SHOULD CHRISTIANS REALLY CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
Christmas period is a time of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ everywhere in the world, but should we really celebrate Christmas at all?" I think this short article can be of little help, let's see:

OPPOSITIONS
There two major reasons people oppose celebrating Christmas as Christians. The first reason is that Christmas originated from pagan worship, and the second reason is that Jesus was not really born on December 25th.

(i) Origin: Should we celebrate what originated from pagan worship? Well, the point is that it was actually the holiday of Saturnalia that the pagans celebrated then, not Christmas. Christmas was a replacement of Saturnalia festival in Christendom; Christmas solely celebrates Christ Jesus, and it has no link or connection with idol festival as far as Christmas is concerned today. To oppose Christmas because the similar or same day was formally celebrated by pagans is wrong. If you oppose Christmas, then you will oppose Easter because both have similar history; if you oppose both Christmas and Easter, then you will need to oppose going to church on Sunday, because Sunday was a formal holiday for the god of Sun, and if you oppose worshiping on Sunday, then you must oppose calling days like Sunday, Monday, Saturday, etc. Because they all have idolatry origin. If you still believe the names are attached to idols, like Sunday for Sun god, and Monday for Moon god, and you don't worship God on Sunday, and you mention the idolatry names? Then you still agree with it.

Christmas was not celebrated for the first 300 years of early church, until the catholic, so also church building was not built by early Christians for 300 years until the catholic. Building church auditorium can also be traced to the pagan gods. Does that means building church auditorium is evil? No, but it must be moderate, not magnificent. The fact that Christmas was traced to pagan festival does not means it is wrong to celebrate Christmas. Today we celebrate Christ at Christmas and Him alone.

(ii) Day of Birth: Jesus was not born on December 25th, and it is not necessary for Christmas day. People can choose any day to celebrate Jesus' day of birth, because He owns all days; only we, the humans, can be tied to a day we were born for birthday.

MUST WE CELEBRATE?
Do we have to celebrate, sing and give gifts to mark the birth of Jesus? The answer is YES? Luke 2:13, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Angels in heaven celebrated the birth of Jesus, so it is not wrong for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus, as long as Jesus alone is mentioned and no connection to any idol or selfish purpose. It is not wrong to celebrate Christmas as long Christ is the center of the celebration and everything you do glorifies His name; it is wrong for people who celebrate self or sinful indulgences during Christmas. Christians can celebrate Christ at Christmas and share with people.

THE BAD NEWS
The bad thing about Christmas is that it's not everyday; the joyful feeling, the celebration and sharing do not last, only for few days, and the worse is the Christmas day, it goes faster and ends. I wish it can always stay longer with such wonderful feeling. The worst is that if only during Christmas you experience the joy of the birth of Jesus, then you are a miserable person. Christmas celebration doesn't last, but the good news is that when you accept Jesus into your life as your Lord, you will always experience more than the joy of Christmas. If you have not experienced the joy of Salvation since you have been a Christian, then you are unrecognized by Jesus, you need genuine salvation to have the unlimited joy. If you have lost your joy of Salvation, you need to get it restored. Repentance, that is to realize and ready to forsake your sins, and accepting Jesus as your Lord, are the only means to have the unspeakable joy of Jesus! When you become saved, you begin life that pleases Jesus, not your self or Satan, you walk away from any form of sin; that is when the birth of Jesus will bring joy and justification. But if you realize Jesus as Savior of the world and remain in your sins, it will only bring judgment.

We can care for Christmas by celebrating Christ, but more than that, we should be celebrated by Christ through genuine salvation and living in holiness and righteousness, so that we can celebrate with Christ forever in heaven!

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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There is no Scriptural basis to observe Christmas; there is equally no Biblical ground not to celebrate Christmas. Having pointed that out, let me continue:

I think the right question is even, "How should a Christian celebrate Christmas?" I believe this question is more important than "Should a Christian celebrate Christmas?"

Whether to celebrate Christmas or not is a personal choice. And how you celebrate Christmas, if you choose to, is an even more important choice You can choose to specially celebrate Christmas; you can equally count the day as regular as any other day. Paul says, "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind" Romans 14:5 [NKJV]. If you choose to observe Christmas, your activities, at all times, must be in line with GOD's commands. Don't engage in any activities you know go contrary to the Revealed Word, all in the name of Christmas.

Those who oppose the celebration of Christian often cite its pagan origin and traditions. It is said that Christmas was meant to replace a pagan festival, but that doesn't make the meaning of Christmas to be pagan. It's a replacement, not a continuation of pagan rites.

According to S. Michael Houdmann,

"While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas — the birth of the Saviour of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind."

Consider this:

Throughout Igbo land, the New Yam is a festival celebrated by pagans, whereby they thank Ala [god of land] for a bountiful harvest. But today, Christians have changed the element of the festival. During New Year, Christians visit places of worship, and offer thanksgiving to Jehovah for rich harvest and for His Blessings. Can we condemn Christians who engage in New Yam, just because pagans used to, and still thank Ani on the same day? Can we label as idolatrous the thanksgiving Christians offer to Jehovah in Christ on New Yam?

Even the names of the week and year are named in honour of one god or the other. For examples, Sunday was named after sun god, yet Christians worship on Sundays. Thursday originally referred to the Germanic god of sky, or of thunder. January was named after Janus, Roman god of beginnings and transitions.

If you choose to celebrate Christmas, do it without engaging in drunken madness, greed, recklessness, promiscuity, and profligacy. These negative activities are often associated with Christmas season, but that is not the essence of the season. If you celebrate "Christmas" in such a manner, then be informed that is never Christmas. Christmas commemorates the Birth of our Saviour. It should be marked by a strengthening of our dedication to the Lord. We should reflect on why the Saviour was born. That is the Noble Way to observe Christmas. That Way, you can be celebrating Christmas everyday. Whether Christians celebrate Christmas in this manner is entirely another matter, but we cannot throw the baby away with the bath water.

Thank you for sharing this information. Personally, here are the reasons I celebrate Christmas :
https://www.josephedembassey.com/2021/12/why-i-celebrate-christmas.html

My preference.