The question is...Can a Christian rightly celebrate religious holidays?
Note: The term "Christian", as it is used here, is equivalent to the word "saint", meaning a true believer. He is a follower of Christ, not a casual observer. Unfortunately, many believe that a Christian is anyone who doesn't deny Christ (an antichrist). Most people believe that a Christian is a very broad term that can be used any way that one chooses. Jesus said "If you are not with Me, you are against Me; if you are not gathering with me, then you are scattering." The apostle John said..."Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God." (2 John 9) These are not difficult statements. So if you are not a follower of Christ, to think of yourself or others who ignore His word, as Christians, is delusional.
Like most people in America, I was raised to get excited about the Christmas season. I used to get all bent out of shape when the local radio station of my small home town didn't play Christmas music 24 hours a day in the month of December. There was always snow on the ground in December in northern Iowa. Now, here in Tennessee, that is not usually the case, but it sure gets cold enough. We were pretty poor, so I didn't get much in the way of gifts. My Mom and Dad told me when I was very young that Santa was fictitious and that gifts we received were from them personally, not from a jolly fat man with a sleigh. I knew we were poor, because most kids got much more than we did at Christmas. Looking back at those years, I remember tinker toys, Lincoln Logs, an erector set my younger brother and I got, and the big metal bomber airplane my older brother got. I was a little envious of him for that gift, which I thought was pretty special. Down through the years since my childhood, I still retained a lot of the excitement we felt, as Christmas grew near. In 1972, we met a man through Amway, who, as it turned out, was a preacher. We began a Bible study and it coincided with a need I felt at the time, that my kids needed religious training. Odd as it may seem, we went to a Christmas party in Nashville. He talked to Barbara and I the whole trip to Nashville about the gospel. I don't remember if it was a day or two or a week after that, but we obeyed the gospel and began a new life as Christians.
So, what has that to do with celebrating religious holidays? Well, as time went by and I learned more and more about the teachings of the Bible, I realized how little I knew and how most of what the Lutheran church had taught me was wrong. Oh sure there were some basic principles that were correct, but the volume of error was tremendous. I learned that there was little or no regard for authority in their teaching and Lutheran doctrine was mostly man made. It frankly made me angry. I reasoned in my head, that if someone is going to teach the word of God, that there should be some degree of responsibility to teach it as it was written, not leave out important doctrine or insert human tradition. For example, the Bible teaches nothing about infant baptism, but you would think from the way it was practiced, that it had to be in the scriptures somewhere. The Bible teaches plainly that religious titles, such as "father", or "reverend" were not to be worn by men. I also reasoned that their ought to be something in the Bible about a special holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. I searched diligently and found nothing, so I asked about it. The answer I got was That "no, there is no mention of a holy day remembering the birth of Christ, but we celebrate it anyway, just not religiously". Then I found out there is no such holiday as "Easter" either and the King James translators knew there was no mention of it at all, so they inserted it in place of the word that should have been translated "Passover". That was extremely difficult for me to understand, but as time went on, I accepted it.
One day I came in contact with a plumber and we began a religious discussion. I felt I had a pretty good grasp of the scriptures by that time and had even conducted Bible studies resulting in conversions. Anyway, the plumber was talking about how they did not celebrate any religious holidays, saying they originated with the Catholic church trying to appease pagan converts. So, I followed up with my own study, which revealed that the true church was hopelessly apostatized by the 3rd century and the resulting Catholic church was born. This was prophetically revealed by Paul in 2nd Thess. 2;2-4. "that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as [if it were] by us, as that the day of the Lord is present. let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God." The Pope is the "man of sin" who easliy fills the bill in this description. He is the usurper of Christ, claiming the right to make religious law and change scripture, in spite of the numerous condemnations in the Bible of anyone who would add to or take from what God delivered to us in his word.
