Christmas Conversation

The following is part of an account of a conversation.

But I first presented him with the Christmas article and prefaced it with a statement about how some people look forward to Christmas because without it their winter is too depressing. I noted that this was idolatry because Christ should be more than enough to bring Christians Joy throughout the year.

He read part of the article and said something like,

“I just wanted to worship Christ I did not want to know all this“, So I said

“but now you do know“. But he had know a lot of it before, some I had told him before. So we talked about it and he said something like...

“if we have to have a Christmas tree or Christmas cookies in order for it to be Christmas in our heart than it is idolatry“. So I said

“So you are saying it is idolatry, because if you take away all those things there is no Christmas.” He came to agree that for many people it is idolatry. So I said

“So for many people it is idolatry and you still want to celebrate it and support that?”

I said how that when we are children it is especially an idol because all we look forward to is the presents, we don’t really care at that young age whether Christ was born or not.

He said something to the effect that it is actually even worse when we are older because it becomes ingrained in people as adults. And with that statement he was right, I was just assuming that we learn better when we get older. He also said...

“well what is wrong if a Christmas tree helps me worship Christ?” So I said...

“isn’t Christ great enough? Why do we need something to help us worship him?” And he quickly said

“well it creates a change.”

Then he said something about how that “well don’t you think Christmas was put together by God?” So I said

“well not unless you believe the Pope is infallible!?”

But then he said how he meant the birth of Christ, and the story in the Gospel of Luke. So I said well yes of course the birth of Christ was God’s work, But not Christmas.

Then he said well, don’t you think God can use Christmas to witness to others? So I said "well God can use anything, but he does not want us to use Christmas."

And then he said well even in the old testament they had festivals and celebrations.

So I said well yes, but God specifically gave them those celebrations and told them exactly how to do it, but he did not give us Christmas, he did not tell us when Christ was born, and if he wanted us to know, or wanted us to celebrate it he would have told us so.

Then he said something about how Christmas had been going on for so long, so what are we supposed to do?, so I said something like “just drop it” (drop the celebration of Christmas that is).

Then he kept coming back to the fact that what matters is what is in our heart, “as long as we are worshiping Jesus on Christmas.”

So I said “But are You?”

So we again came back to the fact that for many people Christmas was an idol, but then he said something to the effect that we can’t just tell people that, they have to see if for themselves.

So I said “so they can’t be held accountable for it just because they don’t see it for themselves?”

Then he said something about having to be patient and just show love and not being judgmental.

So I said something about how some people will never know unless we tell them.

He seemed sure that, we can’t just tell people that they are doing something wrong. So I asked him...

“So it’s enough just to accept Christ and stop there? And he said

“well no we have to accept all that goes with it” And he said that how when people are baptized he tells them how it is just the beginning and how they should continue to grow.

So I said that “it does not seem like anyone is growing much“, he agreed with that.

He said he enjoyed the talk though, and I know it was good.

It was a calm conversation we had, but at least once I raised my voice, I think it was when I said

“So for many people it is idolatry and you still want to celebrate it and support that!?”


Do not be deceived: idolaters shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (See 1 Corinthians 6:9)


See "Christmas Compared to the Birth of Christ"

See "Is Christmas Idolatry?"