Why I no longer celebrate Christmas (among other holidays) and how to handle being the odd man or woman out | To The Church

Most of you all know me as a bold, born again believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I am probably most known for being a gospel music minister for goodness sake, so why am I all of a sudden standing against Christmas? Probably the most notable “Christian” holiday known to man. Well, the truth is this decision isn’t a sudden one. To be all the way real, my family has never celebrated the holiday as most believers do.

We never hug a reef on our door, our parents were VERY vocal about there being no Santa Claus, they never acknowledged December 25th as the birth date of Christ and we never, EVER put a Christmas tree up in our house.

For us, the nationally recognized holiday has always been an opportunity to be together in fellowship, enjoying good food, games, laughter and most importantly —a day off of work and school! Of all of the traditions of the season, my parents did bless us with gifts, I’m sure as a way to keep us from feeling left out of the “what did you get for Christmas” conversations that inevitably occurred when school was back in session.

Throughout my relationship with Christ I’ve grown to love studying His Word. I’ve found myself within its pages, literally, as I’ve read of the prophesy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the plight of the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 28) and yet it has strengthened my relationship with the Most High, Jesus Christ and continues to build my faith in Him. Although He is indeed unsearchable I have managed to learn (and I am still learning) the many ways of God.

My love for studying the Word of God came honest as my parents insisted that the foundation of our every thought and decision be based on it. As we grew they shared with my siblings and I why they chose not to participate in the traditions of men surrounding Christmas and encouraged us to study its origins further. My decision to not celebrate has been a harder stance than my parents, as I’ve chosen to not even exchange gifts. A decision easy to make due to the fact that I do not yet have children and one that may change once they arrive. I have not yet decided if I will follow in my parents footsteps of giving gifts for the sake of my future children but I have chosen to refrain from the overall customs of Christmas for a few reasons that I feel are befitting in my walk with Christ.

1. I think the most obvious reason I (and most people) would choose not to celebrate Christmas is because December 25th is not the birthdate of our Lord and Savior. There is no scriptural evidence to prove this and to take things a step further scripture actually suggests that Christ was born in a warmer climate (Luke chapter 2). Periodt!
2. Believers were never commanded to remember (or celebrate) the birth of Christ. Instead we were commanded to remember His death— through which we receive salvation. Obviously, if Christ had not been born He would not have been able to die for our sins. Trust me I completely understand this concept however I do find it interesting that believers choose to acknowledge a day that was not required to be commemorated but do not hold the same level of enthusiasm to what was actually command of us, which is to remember the sacrifice of His life through Communion and The Passover (which is the foretelling of the Christ’s crucifixion). To some this may be a subtle mishap but I do not take lightly the things God has deemed important for us to remember. Remember Lot’s wife.
3. Many of the customs of Christmas derive from pagan origins. This is yet another obvious statement made by many a “grinch” that choose to not celebrate Christmas. However, the misconception between Christian (Christ-like) holidays, and practices (that were rooted in the Word of God) verses Christian practices and holidays observed today have caused much confusion and brought unnecessary attention to things that simply do not glorify the true and living God. I have observed that although many believers claim the reason for the season being the birth of Jesus, their practices do not point to the acknowledgment or celebration of our Savior being born. Rather the holiday customs have revealed to be more self-serving as people jump at the opportunity to share either what they received or what they gave.

Many believers fail to ask the questions that matter regarding the holidays customs which (if they did) will reveal roots in polytheistic (pagan) belief or worship. I have chosen not to engage in these customs because I would rather err on the side of caution than unknowingly perpetuate the customs of false god worship. While many of the aspects of Christmas seem like innocent fun, anything rooted in pagan foundations cannot be redeemed to serve The Most High. Only the things (and people) redeemed by Christ can be reconfigured to bring Him glory.

As I have grown bolder in my faith and have taken a stand against pagan holidays and many other typical Christian ideologies, I’ve encountered people who when they learn of my position are defensive, offended, or annoyed and feel that I’m being too deep. Although they are entitled to their opinions, having my faith questioned and often criticized by probably good intended people, has often left me feeling isolated and misunderstood.

A wise man once told me that being misunderstood is sometimes people’s way of understanding you. That statement bothered me for a bit, but eventually I understood and embraced it. Not everyone will agree with you, understand or even want to understand your point of view and that is 100% okay. It is what makes you uniquely you and you should embrace it. Particularly if you’ve found yourself standing out rather than falling in line with the status quo while the rest of world decks the halls, I am sure you are, or have experienced many emotions and tons of temptation to just blend in. I want to encourage you to yield to what God has convicted you about (read my blog, 3 Ways to Get in Position for Conviction) because there is something He wants to do through you in it.

When the going gets tough, and it will, here are 3 tips on how to handle being the odd man or woman out.

1. Have a solid foundation (the Word of God) for which you base your rejection (or acceptance) of everything. Your decision not to celebrate Christmas is not just an opportunity to save a few coins and get out of buying gifts for everyone. Your stance should be based on the Word of God and should lead to an opportunity for evangelism. Share God’s Word and how important it is for you to obey God in all of your doing. This is a prime opportunity to share the gospel! Be sure to know for yourself through your own study of the Word and history why you’ve made this decision.
2. Don’t take it personal. Although it may feel like a personal attack on you the truth is, people are usually uncomfortable with your measure of faith. Most people don’t like to rock the boat, stand out or oppose the social norms. Most people want to fit in and feel a sense a belonging, which is fine as long as it doesn’t stand in opposition of God and His Word. It takes courage to put your faith in action especially when it goes against the norms. Resist the urge to be offended by snarky comments and rolling eyes. None of that is truly directed towards you but rather to the parts of themselves that are not courageous enough to take the stand with you.
3. Follow your own traditions. I’m not going to act like taking a stand does not sometimes feel lonely. It’s in our nature to want to be in community with our fellow man, particularly during times of celebration. Not to worry, because as you continue to study scripture you will find that God appointed holy days for His people to observe as well (Weekly 7th Day Sabbath, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Memorial of the Blowing of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles). All of which keep believers in remembrance of God’s power, love and sovereignty. Study to understand their significance and make a new tradition of following these days. You can also create your own family holiday based on something that is sentimental to you and your family. Just because you don’t celebrate the traditional holidays, that does not mean you have to lead a boring and uneventful life.

I pray that through this post you learned something and that you were encourage to follow God unapologetically and without longing. Below you will find a few resources that will help you along in your journey.

• The Bible
• The Pagan Origins of Christian Holidays by Elisha J. Israel
• The Two Babylons: Or, the Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod by Alexander J. Hislop

Do you celebrate Christmas? In the comments below, feel free to share with me your reasoning for why you’ve chosen to celebrate or to not celebrate Christmas.