An Open Letter

Dearest family, friends, and guests to this site,

It is with the deepest sincerity that we share this information with you, regarding why our family has chosen not to participate in the celebration of the holiday commonly known as Christmas.

On the surface, we may appear to have a strange and unique view of what Christmas is all about, and what it has become. This is understandable, as we know how highly Christmas is regarded in our culture.  We just want to be able to ensure you have an understanding of why we have made the choice to abstain from common traditions and practices surrounding this holiday.

It begins as a loose thread; something grabs the attention because it just doesn't seem quite right. As you begin to pull on the thread, you hope to simply snap it off; but soon the garment begins to unravel. The more you pull on it, the more the garment unravels. This is how the whole system of Christmas disintegrated before us when we began to explore some of the context of Christmas traditions, both religious and secular.

As Christians, however, we believe very strongly what Jesus said about the type of worship that God desires, namely:

"...true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." - John 4:23-24

Since the Christmas holiday has been labeled a celebration of the birth of Jesus, we believe that if people are sincerely attempting to worship God through this holiday, they would do it not only in spirit but in truth, as Jesus said we must.

Unfortunately, so much misinformation surrounds the origins, practices and traditions of this holiday, that we believe that what actually takes place through this season is less of the truth, and more of the things that actually displease God, from what he has revealed about these types of activities in the Bible.  Perhaps some examples of some "untruths" regarding the holiday may help to explain.

To begin with, the actual date of the birth of Jesus is unknown. This is a clear historical fact, as the Bible does not reveal exactly when Jesus was born. In fact, it is generally historically agreed that his birth could not have been in December, as the events surrounding his birth as recorded in the Bible would most certainly not have been taking place at that time of year; namely, a requirement from Caesar to return to hometowns for taxation purposes (this would have been an activity in warmer weather that allowed for ease of travel), and shepherds tending flocks in the fields (another activity relegated to warmer weather).

Therefore, it appears very odd that Christians would select this date over any other to commemorate the Lord's birth.  At any other time of the year beyond the season of Christmas, most Christians are generally very diligent at attempting to prove the historical accuracy of every biblical fact, to provide as much support as possible to the claims of Jesus and his message of the kingdom of God. However, as to the date of December 25, we believe that to arbitrarily support a date that is knowingly not true is inconsistent at best, and insincere and hypocritical at worst. This is not evidence of worshiping in spirit and in truth.

Additionally, there is no indication that the early church (first century AD) ever celebrated or commemorated the birth of Christ, nor are Christians encouraged or commanded to do so anywhere in the Bible. We believe that to create an arbitrary holy day (holiday) is equivalent to worshiping God in a way of our own choosing, something that God has expressed extreme displeasure with in the Bible, and this is also not consistent with worshiping in spirit and in truth.

Since we are discussing truth and falsehood in the traditions of the Christmas holiday, another prominent area that should raise concerns for Christians involves how the character of Santa Claus is portrayed. Santa is effectively a caricature of God, possessing supernatural powers and divine attributes which only God has.

"He is made out to be omniscient - he knows when every child sleeps, awakes, has been bad or good, and knows exactly what every child wants. He is made out to be omnipresent - on one night of the year he visits all the "good" children in the world and leaves them gifts, seemingly being everywhere at the same time. He is also made out to be omnipotent - he has the power to give to each child exactly what each one wants...When Christian parents lie to their children about Santa Claus, they are taking the attention of their children away from God and causing them to focus on a fat man in a red suit with god-like qualities. All of this teaches the child to believe that, just like Santa, God can be pleased with "good works," done in order to earn His favor. Also, they teach that no matter how bad the child has been, he will still be rewarded by God - just as Santa never failed to bring gifts. Even in homes of professing Christians, Santa Claus has clearly displaced Jesus in the awareness and affections of children, becoming the undisputed spirit, symbol, and centerpiece of Christmas."  -  From an article by John and Kathy Beardsley

Most people think that Santa is just a silly mythical character, and all of this play-acting in good fun that we ultimately grow out of.  However, the truth is that when children ultimately come to realize that Santa is not real, they logically begin to question God's existence and/or qualities (not to mention the trustworthiness of their parents for having lied to them, even if it is generally considered "good-natured" lying). This practice is obviously not consistent with either worshiping God or doing so in spirit and in truth.

Taken individually, we know that none of these issues by themselves appear to raise any serious concerns that should cause someone to suddenly abandon their time-honored Christmas traditions.  However, these are merely brief examples to open a line of thinking in your mind; perhaps to point out a loose thread or two.  If the practices and traditions of Christmas are explored on a rational -  as opposed to emotional -  level, much like tugging on a loose thread of a favorite garment, the whole convoluted collection of myths and falsehoods begins to unravel, exposing some very unexpected, and we believe, unholy, roots.

It is not our intent to condemn other Christians (or anyone else, for that matter) for celebrating Christmas or participating in Christmas activities. However, we believe that Christians should take a very long and hard look at not only what they do, but why they do it, and be obedient to God's word above all else.  The scriptures demand nothing less.

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." 2 Cor. 13:5

We understand that Christmas is such a huge part of our culture that it has become a part of the very fabric of our society. This decision, even for our family, has only been reached over a long period of time and with much prayer and individual research.  The goal of providing this information to you is simply to give all of our family and friends some additional reasons as to why we have personally chosen not to participate in the season, and to ensure that no personal ingratitude is intended on our part if we are not reciprocal in our participation in holiday events or traditions. Hopefully, we can also raise awareness of some spiritual concerns surrounding this annual event.

"If any of this steps on your toes, I sincerely apologize. Stepping on your toes is not my intent. I really wasn’t aiming at your toes, I was aiming at your heart." -Pastor Michael Brigmond

As Christians, we believe we are commanded to "Prove [test; discern examine; try] all things; hold fast that which is good [beautiful; valuable; virtuous]."  This admonition is immediately followed with "Abstain from all appearance [form, fashion, or shape] of evil [that which is derelict or diseased]" (1 Thess. 5:20-22).  We believe that God requires us to diligently evaluate our lives by his Word, the Bible, and remove everything that violates his clear commands or does not bring honor to him.

At least in our own examination of the facts, we have seen enough inconsistency and falsehoods in historical origins of Christmas traditions, along with validation from numerous clear commands of Bible passages to come to this conclusion: we believe very firmly that Jesus is not the reason for the season, he never has been, and he most certainly should not ever be associated with anything related to Christmas.

We understand this obviously sounds very strange to many of our Christian brothers and sisters, but we hope that all of you understand that this is not a conclusion that has been reached lightly.  We encourage anyone - especially believers - to at least look through some of the information presented on this site in the context of researching some of these "loose threads" regarding what Christmas is all about, and to simply decide for themselves.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and tolerance of our convictions on this topic, and we offer the same tolerance and understanding to other individuals who may feel differently.

Sincerely,

We who are simply seeking to worship in spirit and in truth.

For an overview of the spiritual significance of this topic, 

please start by reading The Golden Calf of Christmas article on this site.

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