I began looking at other traditions to determine their origins. In studying 1 Cor. 11:1-16, there was an example of Paul's admonishment to "Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you that ye remember me in all things, and hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to you." It was my understanding that these were not human traditions, but apostolic traditions and to "hold fast" was to "keep" or "maintain" them. The particular tradition in that text that was to be kept was that Christian men should have their head uncovered while praying or prophesying and the woman should have her head covered while praying or prophesying. The reasons were listed and there were, by my count, 10 of them. Verse 16, however, seemed to negate all those reasons. It says..."But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." This did not seem consistent with the way Paul taught. He never gave a list of reasons why Christians should do something, then say, if there is disagreement about it, you don't have to do it. More so, even after verse 2 where he says ..."hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.". So I examined the Greek and though I am certainly not a Greek scholar, I could see that the King James translators chose the word "such" instead of "other" for the Greek in that passage. While the translation could have used either word to be correct in a single word translation, the context indicated clearly that "other" was it's correct use. My conclusion was that this was the reason church (the Lord's church, as it is constituted today) did not consider head covering to be binding on Christian women. I further concluded that error was being practiced and scripture was being ignored. I began a crusade, so to speak, trying to explain the clear violation I found in my study. All kinds of reasons were given me by men and women I previously considered honest, but no scripture was used, except the notion in the text that women were given their long hair for a covering, but that obviously was not the teaching of that passage. It was clear that women in the early church wore a covering in worship and men would never do so. It also seemed that here was a binding tradition that would be so easy to comply with, so why not do it. I have seen pictures of congregational worship that took place fifty or more years ago and all the women were wearing hats or some kind of covering and men had nothing on their heads. Was that not clear evidence that they recognized the requirement? I was befuddled. How could honest Christians be so unwilling to follow such an easy command. Thankfully, an elderly preacher cleared that up for me. He said that such tradition went by the wayside with women praying and prophesying in the church. 1 Cor. 13 teaches that the gifts of tongues, prophesy, knowledge, etc., expired when the "perfect law of liberty" (the gospel) came. The gospel was fully revealed and recorded for all time when the last apostle died and those that had special gifts imparted to them by the apostles laying hands on them, also died. (around 100 A.D.) The word was complete and thus perfect. We are given commands and examples of conduct in the assembly of saints (Christians) that are binding on post apostolic assemblies. Today, we have no living examples, except those found in scripture. It is the truth...the word of God. It is what will judge us on the last day (John 12:48, 2 Tim 3:16-17), therefore it is our standard for every practice, our guide for every disagreement, our infallible book of law, a blueprint illustrating every dimension of the building that God built and a map showing us the path to eternal life. Jesus taught the apostles about the nature of the kingdom and what was expected of his servants. The message of the gospel and the laws governing those in the kingdom were to be revealed by the Holy Spirit.
God chose as his method for revealing His word, in the last days, either direct revelation from the Holy Spirit to His apostles or by the laying on of hands of the apostles for the purpose of providing special gifts of knowledge to those who were chosen. These truths so delivered were to be written down as a record for their use and future generations use.
Prophecy was among the special gifts but it was to be temporary, used until such time as all revelation was delivered. The passage quoted below speaks of the dispensations before the deliverance of the gospel and after. The point in saying all of this is that prophecy ceased when everything was revealed, so the instruction concerning head covering applied to the period before the "perfect". That point is verified by first Corinthians 14: 34. " Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law." So the conclusion is that in the post apostolic dispensation women could not pray or prophesy in the assembly, therefore the tradition that Paul speaks of in First Corinthians 11:2-16 applies only to the period when gifts were used to confirm the word.
"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (1Cor. 13:9-10) But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."
God still speaks to us today but it is only through scripture; those instructions that were given during the dispensation of gifts and the present dispensation without gifts.
All this was brought up that I might make the following points:
"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever." (First Peter 4:11)
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Collosians 3:17)
We commonly explain these passages by saying we must have book, chapter and verse for what we teach in all religious matters or that we must have authority for what we do in religion. This principle is taught throughout the Bible with illustrations, examples, necessary inference and commands. Christians cannot add to or take from the teachings found in the Bible. To do so is to make oneself God, because in doing so, such individuals are saying that they know better than God.
It has been concluded that the scriptures also teach by silence. In other words, if the Bible doesn't teach it, it is not authorized. Therefore, Christians are not authorized to celebrate Christmas.
The origin of the Christmas holiday is clearly found in both Catholicism and paganism. It is true that some Christians believe you can celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday. To observe or practice the tenants of the message of Christmas is to observe it, in some way, as it was intended to be observed, by the Catholic church. To claim that Christmas is not a religious holiday, so you can divide it into a secular observance and dismiss the religious part as insignificant, is less than honest. You can't make religious aspects of the holiday superfluous by ignoring them. It is the same as someone attending church at a denomination that does not believe in the virgin birth, but still attends because he likes the music. The word "Christmas" means the mass of Christ. It is clearly tied to the Catholic church. Signs appear everywhere in and around December, admonishing people to "Keep Christ in Christmas". The music of the season is clearly not secular. (Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, etc.) As stated, you must have book, chapter and verse for what you practice in religion. If there is no authority to celebrate a religious holiday to observe the birth of Christ, then we can't just assume God will be pleased with such a practice. Observance of Christmas is an indulgence in worldliness. When we so indulge, it is in a practice of mixing Christianity, human tradition and false religious teaching with holiday festivities similar to the kind of lustful practices that lured the children of Israel into idolatry.
