Holidays.....which ones to celebrate and which ones to not. Well, I gave into my inner child and decided we would do christmas this year, even after telling the children we would not. It's hard to cast aside traditions of our youth, even if our minds know it's the right thing. So we put the tree up, and at first I was all in the christmas "spirit", making cookies, doing crafts. Then it came time to celebrate Hanukkah. Our family does celebrate this holiday. It's a beautiful holiday. The more I sat and really evaluated the two...I just kept coming back to a few things I know. I know the same God that kept the lamp burning and delivered the Israelites is also my God. I know that of all the years on the planet, Jesus never once told us to celebrate his birth. Yes, he didn't tell us to celebrate Hanukkah either, but it is clear in scripture that he celebrated it, and took it's fundamentals of light and taught about how HE is the light. That light outshines darkness, it runs from light. That we should share that light with others so they too can have it. Hanukkah envelops all of these things.
What I know about christmas is this....Jesus was not born on December 25th...not even in winter. A shepherd watching his flock by night would not be doing this in the winter. Christmas was founded by the catholic church to be the last day of
Saturnalia, the pagan holiday that ends on December 25th. Christmas trees and greenery were actually a thing that would be brought into the home to be reminded that spring is coming. They would also be worshipped in hopes that spring would come. I could go on but my point is this...there is NOTHING biblical about christmas. Christ was not born on christmas. Every custom of christmas has it's roots in something VERY unbiblical. So, as for me and my family, I think our christmas celebrations are over. I have lost my christmas spirit...it is gone. Every night that we light the menorah my joy for Hanukkah and the lights and MY LIGHT grows! I see the transformation in my children.
Am I any less of a christian because I don't celebrate christmas...well answer this, is christmas even a christian, Jesus approved, holiday?
So to you I say
Happy Hanukkah!!
