
the incarnation, the forgiveness of sin and the new birth found in Christ. Television Christmas
specials are often powerful presentations of the good news of Jesus. Millions of dollars are given to
deserving charities every year by people inspired by a spirit of generosity in keeping with the season.
1

And, thousands are saved through church Christmas outreaches every year. Many years ago my wife
wrote a song entitled “It’s Christmas ‘round the World” and had the opportunity to sing it to her
family who were gathered on Christmas Day. The Lord powerfully moved and un-churched family
members wept as she shared the gospel in song. To reject Christmas is to reject profound
opportunities to bring the gospel to those we love and for whom Christ was born.
Christmas is worth fighting for in our culture. If we neglect the true Spirit of Christmas then the false
and anti-Christ spirits will be successful in turning it back into a Godless pagan tradition. Nativity
scenes need to grace our lawns and “Merry Christmas” and “God bless you” need to be on our lips.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” and Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” need to be aired and people
still need to attend church Christmas programs and Midnight Mass. Gifts still need to be given in
honour of the Christ Child and carols still need to be sung around the fire and the piano and on
doorsteps. There is a spiritual battle over the celebration of Christmas and we need to be actively
engaged in it.
I will never ask anyone to violate their conscience and will continue to respect the decision of those who
choose to honour the Lord by not celebrating Christmas. Romans 14 should always guide us in matters such
as these. But I can’t help wonder that if, in some cases, a religious spirit is at work robbing believers of their
freedom to express the wonder and pure worship that the nativity of Jesus inspires. I have seen this religious
spirit at work in the Jehovah Witnesses and in some legalistic segments of the church.
According to Romans 14, those of us who are free to celebrate the birth of Christ should not look down on
those who, for reasons of conscience, do not celebrate and we should honour the Lord in all the ways we
choose to observe the holiday. And those who continue to have convictions that they do not want to
participate with the spirits of idolatry, mammon and paganism that are energized by the godless revelry and
worthless traditions associated with much of Christmas should not pass judgment on fellow believers who
are able to sanctify Christmas in their hearts.
My hope is that you who have room in your conscience to move into a holy observance of Christmas will be
able to do so freely and enjoy new benefits of worship and fellowship that make this season so special. My
hope, also, is that you who regularly celebrate Christmas will lift Jesus up and honour him in such a way that
there is no question that you have a testimony regarding the true reason for the season.
2