Christmas is a time to celebrate with our family and friends. For many Christians it is the special time of year when we remember the birth of Jesus and reflect on the great love that God had for each of us when sending Jesus into this world. We sing Christmas carols, give each other gifts and eat together. But how did Christmas originate? Is it actually a Christian celebration? Should believers celebrate it?

What are we celebrating?

We celebrate that Jesus, our Savior, was born! Although the date is not exact and the origin of the holiday does not seem very pure to us, it is nice to have one day a year to celebrate that God loved us so much that he did not leave us without an option for salvation. He took the initiative by sending Jesus to be born, live and die for each of us. Thanks to his sacrifice and love we have been adopted as children of God and the Christmas season gives us a natural opportunity to share this good news with those who are part of our lives.

But when the time was up, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to rescue those who were under the law, so that we might be adopted as sons.
(Galatians 4:4-5)

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

Christians should celebrate the birth of Jesus and thank him for his immense love for us. We can do this every day. Our lives should reflect the joy of salvation and that the Holy Spirit lives in us and guides us.

Each Christian has to decide before God whether or not he joins in the celebration of December 25 as the day of Jesus’ birth. We should not impose our convictions, judge or accuse others. Our decisions must be made in prayer before God and then acted in obedience. We also need to respect the decisions of others.

Colossians 3:17 says:

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We must do everything in the name of Jesus and pleasing him. Thanks to Jesus we are saved and forgiven, something worthy of our gratitude and celebration.

The Bible also says:

There are those who consider that one day is more important than another, but there are those who consider all days equal. Each one must be firm in his own opinions.
(Romans 14:5)

So whatever conviction you have about it, keep it as something between you and God. Blessed is he whose conscience does not accuse him of what he does.
(Romans 14:22)

We have freedom to choose. We can celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25, another day of the year, or we can celebrate it every day. Whatever decision we make, our conscience must be calm before God and the fruit of the Spirit must flow from our lives, reflecting the deep joy of knowing we are loved and transformed thanks to the fact that Jesus was born.