How should we celebrate Christmas?
Why do Christian families celebrate a
pagan holiday?
How can the Christian family Evangelize
and Celebrate Christmas in a secular world?
Should a Coptic family have a Christmas tree, gifts,
wreaths, candy canes, ... etc.? Should a Coptic family sing songs like
"the 12 days of Christmas"?
We will answer these and more in the
next few paragraphs:
Who is Santa Claus?
Immigrants to the New World brought along their
beliefs and customs:
Scandinavians brought their gift-giving elves.
Germans brought Belsnickle and Christkindlein (and
their decorated tree).
The American Santa Claus figure received his name
from the Dutch. During the 1600s the Dutch introduced Sinterklaas (a Dutch
variant of the name Saint Nicholas). Many of the English speaking children
mispronounced the name as Santy Claus. After many years of this
mispronunciation, Sinterklaas became anglicized into Santa Claus.
It is amazing but true that the common, popular
view of Santa that we all have today, along with all the crazy things around
Santa like the sleigh, the reindeer and the chimney, all came largely from
two publishing events that occurred in the 1800s and one advertising
campaign in this century. Clement Moore wrote "The Night Before
Christmas" in 1822 for his family. It was picked up by a newspaper,
then reprinted in magazines and it spread like wildfire. Moore admitted
authorship in 1838. If you read the poem you will find that he names the
reindeer, invents the sleigh, comes up with the chimney and the bag of toys,
etc. Nearly everyone in America has been able to recognize or recite this
poem since the 1830s.
Then, between 1863 and 1886, Harper's Weekly (a
popular magazine of the time) ran a series of engravings by Thomas Nast.
From these images come the concepts of Santa's workshop, Santa reading
letters, Santa checking his list and so on. Coca-Cola also played a role in
the Santa image by running a set of paintings by Haddon Sundblom in its ads
between 1931 to 1964.
The red and white suit came, actually, from the
original Saint Nicholas. Those colors were the colors of the traditional
bishop's robes.
Who is Chris Cringle
Christkindlè German
for Christ Child
The gift comes from the Christ Child
Who is St. Nicholas?
St. Nicholas was born in 280 AD in Patara, in Asia
Minor.
St. Nicholas was an Orthodox Christian priest, who
later became the bishop of Myra (in Turkey).
He was a rich person and he traveled the country
helping people by giving them gifts of money and other presents.
He did not like to be seen doing this, so when he
gave the presents parents told their children to go to sleep quickly or St.
Nicholas would not come.
A famous story about St. Nicholas, is how he helped
three Italian maidens.
The legend goes...there was three Italian maidens
who were to wed, but their father had lost his fortune and could not provide
their necessary dowries. Hearing this St. Nicholas late one night dropped
bags of gold into the stockings of the three girls, which they had left by
the fire to dry.
In the year 303, he was imprisoned for refusing to
worship the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
In 313, he was released. He returned to Myra.
He passed away to be with the Lord December 6, 343.
Why do we give (and receive) gifts?
Gifts remind us that Jesus Christ is the ultimate
gift. No gift has any significance apart from Jesus Christ.
What about candy canes?
Candy canes are a symbol of Jesus Christ who laid his
life for us.
The cane is a shepherds staff
He is our Good Shepherd. He was Sinless, that is,
white as snow (the white on the candy cane) and shed his blood to redeem us
(the red on the candy cane).
What is the wreath
Circular = He is eternal with no beginning and no end
The evergreen = eternal life that He gives us.
The holly: the sharp points on the leaves represent
the crown of thorns
The red berries: The blood of Christ
The candles: the 4 candles around the outside and the
one in the middle stand for the 4 evangelists of the Gospel and the middle
that is lit on the 24th is Christ the light of the world overcoming the power
of darkness
The Christmas Tree
This is a tree, or a large banner with a symbolic
tree, that is decorated each week, usually by the children, with ornaments or
objects that represent Old Testament events from Creation to the Birth of
Jesus.
The ornaments are traditionally added one each day of
Advent, or a group on each Sunday, with explanations of the symbols and a
brief verse of Scripture from the story represented.
The Evergreen tree is a symbol of the eternal life
Christ gave us
What are the 12 days of Christmas?
The popular song "The Twelve Days of
Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children.
However, some believe that it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the
16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic
teachings of the Faith. They contend that it was a mnemonic device to
teach the catechism to youngsters.
Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the
twelve days before Christmas, but are the twelve days from Christmas
until Epiphany.
The "true love" mentioned in the song is
not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The "me" who
receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the
Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the
Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.
On the 1st day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the
Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a
mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless
nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of
Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you
under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . .
." (Luke 13:34)
On the 2nd day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments, which
together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a
people to tell the Story of God to the world.
