Christmas has long been celebrated by Christians around the world. Historically, it started as early as the 4th century according to Roman records. As to why and how it came to be is not really what this reflection is about, but what is important to note is its quick emergence and popularity that it has become a huge annual celebration worldwide.
Growing up as a child in a Catholic family, I was taught with the belief that Santa Claus visits on the eve of Christmas day to place gifts under the Christmas tree which me and my sister eagerly awaited and looked forward to every year. However, that ‘tradition’ was cut short when we converted to the Baptist faith and was taught about the truth that the Bible says on Christmas. While we no longer looked at Santa Claus as the central figure of the holiday celebrations (because he never was and never will be), we continued to commemorate Christmas by having a small feast on its eve and exchanged gifts with friends and loved ones. Because of these, I had some people raise their eyebrows and had my faith questioned. Some asked, “Why do you still celebrate Christmas when the Bible says nothing about Christ being born on December 25?”, while others say, “Why do you carry on giving gifts? – It is so Catholic!”
Needless to say, these questions and comments thrown at me left me pondering on them and reflecting for clear answers. I ended up plotting my personal convictions that are tagged along with some reflective questions of my own.
On the question why I continue to celebrate Christmas despite not having any Biblical basis, my answer is, WHY NOT? Why not celebrate my Savior’s birthday when I have always celebrated my own if not mostly grand or lavish? One might say that the Bibles says nothing on Christ being born on the 25th day of December, and that no one knows, not even Bible Scholars can place the exact month and day on the calendar for Jesus’ birth. You can check all the four gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) where Christ’s birth was chronicled, and I promise you that there is not a single hint of the Savior’s exact date of birth. Not even Isaiah who prophesied the birth of the Savior was able to give us the specific date and time. Therefore, no one truly knows the dates for sure, and so this brought me to ask myself further whether my Savior would condemn and punish me to choose December 25 to remember his birthday and celebrate it. I asked because it is so important to my faith, as Christ’s birth marked the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise of sending a Savior that will wash our sins by His blood and give us a guaranteed redemption from the fires of hell. In essence, the month and day we choose to celebrate God’s birth does not really matter as long as we give credence and acknowledgement that a Savior was indeed born to us and later on died for our sins.
Next, on the question surrounding gift giving during this holiday season, and how it is ‘so Catholic’, and therefore being a Baptist, we must steer ourselves away from such practices, my reply again is, WHY NOT? Why is it deemed wrong to give and receive gifts when our Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching centered around love and kindness to each other? You may want to check Ephesians 4:32 and 1 Corinthians 6:14 for reference. Giving is a way of expressing love, and definitely an act of kindness. So, why should we be condemned for doing the acts that God instructed us to do? Also, why is gift giving on Christmas Day being labelled as a Catholic practice when even before Catholicism was established, the practice of giving was already preached to us by Jesus Christ himself? In 2 Corinthians 9:7 it says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver”. If anything, being a Baptist has taught me to go beyond giving gifts to others. I learned that more than anything else, I should not forget to also think of a special gift to my Savior – a gift fit for a King. For many years, I have forsaken thinking about the true reason why we celebrate this season. I have forsaken preparing and giving my gift to the very one reason why we have Christmas – the celebrant himself! Who else is most worthy of getting the most special, if not the best gift ever each year other than our Lord Jesus Christ? Indeed, it is just right to give back to the One who has given us everything we have. Without Him, we would not have anything that we have now.
To repeat my rhetoric: to celebrate or not; to give or not, it is all up to our convictions. But then again, WHY NOT?