How can we celebrate Christmas without all the pagan traditions?

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   Christa Swopeposted 10 years ago

   How can we celebrate Christmas without all the pagan traditions?

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   Ericdierkerposted 10 years ago

   I do not think that we can. I think it is built into Western culture so tightly that one cannot celebrate "Christmas" the holiday day without it. Even the chosen day is fraught aspects of the pagan traditions.
   
   So I think that in large part in order to be at some peace with society we have to celebrate Christmas "aside" from and not without these traditions.
   
   Here is a fun example. My son who will be about 3 years and 11 months old will be Baltazar in the church children's play. That is extremely traditional but not very much Biblically accurate. Pagan? Maybe just a bit.
   So we will devote much to Christ but also join in the fun

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      Christa Swopeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I found this online:
      According to legend in Western Christianity, there were three “wise men,” their names were Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar, and they were of various ethnic/racial origin. However, Matthew’s account of the magi’s visit (which is th

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      One has to open their heart to even pay attention to all of this. I know that on Christmas eve and morn, that is when I am filled with love for sure.

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   rainsanmartinposted 10 years ago

   Such a good question: I personally feel the gift giving tradition puts our hearts in the wrong place, yet I know how much I cherished it as a child. I love to see the glow in my children's eyes Christmas morning.  Also It's a time to reach out to family and friends each year with cards.
   
   One way to celebrate Christmas without making it overly commercial is to decorate minimally with lights, garland and general winter themes.  We can keep gifts inexpensive and few, so we do not encourage debt and materialism.  You could also skip the gifts entirely, giving presents to the needy only.  And keep our schedules uncluttered so that we have time for the most important things of the season and keep our focus on God.
   
   Hank Hanegraaff says:
   
   "Therefore, since the Bible does not forbid birthdays, and they do not violate any biblical principle, there is no biblical basis for rejecting birthdays. For the same reason, there is no biblical reason to reject entirely the idea of celebrating Jesus’ birthday."
   
   http://www.equip.org/articles/should-ch … an-books-1

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   Silver Fishposted 9 years ago

   Christmas is a pagan festival in all but name. Celebrate at your peril.

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