A number of scriptures address this subject:
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14) So, we are to be "a peculiar people", not a people that follows the crowd.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2nd Cor 6:14-15) In other words, do not leave the Christian community to join in that of the heathens, because as Jesus said "He that is not with me is against me". Luke 11:23. "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God." (2nd John 9) Where in the doctrine of Christ is the Celebration of the birth of Christ? The facts of that birth are certainly recorded, but no observance of a special holiday or feast day as they were often called. "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1Jo 5:4) Our faith helps us overcome the world not seek to join the world.
Why don't we celebrate Pentecost today? Shouldn't we recognize the establishment of the kingdom with a special holiday? The fact is that the world regards Christmas as a religious holiday honoring the birth of Christ. Ignoring the religious aspect is the same thing many try to do with the Old Law, saying the 10 commandments are not part of the Law that was set aside by Christ's death on the cross. Only the ceremonial law was set aside, in spite of Paul's plainly including "though shalt not covet" in his use of the term "the law". (Rom. 7:7)
Some would say Romans 14:5 authorizes the setting aside of the religious aspect of Christmas, allowing us to observe the holiday as secular, but that instruction was given regarding the acceptance of weak brethren, allowing them a time of transition, until they are convinced in their own mind by being fully taught. To say this authorizes Christians to observe Christmas as a secular holiday would make it contradict the obvious intent of Paul's concern for those in Gal. 4:9-10. Reverting to the observance of Jewish or pagan feast days was evidence of backsliding, thus Paul's concern for them. Clearly, Paul was saying, rather than cause weak brethren to stumble, all should agree that it is better to not eat meat at all or observe days not authorized in God's word. That is the safest course. This, in no way, authorizes a secular observance of Christmas. It is true Christians should not judge other Christians based on our scruples, but what are our scruples based on? Is it the word of God or the traditions of men?
Today, many Christians send out Christmas cards, while saying they do not observe Christmas as a religious holiday. Even if the card is secularized, it follows the common religious observance of the holiday, as does the "Merry Christmas" greeting, decorating a tree, playing the music, etc.. I hear Christians say "What did Santa Claus bring you this year"? Harmless secular remark? Really? While we, calling ourselves mature Christians, do not perpetuate the Santa Claus myth to our children, we give our silent approval to those who do lie to their children.
"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons." (1 Cor. 10:21) Or...we are to separate ourselves from all improper alliance with unbelievers.
During the Roman persecutions, all that was asked of Christians was that they should cast a little incense on the altar of a heathen god. They refused to do it; and because they refused to do it, thousands perished as martyrs. Would that today Christians had such faithfulness.
"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4)
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2) Who is the God of this world? It is Satan. (2 Cor. 4:4)
Christians are to be governed by the laws of the Bible; to fashion their lives after the example of Christ; and to form themselves by principles different from those which prevail in the world. " Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:17-18)
When Paul, by the Spirit said ..."hold fast to that which is good", he was speaking of a righteous lifestyle in keeping with the tenants of God's word. While some would claim secular observance of Christmas could not be classified as unrighteous, in my eyes and many mature brethren, it has the result of and the appearance of evil, which we are told to abstain from. (1 Thess 5:21-22)
The earliest historical record we have of Christians celebrating Christmas was in the fourth century. By then the church was hopelessly apostacized, so the early church did not celebrate Christmas. It was added by the apostate church or what later came to be called the Catholic church. Since it is not found in scriptures and the early church did not practice it, then it is not authorized. In Judaism, there were many special feast days that were celebrated, but these were not continued in the church of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said he was afraid for them that would continue observance of such days. The Galatian church was mostly Gentile, so some of the days Paul refers to here were also those pagan celebrations that were commonly observed with regard to their gods. (Gal. 4:10-11) Why was Paul afraid for them, you might ask? It meant they had a lack of conviction in the message of the gospel. They were backsliding and it could result in their falling away. A love of our brethren today should evoke a similar response in the Lord's church.
Most true Christians who celebrate Christmas and Easter say they do not celebrate those holidays religiously but I have heard a number of Christians acknowledge that it is a celebration of the birth of Christ, and even reference it in public prayer. They seem oblivious to the fact that they are mixing paganism with true Christianity. Such mixing is blasphemous. All such practices are illustrative of an attitude that apparently shows they do not care whether it is authorized or not. The world is practicing it and therefore I can practice it, is the attitude. Then follows all the platitudes, what harm is it? The kids love it. It is a great time of the year! It is a harmless celebration. It is a time of gift giving and time for families to get together. The holiday lights and music is very enjoyable. It is my favorite time of the year.
