Holy Day or Holiday

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two thousand years, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. People in Europe celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight. In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from late December through January. In recognition of the return of the sun. Men would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden in December. Germans were terrified of Oden! They believed he made flights through the night sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside. This is just a few ways that people celebrated the Christmas holiday in a secular manner.  n the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated at all. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Pope Julius the first chose December 25. It was first called the Feast of the Nativity. The custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders hoped to increase the chances that Christmas would be popularly holiday. In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan, took over England in 1645, he vowed to rid England of decadence and he canceled Christmas. The pilgrims, that settled America were English separatists they came to America in 1620. They were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870. What does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated? Some Christians do not celebrate Christmas because the holiday has become increasingly secularized. There’s really not much “Christian” about how most of the world celebrates on December 25th. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the festivities as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as “the reason for the season” and point to the virgin-born Savior of the world who came so humbly to Bethlehem. In the end, while there is no biblical mandate to celebrate Christmas. Whether to celebrate Christmas in traditional fashion is still just a personal decision. 
Romans 14: 5-6 ESV One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 
Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views. Neither should one’s view