Celebrate

On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which are eight… these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving.

-Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud

Some Christians do celebrate Hanukkah, with their Jewish friends.

I’m pretty sure that there is no such website.

Is it nessissary for Christians to take precausions to keep things on the down low in order to prevent being persicuted?

Upside down, in regards to Christians in the U.S.

Christmas was supposedly a day created to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Where did the origin/idea of Santa Claus come from?

Where did the idea to give gifts on Christmas come from?

Why do we put up Christmas trees?

Where did the idea to decorate trees and houses with lights,garlands,etc. come from?

When did people first start to celebrate Christmas?

How long has Christmas celebrations went on throughout history?

Why did people decide that December 25th should be the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ?

The Bible has no specific date on when Jesus Christ was born, so why December 25th?

"Santa Claus" comes from the Dutch (Sinterklaas / Sinter Claes)

Dec 25th was picked because the Catholic Church needed converts, so they picked a day that was already celebrated by many pagans.

Read this for answers to all your questions http://www.history.com/content/christmas

I don’t mean to break anyone Christmas spirit today but I was just wondering if, since Christmas was originally celebrated as Mithras birthday, if it was celebrated the same way? I mean, besides the tree, gifts, misteltoe, and date celebrated.

Yule was celebrated like that, it’s not surprising really that people haven’t let go of those traditions while applying them to ‘Christmas" now…

Most of us are the descendants of those same European pagans..

My boss is on vacation. I have Christmas day off at work. Yay. What kind of presents will you be giving out? Where are you planning to go? Doing anything special like what? I’m always thinking how other people are going to celebrate Christmas. Merry Christmas!

What our family does to celebrate the gift of Christ to us, is to give something of ourselves to others.

For several years it was to gather together the Meals on Wheels recipients in our area for a common meal. For the past couple years, including this one, it has been to hay and water horses at a therapeutic horse farm which gives a riding experience/exercise to disabled children.

watchtower that was made by mankind, these words in the watchtower were written by mankind and they consider them the truth, and yet they don’t celebrate any holiday, only jesus death. is that strange? and they also said that hell doesn’t exist only heaven, if there is a heaven, than there must be a hell.

I’m afraid your question doesn’t make any sense because it is full of poor punctuation and poor grammar. Please rephrase.

AND….. Do You Hide Easter Treats and Make People Search For Them ?
Thanks everyone for answering, I usually resolve all my questions but I think I will put this one to vote. Enjoy your Easter meal and everyone you share it with
The meals all sound yummy !

Deviled eggs
Ham with savory cherry sauce
Potatoes au gratin
Asperagus
Green salad
Hot cross buns with lemon curd

Angel food cake
bunny-shaped truffles

I buy packs of edible flowers and garnish every dish and plate with them so the table is an explosion of flowers.

No searches in my house… my children are young and would get into everything and not share evenly. Maybe someday. I do buy take-home treats for all my guests.

My older sister stopped celebrating chrismas because she told me it is no where to be found in the bible. I started to get curious and wonder why do we Christians celebrate? So I did a couple small internet searches and so easily God opened up my eyes. I can not believe that it is so simple yet so many people do not see that we shouldn’t celebrate here are my points on why not. Are there more Christians out there who do not celebrate? and what are your reasons?

Coming directly from: http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn61/christmas_christians.htm

Christians Who Don’t Celebrate Christmas: Here’s Why

Why do some Christians not celebrate Christmas? Here are the reasons some gave for kicking the Christmas habit:

"I cannot find Christmas in the Bible nor can I find that Jesus Christ told us to observe Christmas. Santa Claus is a lie that some people teach their children every year. For that matter, Christmas is false since it has nothing to do with Christ or His birthday.

"Beyond this, business people, who make most of their income during this time of the year, have increasingly promoted Christmas. Well-meaning people go in debt during Christmas time to give gifts to other people, which in turn motivates other people to give gifts to them. It makes no sense to keep a religious holiday that is not biblical, that Christ never sanctioned, that promotes lying to children, that puts people in debt and that blinds people to what Christ really taught."

—P.A., Georgia

"It is a historical fact that Christmas is not the day or the season when Christ was born. So why observe a day that is a lie? Most people do not want to admit this fact. For example, how does the use of Santa Claus depict the birth of Christ? How does the Christmas tree depict Christ? Celebrating Christmas violates at least the First, Second and Third Commandments of God’s Ten Commandments. Observing a pagan holiday is a sin. God condemns the worship of pagan gods.

"The Bible does not command people to observe the birth of Christ as a holiday. This day, Dec. 25, is the date that has been observed for centuries as a pagan holiday in honor of the pagan sun god. God commands those who want to serve Him not to observe pagan holidays or any custom that breaks His holy laws."

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Also, found on http://christianblogs.christianet.com/1131507661.htm IS WHY CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT PUT UP CHRISTMAS TREES.

In ancient times the winter solstice was celebrated in Babylon as the birth day of Tammuz, the god of vegetation. According to the pagans, the god Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. This festival became known as the Saturnalia, and friends and family would exchange gifts. Jeremiah 10:2-4

SO GOD TOLD US TO NOT CELEBRATE PEGAN HOLIDAYS AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE CAME FROM THE PEGANS SO WHY WOULD WE PUT UP TREES?

WHAT ARE SOME CHRISTIAN OPINIONS?

The Christian Witnesses of Jehovah God follow the example of Christ & his early followers, in not celebrating birthdays, or other pagan holidays. . . Here are links to some online samples of their publications regarding the subject :

"Can a Pagan Holiday Be Made Christian?"
http://watchtower.org/e/20071215/article_01.htm
(discussion & history of the C-tree & Nativity scene)

"Christmas Customs—Are They Christian?"
http://watchtower.org/e/20001215/article_01.htm

"Has Christmas Lost Christ?"
– Jesus’ Birth—The Real Story
– Was Luke in Error [regarding when Jesus was born]?
http://watchtower.org/e/19981215/article_01.htm

"’Peace on Earth’—A Mere Dream?" :
– The Christmas Spirit All Year Round?
– Jesus’ Birth—How It Brings Peace
http://watchtower.org/e/20061215/article_01.htm

"Beliefs and Customs That Displease God"
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm {see #3)

"God’s Servants Must Be Clean"
– #2 Spiritual Cleanness
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_09.htm

"For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, respect and good communication are key. . ." http://jw-media.org/region/americas/usa/english/releases/beliefs_practices/usa_e001214.htm

It has a personal significance for me as I am connected to it! Stephen
Hint: the Universal Church refers to the original main Christian denominations, i.e., Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, etc. The Byzantine (Eastern Orthodox) calendar differs from the West.

Hi, Happy Feast day ! I am assuming that you are referring to the feast of St. Stephen which the church celebrates on December 26th! I read some of your other questions and instead of people answering, they rushed to judge you. Shame on them! Keep your head high and don’t be afraid to share your knowledge, even at the risk of some thinking you are a know-it-all ! Thank you for your thought provoking questions. and Happy New Year, pastor !