As a Christian, what should I do with Christmas? Should I celebrate the birth of Jesus during this time or not? This seems like a silly question to many, but a very live question for those with a conservative (somewhat orthodox) Christian background. Let me try to explain just a little bit of this dilemma.

We read about Christ’s birth account mostly in the books of Matthew and Luke. It’s an anxious but beautiful story about God’s gift to the world, his Son, whom he conceived with a virgin who was pledged already to be married. Maybe it is its awkward setting that has made many conservative Christians shy away from celebrating the birth of Jesus. I just know that I was taught from a very young age that most manger scenes displayed this time of year depict that scene incorrectly, so they are therefore “teaching something false”. Even further still I was taught that honoring the birth of Jesus is somewhat pointless and definitely pales in honoring his death, burial and resurrection, and that’s something we should do every Sunday when we gather together for communion. Therefore Christmas songs sung, Christmas pageants acted out, and anything else “Christmassy” relating to the birth of Jesus shouldn’t be done during our worship gatherings in case someone might be offended. There’s more to it, but you get the gist.

Truth be told, the Christmas holiday is fully a tradition and there is certainly no biblical instruction or mandate for keeping the holiday. The New Testament passages we have dealing with “holidays” really deal with Jewish stuff leading to Jesus and don’t really address our present Christmas situation.

It’s strange, over time Christmas has evolved into a true mixture of Christian tradition and world tradition, and differentiating between the two can sometimes be tricky. For instance, what’s the meaning of a star or an angel on top of a Christmas tree? There are world tradition answers and Christian tradition answers to the same question! Similar is the Christmas tree itself, and what do we make of the mysterious yet simultaneously claimed pagan traditions and Christian traditions?

Honestly, this world/Christian tradition mixture feels uncomfortable to many conservatives because they want to see a very clear distinction between the world and Christianity, and if Christmas confuses that distinction then…maybe we need to back away from Christmas altogether. Yes, a knee jerk response…but a “safe” response nonetheless. They can then at least feel good about doing what is surely “right” and “authorized” and not have to worry about being judged for their participation in something that is “iffy” or falls in the “grey area”.

On the other hand, in spite of this discomfort, many conservatives try to see Christmas as an opportunity to really help people in need, and even help people focus more on Jesus with the hope that his message of love and peace will draw the world to him. So, some conservatives then will step one foot into Christmas and leave the rest of their body out to be safe. They will do Santa and gifts, put up a Christmas tree, and decorate their house, but in spite of their efforts, they still cringe at the manger scene and the other “Happy Birthday Jesus” stuff. Completely embracing the holiday and celebrating it as Christ’s birth remains out of the question; it’s just going too far. So, these courageous conservatives are inevitably left performing a circus act, trying to somewhat embrace the holiday traditions standing on one foot, meanwhile trying to stay focused on juggling the tenets of their faith.

And then there are still other conservative Christians who decide to embrace the holiday fully. They press through their uncomfortable feelings and try to put Christ right in the middle of the holiday, putting up proper manger scenes in their yards and performing Christmas pageants in their churches. Instead of withdrawing even a little during the Christmas holiday, these conservatives engage the world and celebrate with the world, making efforts along the way to tell the wonderful story of God’s grace and love. They may get some bad looks because of their decisions, but that’s ok with them.

Okay, here’s my thoughts on Christmas.

I have come to realize that no matter how I decide to honor Christmas it will be a part of my life like it or not; I can’t escape it even if I tried! If a Christian tries to stay away from Christmas altogether they will have to turn off their TV, and their radio, not talk to anyone, and…well…just go live a cave for about two months. Honestly, I really don’t think Jesus ever wants us to run from “the world”, the very people he cares so deeply about. I believe I must remain present and engaged with the world, all the while making every effort to lead others to believe in Jesus. When I take myself out of the world the good news will no longer be good news, it will become dead news.

So, personally, I have decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus during the Christmas holiday. Honestly, I’m tired of the balancing act and see no point in it anymore. I have come to believe I have nothing to fear in judgement about honoring the birth of Jesus during this holiday season, especially when so many people in the world who aren’t Christians are recognizing his birth. No, I’m personally not going to go out and buy a cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. However, I will honor his birth and celebrate with other Christians (and people of the world) who do. Furthermore, I will certainly not add to the efforts of those who want to “take Christ out of Christmas”. Christmas to me will from now on be viewed as a magnificent time to extend real grace to all people, to those of the world and to Christians, and to find ways to honor Jesus even more and in every way possible. With those things in mind, I’m going all out…even more than previous years. So, if you see a manger scene in my yard, by all means look away. But if you do look, do me a favor and check to see if it’s accurate.

Merry Christmas!