That time of year again

[Littlek]

This time of year makes me depressed honestly, because of my wishy washy belief in holidays. I have always celebrated the holidays, but the past few years I have been confused. It was not until social media that I felt different, (recently) because so many people say yes, celebrate them, or no, pagan holidays and you are dishonoring God by participating.
Where in the Bible does it say specifically that we are not suppose to follow traditions? Even though I do not do the Santa thing, I still like to decorate and give gifts. Thanksgiving to me is a time to get together with family and enjoy each other, because we don’t get together often.
I’m still 50/50 about it all. Everyone comes to my house each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, if I told them I don’t want to participate then they probably would not get together.
I didn’t even pull out all my fall decorations, and I heard you can’t put pumpkins on the front porch.

ugh…I wish I was convinced one way or another.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Well I got lots to say on the general topic. Concerning anti-Christmas people here

An Apology Of Christmas (old Article About An Anti-christmas Online Friend)


You know even when it comes to Messianic Jews, much of the celebration of Pascha is extrabiblical. They stopped following the Biblical Passover not long after the times of Jesus. If you look at the "Passover Plate" almost none of that is found in the Pentateuch etc.

 

[tturt]

Since society wants us to stop talking about Jesus, when we dont celebrate - we've compiled.

 

[Tolworth John]

This time of year makes me depressed honestly, because of my wishy washy belief in holidays. I have always celebrated the holidays, but the past few years I have been confused.

Read Col 2:16-23 do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Seek to honour Jesus in your Christmas and Easter celebrations.
Decorate your house, but don't go over the top, send cards to people you don't see regularly and use cards with a 'Christian ' message, even if you have to make them yourself.

Give what you would have spent to charity, use for presents the charity gift cards. ( your gift of 50 will feed a family/provide seeds/a goat, donkey etc )
Do the Samaritan purse shoe box with your children.

make the extra effort to gosip about what Christmas really is.

 

[Sketcher]

Even though I do not do the Santa thing, I still like to decorate and give gifts. Thanksgiving to me is a time to get together with family and enjoy each other, because we don’t get together often.
I’m still 50/50 about it all. Everyone comes to my house each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, if I told them I don’t want to participate then they probably would not get together.

Nothing's Biblically wrong with giving gifts, or decorating, or hosting your family, or thanking God for what you have, or thankfully remembering the Incarnation of Christ. All of those things are good to do, not bad. Don't let the killjoys stamp out this goodness in your life.

 

[eleos1954]

This time of year makes me depressed honestly, because of my wishy washy belief in holidays. I have always celebrated the holidays, but the past few years I have been confused. It was not until social media that I felt different, (recently) because so many people say yes, celebrate them, or no, pagan holidays and you are dishonoring God by participating.
Where in the Bible does it say specifically that we are not suppose to follow traditions? Even though I do not do the Santa thing, I still like to decorate and give gifts. Thanksgiving to me is a time to get together with family and enjoy each other, because we don’t get together often.
I’m still 50/50 about it all. Everyone comes to my house each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, if I told them I don’t want to participate then they probably would not get together.
I didn’t even pull out all my fall decorations, and I heard you can’t put pumpkins on the front porch.

ugh…I wish I was convinced one way or another.

The focus should be on the Lord ... on Thanksgiving we give thanks to the Lord ... on December 25th we do the same thing (even though we do not know for sure this is Jesus' actual birth day). Giving gifts ... sure (gifts were given and accepted at Jesus birth) .... It is never wrong to get together with friends and/or family , or even strangers for a meal.

Best to limit materialism as much as possible and include the Lord as much as possible. Spend quality time with the Lord and one another .... service to others if possible.

Promote with the little ones the giving side .... to those in need.

It's difficult with the little ones as they are so subject and exposed to the material things that are available. Santa Clause .... no .... remembering and giving honor to our savior giving and service to others ... yes. Perhaps gifts through appropriate books, coloring books, craft things/toys that they can be creative and/or educated about the Lord with etc ... but it's mostly about quality time with God and with one another and giving to others.

I wonder about the decorating ... perhaps it's more so what is the message in the decorations ie ... is there a message being conveyed through the decorations? I did not know the Lord fully when my son was little and I don't have grandchildren yet ... we get together for a meal and that's it ... no decorating and will continue this should grandchildren show up in the future. Gifts ... I give here and there as needed and don't "attach" the giving to any special day.

Jesus is the reason for the seasons. ;o)

 

[timf]

Taking your secretary out to lunch on national secretary's day or displaying the flag on flag day would not seem to run afoul of the bible.

Having a big meal and family get together on Thanksgiving would not seem to require thankfulness. However, being reminded to be thankful may also not run counter to the bible.

Christmas is a little different in that it started as a Catholic mass celebrating the birth of Christ. (It may have been used to distract early Christians from the winter solstice.

The holiday came to be like Thanksgiving in regard to a family focus. However, merchants found it rewarding to appropriate it to sell their merchandise.

Celebrating Christmas is not a problem for most. However, some can find themselves drawn to materialism in a way that is not edifying. If this is the case, a family tradition of limiting gifts to those that are handmade, might work to limit the commercial aspect.

A secular Christmas might not be as harmful as a Christmas that misrepresents Jesus as a sort of Santa Clause.

Christians should avoid the problems associated with excessive austerity as well as frivolity.

 

[Jaxxi]

This time of year makes me depressed honestly, because of my wishy washy belief in holidays. I have always celebrated the holidays, but the past few years I have been confused. It was not until social media that I felt different, (recently) because so many people say yes, celebrate them, or no, pagan holidays and you are dishonoring God by participating.
Where in the Bible does it say specifically that we are not suppose to follow traditions? Even though I do not do the Santa thing, I still like to decorate and give gifts. Thanksgiving to me is a time to get together with family and enjoy each other, because we don’t get together often.
I’m still 50/50 about it all. Everyone comes to my house each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, if I told them I don’t want to participate then they probably would not get together.
I didn’t even pull out all my fall decorations, and I heard you can’t put pumpkins on the front porch.

ugh…I wish I was convinced one way or another.

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mark 7:8

And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Mark 7:9

Nowhere in the Bible are we told to celebrate the Birth of Christ and besides, in Revelation where it describes the woman in the sky with the moon at her feet giving birth, if we look at the calendar on 3 B.C. we see there is only one day that matches this description and it is September 11. ( isn't that a coincidence).