Click here for a preacher attempting to take both sides.
Just like the statement often made, "Join the church of your choice". Doesn't God have any say in the matter?
All the reasons in the world will amount to nothing if all you have to say on judgement day is "I liked it or I found it pleasing to me".
The holiday is one big lie! Jesus was not very likely born on December, the 25th. It is not known what day that he was born. The date was appropriated directly from pagan customs and given a Christian veneer rather than being the true birthday of Jesus. The date was most likely much earlier, because the shepherds were still in the fields. The sheep were not brought into the sheepfolds for the winter. The date is unimportant. There is no authority in scripture to celebrate a particular day to remember the birth of Jesus. Christians ARE told to remember his death by observing the "Lord's Supper". Example is given of the early church doing so in 1rst Cor. 11:23-29 on the first day of the week, just like the pattern given by Jesus in Luke 22:19. Denominations can't even get that right, some doing so on a quarterly basis, once a month, on Christmas and Easter, etc.. The example is on the first day of the week and every week has a first day, so any other practice is clearly a violation of the pattern given us to follow.
There is no Santa Claus, but people lie to their kids and tell them there is, until some day that bubble gets burst. Of course, there are no flying reindeer or no elves or workshop at the North Pole, etc., etc.
Various psychologists and researchers have wrestled with the ways that parents collude to convince young children of the existence of Santa Claus, and have wondered whether children's abilities to critically weigh real-world evidence may be undermined by their belief in this or other imaginary figures. The criticism about this deception is not that it is a simple lie, but a complicated series of very large lies. Objections include that it is unethical for parents to lie to children without good cause, and that it discourages healthy skepticism in children. With no greater good at the heart of the lie, some have charged that it is more about the parents than it is about the children. For instance, writer Austin Cline posed the question: "Is it not possible that kids would find at least as much pleasure in knowing that parents are responsible for Christmas, not a supernatural stranger?" David Kyle Johnson, associate professor of philosophy at King's College (Pennsylvania) wrote... "consequences can include everything from the erosion of parental authority and trust to turning a child into an atheist." For example, a little boy defended Santa’s existence in front of his whole class on the mere basis that his “mother wouldn’t lie” to him, only to read the encyclopedia entry on Santa in front of the whole class and simultaneously discover that she indeed would. Parents will sometimes plant false evidence (or show terrible fake “scientific” documentaries that do so), make up faux ad hoc explanations, or—worst of all—just say “he’s magic.” But all these things are directly contrary to what parents, who want to develop critical thinking in their children, should do.
Santa Claus is primarily linked to the Catholic St. Nicholas, the Greek bishop of
Myra, a Roman town in Turkey. Nicholas, (the so-called saint) lived during the third and
fourth centuries. He defended Christianity while followers were being
persecuted. He was imprisoned for many years until Constantine came to
power and made Christianity the dominant religion in the Roman empire. As already stated, by this time, the true church, as established in Acts the 2nd chapter, had become apostacized. It is likely there were small pockets of the faithful scattered about, but the struggle for church hierarchy led to the corruption of the original organization. Elders (bishops) sought and accepted authority over multiple congregations and this destroyed the autonomy of the church. Eventually this resulted in the papacy. Anyway,...
During the Christianization of Germanic Europe, this figure may have absorbed elements of the god Odin, who was associated with the Germanic pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. Numerous traditions were absorbed from Yuletide celebrations into modern Christmas. In pre-Christian Norse tradition, Odin would often enter through chimneys and fire holes on the solstice. English Puritans and Dutch Calvinists banned the holiday as either pagan or Roman Catholic. Doesn't it bother you to note all of the pagan connections to the Christmas observance?
Jeremiah, in speaking to the people of Israel, refers to some of the futile pagan practices of the Gentiles in trying to make them see how stupid it was to worship the works of their own hands, which of course they knew had no power. Never-the-less they considered it preferable to "make believe" in such phony deities (sounding very much like modern Christmas trees) rather then having to obey God.
He said..."For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple." (Jeremiah 10:2-5) Jeremiah was not talking about the observance of Christmas, but my point is... they knew the tree was just the product of the workman, but they preferred observing phony deities over having to obey God. Jeremiah knew Israel would be susceptible to joining in this kind of human nonsense, so he is warning them about associations with them.
