You don't have to go on some epic journey to the north pole, or go on a spiritual journey, or pick apart Christmas claymation specials on TV.
It's very simple.
Jesus.
Jesus is the reason for the season.
Yes, it's true that he wasn't born on Dec. 25th. More sources point to his being born in May, 6 B.C., in fact.
The first Christmas that we have record of (that I could find) is in Rome in 366 A.D.. Whether it's true that the church "took the winter solstice from the pagans" or not, December 25th is the day that we celebrate Jesus' birth and life. It doesn't matter if that's the actual day that he was born. I mean, the sabbath isn't really Sunday but we still honor Sunday as being the sabbath. The symbolism is the important thing.
As far as Santa goes, I don't care whether he exists or not. Santa wasn't intended to be "Satan" spelled backwards, it comes from the Spanish or Italian word for "Saint" and just happened to be a coincidence. To me, it's a way to blindly rope atheists into Christmas. But anyway, my kids will know about Santa Claus, and I'll tell them with a wink that presents are from "Santa" because I honestly don't see the harm. I'll probably even tell them the story of Saint Nicolas, to establish where he came from and who he was. Ultimately though, they'll know that every good and perfect gift comes from God and the nativity scene will be the focal part of the decorations.
As a side note, I'm tired of the "Christmas tree" verse in Jeremiah being taken out of context.
Check this out.
Summary:
From the foregoing, it is abundantly clear that the "decorated tree" to which Jeremiah 10 refers is an idol, very likely the Asherah. Therefore, it is very superficial Bible interpretation and pure silliness to understand this passage as directly referring to the use of a fir tree for Christmas! If, and I repeat, if those who set up a Christmas tree fall down and worship it as a god or goddess, complete with altars and incense stands, then Jeremiah 10 applies here. Or if someone loves their Christmas tree more than God, then such a thing might also be considered spiritual idolatry. But apart from these exceptions, I think it is abundantly clear that Christians who erect Christmas trees are NOT worshiping them as gods or goddesses, nor are they loving them more than their Savior Jesus Christ. They are simply using the Christmas tree as a fun custom, one that can remind them of Jesus who is the branch of David (Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15), the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). One that can remind them of the tree that led Adam and Eve to sin, but more importantly, the tree on which Christ Jesus died to make atonement for the sins of the whole world (Acts 5:30; Gal. 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24).
If you hear anyone talking about how the Christmas tree is pagan, etc., show this to them.
Oh, and
Merry Christmas :)
