Christmas blues

[acresofhope]

Seems like I go through this every year. Christmas really gets to me, as do some things about "Easter" (I'll save that rant for April).

Let me just put it this way: Christmas is a pagan holiday. I don't care how Christ-focused you try to make it. Jesus wasn't born in December. Not even close, and the church knows it. More than likely, He was born in the fall. Christmas is just a Christianized Yule. I go into the local Christian bookstore and see these books that say Christmas trees stand for *insert good Christian thing here* and you know what? It annoys me, because that's not what it means. Sure, the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, but those trees were meant as fertility symbols. Everything else is pagan too, from Santa to his reindeer.

There's a reason God commanded Israel not to take up the traditions of the religions around them. People everywhere think Christianity is a joke because of Christmas. No, I'm not making that up. That's how I used to feel. I thought, hey, if they lied about Christmas, what else did they lie about?

To be honest, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want to celebrate this lie anymore, but there is family I only see at Christmas. My grandparents aren't going to take no for an answer if I tell them not to give me Christmas money next year. There are thousands of other things I could list that I don't have the time or the brainpower to list.

*sigh*

I'll figure something out.

Comments

[ex-airehen.livejournal.com]

I'm not debating this, but there was an article on this in our own metro-paper this week by a pastor. He liked the idea. And I think I agree with him.

If we worry so much over dates then I think we can at times miss the meaning.

I think the "timing" fits for symbolic reasons because it's the time that "the light" starts coming back to the world (the northern hemisphere anyway). And so we celebrate the time that "THE LIGHT" came into the world; and that it would never be as dark as it was before.

I also think of it as a way of reclaiming the time.

Yes, Jesus was born into our world, "Joy to the World". Is it soo important to say that it should not be celebrated at all just because it isn't on the correct date? Scholars have been debating that for centuries. I think the timing fits (if only symbolicly). What if he had been born in April? It would be kind of hard to celebrate His birthday one week, and His death the next.

Anyway, this is just my opinion. Just don't be too down about it. You can't go wrong with focusing on Him.

John 8:12

[acresofhope.livejournal.com]

It doesn't bother me that the date is incorrect. I mean, I believe He was born in the fall, but if He was, He was conceived in December, which is enough to justify celebrating His Incarnation at this time of year. What bothers me is the fact that this time was chosen as the celebration of His birth in hopes to convert pagans who celebrate the birth of their god at this time. Maybe it would be different if the celebration was totally Christ-centered, but I see so many pagan elements in the church. The student ministry building of my church has several trees, and that's just the beginning.

I don't look down on anyone who celebrates that way...but it just bothers me, and I don't think it should be that way.