And, yes I have a tree - Its made of plastic and has plastic lights, and plastic ornaments (we can’t have glass ones, one of my children tried to eat them like apples when she was little), some of which my kids made. Its pretty.

Some people might think that… Well, here is what the Bible says about that.

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10

I am servant to Christ not man’s opinion of men.

Having said that, let us look at some of the traditions that take place this time of year.

Please read my previous post about celebrating the birth of Christ.

• Giving gifts - Is that a sin? If so, the wise men are guilty. Materialism is a sin. It is the sin of loving mammon, or things. If we are consumed with the idea of getting stuff, then we need to repent. If we enjoy giving gifts, then are we not like Christ and our Heavenly Father?
• Visiting family - Is that a sin? If so, then the early church was guilty because they worshipped from house to house and spent a lot of time in fellowship. Can visiting become a problem? Yes, it can. If we fail to assemble ourselves together in church by putting family first, then it is a sin. This is also the time when meals are the center point of family time. Eating is not a sin, gluttony is.
• Singing carols - Is that a sin? No. We should sing praises to the Lord and about the Lord all the time. Let’s just make sure the songs are factual, not man-made.
• Decorations - Is that a sin? As long as things do not become your gods, there is nothing wrong with owning things. Also, don’t try to spiritualize things by pointing to something in the Bible. Its just not there. Its a tree with ornaments and lights, nothing more.

My conclusion is this, don’t lose your focus. If your life is centered around Christ every other day of the year, celebrating this time of year should not get in the way. Keep up what you are doing and enjoy the extra time off from work or school.

And on a side note, if the only times you go to church are Christmas and Easter, fix that. We already have a Santa Claus and an Easter Bunny.