Why We Started Questioning Christmas as Christians

As we continued studying Scripture and learning about the biblical feasts, something interesting began to happen.

We noticed that we were celebrating the feasts God had given in the Bible — but we were also celebrating the holidays we had always known growing up: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and others.

At first, we didn’t think much about it. But the deeper we went in our studies, the more a simple question began to surface:

Why?

We understood why we were celebrating the biblical feasts.

They were in Scripture.
They were part of God’s appointed times.
They were clearly commanded.

But the other holidays made us pause.

Why were we celebrating Christmas?
Why Easter?
Why Thanksgiving or New Year’s in the ways we did?

We had taken the time to examine the biblical feasts and even question the traditions surrounding them. Eventually, we realized something that made us uncomfortable. We had been celebrating many things simply because we always had. They were family traditions. Cultural traditions—things passed down from generation to generation. And like many people, we had never really stopped to ask where they came from or why we were doing them.

It only seemed fair to examine the traditions we had grown up with as well.

So I started researching.

I began looking into Christmas—its history, its origins, and how it came to be celebrated the way it is today.

I researched the Christmas tree.
The ornaments.
The garlands.
The star.
The gifts.
Even Santa Claus.

I wanted to understand why we did all of these things.

The more I researched, the more I discovered that many of the traditions had roots that were not biblical at all. Many had origins in older cultural or pagan celebrations that were later blended together and eventually associated with Christianity.

Over time, Jesus became woven into the celebration so deeply that it simply became known as a Christian holiday.

But when I stepped back and asked whether the celebration itself was actually commanded or established in Scripture, I couldn’t find it.

And that realization created a real struggle in my heart.

Christmas held so many memories for me.

Family gatherings.
Decorating the tree.
Santa Claus for the kids.
Opening gifts together.

Those moments were part of my childhood and part of our family story. Letting go of that idea was incredibly emotional.

But as we continued praying and studying, another thought began to grow in my heart.

If God had already given us His own appointed times—feasts that pointed to His story and His plan—why did we feel the need to add something else that He never asked for?

And that question slowly led us to a decision we never expected to make.

iamgesher

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