Why We Ultimately Let Go of Christmas
Letting go of Christmas was not an easy decision, and it did not happen overnight.
Christmas had always been part of our lives. It carried childhood memories, family gatherings, familiar music, decorations, and the excitement we had created for our children.
But as we continued praying, studying Scripture, and examining our traditions, a conviction gradually grew within our family.
The Weight of the Season
We also began noticing the pressure that often came with the season.
The financial strain of buying gifts.
The credit card bills that followed.
The work of decorating the house, hosting gatherings, cleaning afterward, and packing everything away again.
At one point, I realized I had four or five large boxes filled with Christmas decorations and ornaments. Those boxes held beautiful memories, but they also represented a rhythm that no longer felt right for our home.
The pressures surrounding Christmas were not proof that the celebration itself was wrong. Many Christian families celebrate simply, generously, and with a sincere focus on Jesus. Our concern was more personal: after everything we had studied and prayed through, could we continue participating with a clear conscience?
Eventually, after much prayer and many conversations, we reached our decision. Our family was going to stop celebrating Christmas.
Explaining Our Family’s Decision
What we did not expect was how difficult that decision would be to explain to others.
Some people were confused, and others felt hurt. One response we heard was, “Oh, so now you want to be Jewish?”
That was not what we were claiming. Learning about the biblical feasts did not make us Jewish, nor did it give us the right to take on someone else’s identity. The feasts belong within Israel’s biblical story and remain part of living Jewish faith and practice. We were Christians trying to understand Scripture more deeply and discern how our own family should live.
Because Christmas is closely associated with Jesus for many believers, stepping away from it made some people wonder whether we were stepping away from Christ.
But that was never our intention. We were not rejecting Jesus, family, generosity, or gratitude. We were trying to respond faithfully to the conviction forming in our home and to become more thoughtful about the practices we chose.
I also came to understand that Christians can examine the same questions and reach different conclusions. Many observe Christmas as a sincere remembrance of Jesus’ birth, even though Scripture does not command an annual Christmas celebration. Our decision was not a verdict on their faith, and their decision did not invalidate ours.
Letting Go and Moving Forward
One of the hardest moments came when I called my sister-in-law.
I asked her, “Do you want some Christmas decorations?”
At first, she was excited. Most people assume someone is simply updating their decorations or giving away a few extra items.
Then she paused and asked, “Wait… why are you getting rid of everything?”
I explained the journey we had been on—the questions, the research, the prayer, and the conviction that had grown in our hearts. The conversation invited her to reflect on traditions in her own way, without requiring her to make the same choice we had made.
In the end, we gave away the decorations, closed that chapter of our lives, and quietly stepped into a different way of marking the seasons of faith.
For us, it was the end of celebrating Christmas. But it did not mean the end of gathering with people we loved or respecting those who continued to celebrate. We were learning that honoring our conviction and honoring others could exist together.
It also deepened a question that would continue throughout our journey:
Are we doing this simply because it is familiar, or have we prayerfully considered what it means within our life with God?
Have you ever had to explain a personal conviction while still making room for someone else to choose differently?
Continue the Journey
