Let's be honest, nowhere in the Bible are Christians told to celebrate Christmas, purchase gifts for one another, cut down trees and decorate them, play Santa clause, or spend excessively because Jesus Christ was born. Where did all of this come from? Around the 4th century A.D. and in response to many pagan holidays already existing, some churches (particularly in Germany) chose to celebrate their faith found in Jesus Christ. It is difficult to pinpoint the origin of every tradition but they were not chosen for pagan purposes. Some Christians wanted to celebrate the incarnation of Christ and the redemption story. The challenge for many today is that Christ is being removed from Christmas and the story of redemption is seldom talked about. There is a story line in all of Scripture and every book of the Bible supports that story line which is the redemption of God's people through the person of Jesus Christ. This indeed gives believers much to celebrate because salvation has come!
There are some who would argue that the traditions around Christmas are pagan in nature. Searching traditions from thousands of years ago is very difficult and it becomes very obscure. In fact, as I've sought to study this out for myself I find sources that even contradict one another. There are definitely pagan roots to some traditions; however, there are many traditions that have been made to be very Christian in nature and to shine the light on Jesus Christ. Each year, the secular world crowds Jesus Christ out more and more and alternative rituals and traditions are chosen in order to misrepresent the Christian's Christmas. Some would argue that Christ was not born on December 25th and offer various reasons concerning the time of a Roman census, the time that the shepherds were in the field, and what the climate would have been at that time in Israel. I don't believe we know the exact date and I also don't believe that is necessarily important.
Should these concerns nullify Christmas for Christ's people? I would suggest that Christians are provided a phenomenal platform through this special day to proclaim Jesus' love, His incarnation, and the salvation that He alone brings. In my opinion, to celebrate Christmas without proclaiming the work of Jesus Christ, is of no value and is even purposeless. Christmas can be a form of idolatry if Christ is not the center and the One to be glorified. There appears to be no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. I believe that in the end whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision. Paul says in Romans 14:5 that when it comes to questionable things that glorify His name that, "One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind." The idea being conveyed is to make sure above anything else that you believe in your heart that God is being glorified with your decisions!
It is so important that we honor our brothers and sisters who choose to celebrate or choose not to celebrate Christmas. This should NOT be a point of contention or division amongst believers. This is certainly a gray area and God's Spirit can convict each person accordingly. My challenge for Christians who do celebrate Christmas is to make Christ known through every aspect of your Christmas~~share the redemption story!
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