On the 3rd day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues: 1)
Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
On the 4th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Four Calling Birds
The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark,
3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of
the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old
Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3)
Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's
sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a
light to the world.
On the 6th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation that confesses
God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).
On the 7th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving,
6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
On the 8th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Eight Maids A-milking
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed
are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the
peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew
5:3-10)
On the 9th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy
Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.
(Galatians 5:22)
On the 10th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have
no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in
vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not
murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false
witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)
On the 11th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1)
Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7)
Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar
James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth
disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the Romans.
On the 12th day of Christmas my true
love gave to me...
Twelve Drummers Drumming
The twelve points of doctrine in the
Apostle's Creed:
1) I believe in God,
the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and
born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died, and was buried. He descended into hell. 5) On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He
will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy
Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the
forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.
What is the Advent?
The word Advent means "coming" or
"arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the
birth of Jesus the Christ in His First Advent, and the anticipation of the
return of Christ the King in His Second Advent.
Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year
old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of
God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God
Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of
anticipation, of preparation, of longing.
It is that hope that God brings to the world the
anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness
over His people and in His creation.
Part of that expectation also anticipates a judgment
on sin and a calling of the world to accountability before God. We long for
God to come and set the world right! Yet, as the prophet Amos warned, the
expectation of a coming judgment at the "Day of the Lord" may not be
the day of light that we might want, because the penetrating light of God’s
judgment on sin will shine just as brightly on God’s people.
Therefore, the Season of Advent has been a time of
fasting and penitence for sins (43 days).
Why Celebrate December 25th or January 7th?
Almost all cultures had some kind mid winter
celebration that coincided or came close to the winter equinox or the shortest
day of the year when the sun was up the least amount of time.
Dec. 25, feast of Dies Natalis Invicti
was the biggest day of the year for the sun worshiping pagans.
Dec. 25 was the BIG day for the pagans. It was
the Winter Solstice. It became even bigger when Emperor Aurelian
proclaimed this day as Dies Natalis Invicti Solis or The Birthday of
the Unconquered SUN.
The real solution is found through the Incarnation
The "ORIGINAL" JULIAN CALENDAR introduced
by Julius Caesar dates from 44 B.C. The length of the natural solar year (the
time it takes for the earth to make one orbit of the sun) was estimated to be
365 days and 6 hours. Every fourth year the extra six hours were collected and
added as an extra day to the year, creating a leap year of 366 days.
Technically, this estimated civil calendar year is 11
minutes and 14 seconds longer than the natural solar year.
Longer in time means faster in speed.
This small error caused calendar problems with the
Spring Equinox (the beginning of spring when day and night are each about 12
hours long all over the earth) which recurs year after year at a measurable time
in the orbit of the earth.
The "NEW STYLE" JULIAN CALENDAR (the
Gregorian Calendar) dates from the year 1582.
The Spring Equinox was arriving 10 days earlier on
the Julian Calendar date of March 11th instead of March 21st, because of the
error in the "Original" Julian Calendar.
Pope Gregory of Rome changed the "Original"
Julian Calendar by reducing the number of leap years so that the average
length of the civil calendar would be nearer to the natural length of the
solar year. In a 400-year cycle they dropped three leap years and reduced the
error from 11 minutes and 14 seconds a year to 26 seconds a year.
Christmas
Christ our Lord
History (Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection)
Rejoice (Response for what God has done for us)
Incarnation
St. Nicholas (4th Century Bishop of Mirah)
Tradition and customs
Magi
Advent
Salvation
Who is this reindeer
named Rudolf?
...who guides Santa's sleigh with the biological aberration of a red, glowing
nose capable of penetrating thick fog?
The story of Rudolf appeared, out of nowhere, in 1939. Santas at Montgomery
Ward stores gave away 2.4 million copies of a booklet entitled "Rudolf the
Red-Nose Reindeer." The story was written by a person in the advertising
department named Robert May, and the booklet was illustrated by Denver Gillen.
The original name of the reindeer was not Rudolf, according to the book
"Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things," by Charles Panati. The
original name was Rollo, but executives did not like that name, nor Reginald.
The name Rudolf came from the author's young daughter! In 1949, Gene Autry sang
a musical version of the poem and it was a run-away best-seller. The Rudolf song
is second only to "White Christmas" in popularity.
Why is Christmas sometimes spelled Xmas?
...especially when combined with the word "sale"?
According to the book Did you ever Wonder... by Jeff Rovin, the word
for Christ in Greek is Xristos. The use of the shortened form
"Xmas" became popular in Europe in the 1500s.
The word Xmas is so common in advertising most likely because
"Xmas" and "sale" have the same number of letters, and
"Xmas" is significantly shorter than Christmas.
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