Why Some Christians No Longer Celebrate Christmas

There is a growing movement in the body of Christ that is setting aside the holiday of Christmas and no longer taking part in its festivities. These aren't people that are walking away from the faith or who no longer believe in the Messiah, but people growing their faith who are no longer compelled to participate in this widely loved custom. Some who have gone this route might refer to themselves as Torah observant, Hebrew roots, or whole Bible believers, but most don't give themselves any sort of special denomination - they are followers of the Messiah, who have chosen to step away from Christmas.

In this post we will discover:

-Why more and more Christians are no longer participating in Christmas

-What the Bible says about this traditional holiday

-The origins of Christmas

-How believers are instead honoring the Messiah

Maybe you've noticed this trend in your community. Long-standing members of church no longer showing up for the Christmas Eve service. Maybe your in-laws have let you know they won't be celebrating Christmas or buying gifts for the grandkids. Neighbors no longer putting a tree in their front window. Friends sharing that Christmas makes them uncomfortable and dialing back.

It's easy to assume they are no longer believers in Jesus since they aren't celebrating his birth in this traditional way. When I stopped celebrating Christmas, people assumed I no longer had faith in God, and when acquaintances hear that I don't celebrate, they assume I have a Jewish background. But for a large proportion of Christians, neither of those are the case! More and more people who love the Messiah - and are thankful he was born - choose to no longer take part in this holiday that commemorates his birth. We are going to explore why this is.

Why are people no longer celebrating Christmas?

A little research into Christmas reveals some concerning truths:

-This holiday was not created in Jesus's honor.

-Christmas does not come from the Bible, but is rooted in practices that were never intended to glorify YHWH.

-We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Savior was not born in December.

-Many parts of modern celebrations have their origins in ungodly things or are even expressly forbidden by Scripture.

-You'd have to turn several blind eyes to pretend that modern Christmas celebrations are not focused on consumerism.

Yes, Christmas can be fun and even spiritually meaningful, but that does not negate the concerns listed here. 

What does the Bible say about Christmas?

Precisely nothing.

Many people believe that Christmas is in the Bible, but no, only the story of the Savior's birth is. It's important to recognize that the word Christmas is never used in Scripture, and there are no Biblical directives to commemorate the birth of Jesus. If the Bible did direct us to celebrate the Messiah's birth, then it would be inappropriate to ignore that directive. But Jesus never requested we celebrate his birth, and there's no mention of the disciples or early church ever doing so. The modern emphasis on celebrating birthdays in general is a relatively new idea - in the Bible, there are only two or three birthdays mentioned and the events correlated to those are not good. It's not truthful to act like Christmas is the 11th commandment, just because it's something we like to do.

Whether or not it was created with intent to honor God, Christmas is still a manmade holiday. I could create a holiday to commemorate Jesus feeding the 5,000. It could be fun and meaningful, but it would hardly be appropriate to say you don't love God if you don't keep it along with me.

What problems are there in modern Christmas celebrations?

It's also obvious that there are some major problems with the Christmas holiday today. Luke 2 is a wonderful part of Scripture...but nowhere does it mention Santa Claus, decorating trees, elves, holiday lights, mistletoe, yule logs, or any of the symbols we most associate with this holiday. Most of these things are linked to practices not from the Bible and not intended to honor God, but even if we choose to ignore all those things, we are left facing rampant consumerism and greed.

Gift giving is out of control.

Consumerism is the god that is most glorified in the Christmas season, at least in western society today. People are going into debt, spending huge sums on products that are mostly unethically made and profiting unethical corporations. Things that mostly aren't good for mental health (looking at you, smart phones, laptops, tablets, and devices), physical health (candy, 'beauty' products), or the earth (wrapping paper destined for landfills, electronics, plastic items). And by doing so, we create a culture of shame and despair for poor families or individuals in hard times who are unable to buy Christmas gifts for their kids. Collectively we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on things for our loved ones that mostly aren't needed, while knowing full-well there are billions of poor people around the world without clean water or enough to eat. We give children designer clothing and the latest toys and gadgets, well aware that this leaves some of their classmates feeling like lesser-thans or have-nots come January. I deeply struggle to see how we can pretend this honors the Living God.

What are the origins of Christmas?

There's a lot of evidence that points to Christmas being connected to an ancient Roman holiday known as Saturnalia, and many common Christmas traditions originated from that. It's important to note that Saturnalia was kept before the birth of the Messiah. The festival was in the honor of the Roman god Saturn, who was thought to rule over time, wealth, and agriculture. Festivities included sacrifices at the temple of Saturn, gift giving, parties, and feasts.

