Celebrate the “Hell” Out of the Holidays

I refuse to read one more bashing blog that would threaten to hijack our holidays.  Each year starting around Halloween, the articles march around the internet like a parade, making noise and droning on and on about how evil the holidays are:  They are all “pagan in origin”so we shouldn’t celebrate.  Then there is the other side:  We can take every worldly thing and make it Christian if we put Jesus on it or in it.  What is a family, who wants to just honor God in all things, to do?

I was feeling quite sarcastic when I blurted to my family that I was determined that we celebrate the “hell” right out of the holidays!  But it sure got their attention.  I had encountered a post of anti-Halloween/Holiday rhetoric and I was not “feeling it.”  Seriously, though, the Galatians in the NT were encouraged to let no man judge you according to the holy days.  What one person thinks of one day verses all days is not what the kingdom hinges on.  The foundation of God’s Kingdom is Jesus.  Any holiday we celebrate in our home should exalt Christ, period.  This can be a challenge, granted, but it is possible.  I believe.  It is possible.

As Christmas nears, I want our thoughts filled with Jesus, why He came, what He accomplished… even before He was born (John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb when Christ entered the room, via Mary).  Also, he is “the Lamb slain before the foundations of the earth.”  He is coming again, but let us enjoy this time of what His first coming has brought to us.

There was a time in recent memory (of our children) that I got caught up in all the holiday rhetoric and wondered about purging our holiday traditions of anything that could be construed as “unbiblical” or “secular” or “pagan.”  That was a social experimental failure!  Christmas, along with other holidays that year or so were not as enjoyable.  In attempt to make those days more “holy,” stripping away all the celebration left the day “common.”  Which in the Bible “holy” and “common” can be used as antonyms of each other.  So I actually made the holy-days less holy.  Then something happened eighteen months ago that has profoundly changed me.  I have never known Jesus as I do now.  I never knew grace as I do now.  I never knew freedom from sin as I do now.  I never knew freedom to celebrate and trust God to keep from grieving Him in the celebrating, or in just living my life, for that matter.

So this year, we had decided we will let our light shine–literally and figuratively to always welcome those who trick-or-treat.  Last month, we planned our own family celebration in addition to the extended family, instead of just one or the other.  You can never be too thankful, can you?  For Christmas, our resident light decorator, (JM, 18) bought new lights, and more, to “do his thing.”  We have lights, lights, lights–Jesus is the Light and we  are to be lights in this dark world.  Our Christmas tree is decorated with all sorts of ornaments we have collected/made over the years.   Oh, the memories!  We have hung our homemade stockings along our living room ceiling ledge with care.  Though now, some of our men are taller and keep hitting their head on the one that hangs over the hallway.  We already have gifts under the tree, for although each child drew a name of another, we have some that just want to buy gifts for everyone!  Because, after all, Jesus is for everyone, right?

This year we celebrate freedom in Christ, not just from the power of sin and death; but free to live His life –doing God’s will, bringing God glory in all we do.  The gates of Hell shall not prevail. Neither shall the holiday rhetoric that works to instill fear that we will be dragged to hell for decorating a tree to remember Jesus’ light and warm, everlasting love, even in the darkest and coldest times of life.

By all means think through celebrations, make sure God get’s the glory whatever the celebration and kick Hell out of the home and out of the holidays.  But celebrate, and celebrate much.  Christians of all people have more cause/reasons to celebrate everyday for eternity, literally, than any others!  Amen.