Most people today have no intention of worshipping Saturn by taking part in Christmas, but is this really the best possible way we can honor the Savior of the world? By borrowing heavily from the festival dedicated to a Roman god? It's a bit like attending a second wedding for someone, and realizing that all the details from the location to the flower choices to the vows and the dress are the same as from their first wedding. That's no way to honor and celebrate a new marriage.

What are people doing instead of Christmas?

There's been a huge influx in the number of believers that are celebrating the holidays that YHWH created - the Biblical holidays listed in Leviticus 23. Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Trumpets, the Day of Cleansing, and Tabernacles. These are holidays that God created and then commanded believers to celebrate "for all generations." These holidays have the spiritual depth and meaning that many of us have so longingly looked for in Christmas and Easter.

Christmas often emphasizes appearances - did you decorate your house? your tree? bake 15 kinds of cookies? make elf themed lunch boxes for kids? buy ugly sweaters? - the Biblical holidays put far less emphasis on how things look, but actually deliver spiritual connection, and are physically and spiritually restorative. These are true gifts to anyone who has ever felt like they were drowning in the pressure of holiday 'musts'.

It's been more than 15 years since I stopped participating in Christmas, and you know what? I don't feel like I'm missing out. I am not isolated from my family and have figured out other ways and times to connect with loved ones. I don't look at the holiday seasons of my friends with envy, because most of them are getting very little joy from this time of year. When I compare the stress and pressure of Christmas with the peace and joy I've gained from keeping the Biblical holidays instead, I would never want to go back.

What to do with friends who no longer celebrate Christmas:

They could use your support, because they have made a hard decision that few people understand. Even if you don't agree with their choice, you can still encourage them and show kindness.

Rather than shaming friends and family with comments like, "You must not love Jesus if you don't celebrate Christmas," give them credit for studying and working to honor God in all of their lives. Or ask them about how their faith has grown.

Choosing to no longer celebrate Christmas is not an easy choice to make or one made lightly for most people. Most of us have really great memories of worship and family time during this holiday season, and no one wants to be the bad guy for ruining the family tradition. Admitting to loved ones that you feel like God is calling you to stop keeping Christmas is difficult, and no one makes that choice because they don't care about their family or want to be left out of the fun. And it's not a choice made because they don't serve the Messiah - plenty of people and cultures around the world take part in Christmas festivities without any thought to remembering the Savior's birth.

If you have loved ones making this choice, please know that it is not because they don't care about you, and they certainly don't want to miss out on connection with you! Chances are they've worried considerably over hurting your feelings or offending you. They are simply doing their best to honor God after learning that Christmas is not from the Bible.

Not only is Christmas not something the Bible gives us instruction to do, but it has been mixed with ungodly customs and behaviors, and in keeping it many things are done that dishonor YHWH. Yes, there are people who manage to keep Santa and blind greed out of their festivities, but by taking part in Christmas you are actively mixing the Biblical truth of the Messiah's birth in Luke 2, with lies. At the worst we can say that Christmas is blatantly pagan, and at best we can say it's settling for less than God's best for us.

More posts on Christmas:
Five Things Every Believer Should Know about Christmas
Quitting Christmas - Questions and Answers
Are Christmas Trees in the Bible?

Why I Started Keeping Shabbat

Shabbat keeping is a choice.

There is a growing movement of people who serve Yahusha as their Messiah and who have decided to start honoring Shabbat, including most readers here at Land of Honey. Most of us weren't born into homes where the seventh day of the week was set apart. So what caused us to make this change in our lives?

My route was probably easier than most. Growing up my family never really found a Christian church that was a good fit for us, which caused us to bounce from place to place and hear wide ranges of doctrines, opinions, etc. on Scripture. This in turn forced us to constantly evaluate what we believed and why. I strongly believe that if someone is studying Scripture for what it says - and separates that from what they have been told - they will eventually get to a point where they see YHWH's commandments and instructions as life-giving and not burdensome. And that's really what it was like for our family, and by that time, small group. After admitting that what we had been taught wasn't consistent with what Scripture actually says, it seemed so obvious that this was a change that needed to be made. My husband and I were engaged at that time and were both willing to try this together. Our small congregation then changed it's meeting time from Sunday morning to Shabbat afternoon, and the 'peer pressure' of that was helpful. We began with just attending service on the seventh day, and then slowly realized other elements of setting the day apart like having time off from work, not shopping or eating out, and intentionally resting.

This is the point in the story where many of my Christian friends, coworkers, or relatives interject with something like, "You know that's legalism and Christ did away with that, right?" And I know where they're coming from because when I first considered the possibility of keeping Shabbat those were my thoughts too. Up until then my faith, though growing, was pretty mainstream (albeit with an extra dose of 'the Holy Spirit is real and does stuff'). I went to FCA at school, saw Rebecca St. James in concert, went on a couple of mission trips, attended youth group and summer camps, interned at a Bible college, and was on staff with several churches and non profits. I had the 'normal Christian' beliefs. We didn't know anyone who kept the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week. We certainly didn't decide to make this change because it was convenient. This wasn't a decision made on a whim. It came after months of Scripture study, listening to teachings, reading books, and praying and asking for understanding. It was a decision we made because we felt very strongly that YHWH was asking us to do this, even if this idea was unpopular and misunderstood.

This is one of the best changes we have ever made! Shabbat adds so much peace to our lives, something wonderful to look forward to after a hectic week. I have more energy and feel like my time is more under control. And after experiencing this you can't feel like a day of rest is a burden. It's a gift.

Why did you choose to start keeping Shabbat? Remember that Shabbat survey I asked you to participate in a while ago? Well, I am going to share some answers from that today. :) I hope for those of us who are in the Hebrew community that it will be edifying to hear of others who have made the same choices we have. For those of you who are new to the idea of Shabbat observance I hope it will clear up any questions you may have.

Why did you start keeping Shabbat?

"Because Scripture clearly states and stresses the importance of it."

"It says in the Bible to keep the Sabbath, which is on the seventh day. We figured God did it, Yeshua did it, and he told us to, so why not?"

"Reading Scripture convicted me. If I'm grafted into Israel, and Israel was commanded to observe the Sabbath for all their generations, then the commandment now applies to me."

"We (my wife and I) started observing Shabbat because we did some research and found out that the Catholic church changed the day and meaning of observance."

"We realized it was the Biblical day and God commanded it."

"My mom had been convicted off and on almost her whole life.... She eventually just put her foot down and said she was going to keep it. My sister and I thought it was an okay idea at the time too, but now we would never go back!"

"I could read it in the Bible in black and white that it was for me to do if I was grafted into the Vine. It  had never been removed. And why would we only keep nine out of ten commands?"

"It was a part of my kids homeschool curriculum. It was a beautiful teaching and I wondered why Christians stopped so I've been reading and researching on my own."

"My wife showed me in the Bible."

"Because I realized the beauty of what it means to disconnect in order to reconnect with what actually matters in life."

"Out of a hunger to show obedience as a fruit of my relationship with YHWH."

"God woke me up and revealed to me [Shabbat] is not Jewish and it wasn't done away with after Christ."

"I began worshiping with a congregation and learned the importance of keeping Shabbat."

"Learned it was the right thing to do, that Sunday is not the Sabbath."

"My husband told me to! Haha!"

"After some studying of Torah and [the] commandments, we saw it made perfect sense that this is something He desires us to do."

"My family came to the understanding that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that in keeping His commands we find blessing."

"I knew by Scriptures that Saturday was Sabbath. I have lost a lot to observe it but it's been worth it."

"To have a richer family life and to share the old ways with our children."

"We keep Shabbat, because we love our Father, and want to obey His instruction on how to live."

"I grew up in a Christian church, and also a Messianic congregation. I decided upon becoming an adult, that I wanted to embrace my Messianic side. Observing Torah, and consequently, keeping Shabbat is integral to that."

"I read my Bible from front to back and was convicted."

"My husband and I received the revelation of Torah over seven years ago, and Shabbat is one of the most obvious/important things that you find when you first start reading and learning Torah."

"To experience more gratitude and intimacy with YHWH."

"I felt convicted to start setting Saturday apart. To truly use it as a day of rest, a day of connection with my kids and husband, a day to get into deeper study."

"I started studying the Word of God from a Hebrew perspective and saw Christianity from a whole new light."

"My husband started it at home... I wasn't happy with the idea.... but I did what I know best - praying. I asked the Father if this is good and is Yours, lead me to understand, manage the time, enjoy, rejoice, and love your Shabbat."

"God tugged at my heart about the commandments and to keep Shabbat."

"I got my eyes opened to what Yah says is a sign between us."

"Once I learned that it was really Biblical, not only for "the Jews," not abolished, and not changed/abrogated, it was the only choice I could make."

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Shabbat survey! So many responded that it's not really feasible to share everyone's answer but I have so enjoyed reading each one. Thank you for sharing your story. How do you guys feel about posts like these? Is it fun for you to hear from others? I know I love it.