Today , denominations decorate their trees and stand them in the doorways and foyers of their buildings of worship, openly courting their followers to engage in this blasphemous adding of pagan tradition with the rest of their human traditions and calling that mix...Christianity...because the name of Jesus is uttered with considerable frequency. Many Christians believe they can observe Christmas, if it is a secular observance.
However, the very existence of Christmas today is a microcosm of the way denominations came into existence. The early church very subtly evolved into an organization ruled by men who were very willing to provide feel good practices as substitutes for obedience to God's word. Great elaborate cathedrals were constructed. Pipe organs, with their thunderous, deep throated music, choirs engaged audiences and special colorful clothing made the bishops stand out above the common man...all to make people "feel" pious by simply being in the presence of such magesty. They did it for wealth and power, ignoring what Timothy said in 2nd Tim. 4:3..."For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (Christmas, Easter)
Who can deny the appeal of the Christmas celebrations... the lights, the music, the jolly fat man in a red suit, giving and receiving presents, etc. Then you tie all the fun and frolic with a nativity scene and the miraculous birth of the Christ-child and you have a human tradition that binds it's followers to those who provided it. It is also very much like the way politicians promise free stuff only to chain people to a permanent class of dependency.
These traditions have lasted for over 1600 years, but remember the early church, as established by the apostles of Jesus Christ, had no such practice. The modern Christmas and Easter traditions are holdovers from Catholicism and denominations. The reform movement brought worship closer to worship as it was in the first century and the restoration movement still closer, but pagan traditions in the "Lord's Church" are adapted to what is considered an observance acceptable to God. It is merely a compromise, but unfortunately, like the "join the church of your choice" idea, leaves God with no say in the matter. I always thought you had to have all parties in agreement to have any kind of real compromise, but I guess that is just me. It seems to me that any return to that standard of retaining God's teachings (those we have record of in the early church and notated in scripture) in your conduct must reject even the appearance of idolatrous practices. That is why Paul admonished Gentile converts to avoid eating meats sacrificed to idols. He added "for whatever is not from faith is sin." (Rom. 14:23) Today, because the Christmas tradition is universally accepted, parents will go to great lengths to perpetuate it, even lying to their children to indoctrinate them, not into a Godly tradition but a false dichotomy. God has instructed us to raise our children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4) Where does Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny fit into that instruction? How can your children be confident that you have not misled them in other ways? Of course, one can argue that your weakness for licentious practices will not be retained in their consciousness. They will only remember all the fun they had. We often question how it is that children raised in Christian homes many times go astray. Maybe their judgement has not been clouded by your hypocrisy, or maybe it has. Children retain what you do more than what you say. Until they develop their own beliefs and practices, you are their God. They will follow you, up to a point...until such time as they see a conflicting message. Then they will strike out to cultivate their own beliefs and practices, because all human beings desire a coherent structure on which to build their lives. Perhaps your conflicting example has taught them to reject parental authority and seek only self gratification by following their peers. Their friends make no demands on them, so they are very easy to follow. Of course, no one knows all of what motivates people to follow the wrong path, but we are reticent to excuse ourselves and pin the blame on society or a poor choice of friends, etc. Remember, practicing a lie is worse than telling one. Don't perpetuate myths. Only the truth can make one truly free.
Christmas is addictive. It puts one in a dream world of youthful abandon. People love it so much, they want to extend it to a longer and longer period. It is surreal and there are elements of it that are enticingly lovely.
So, with so many things attractive about it, how is it possible to give it up? Not that this article would have that result, but if one decided to give up completely all Christmas and Easter celebrations, how could it be done?
The answer is that it is almost impossible, unless you went to a deserted island to live like a hermit. Everyone you know celebrates Christmas and they won't let you quit. They may know that you don't believe it is right to celebrate a religious holiday when there is no authority to do so, but they don't care. It is a lot like the old movie "The Days of Wine and Roses". The movie was about a young couple madly in love, who both became alcoholics. Their alcoholism took such a toll on their lives, it began to be more important than their love for each other. The woman hit rock bottom and realized she still wanted to live, but she could not persuade her husband to join AA to dry out. None of the man's associates, friends or relatives were willing to help him see what his choices had done to him. So he drank himself to death. Maybe you don't see the parallel, but getting someone to dump Christmas is equally as daunting. Yet, I fear it is Satan's trap. He draws people into his world with all the celebration, music and glitter. Christmas parties people attended as children which were just gift giving and games trend into drinking parties and further lasciviousness as time goes by. Conservative Christians compromise a little to allow harmless gift giving but end up singing Christmas carols, including some about the birth of the Christ child, all the while arguing they don't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. The radio broadcasts religious Christmas music for weeks. Grocery and department stores continually serenade their customers to get them in to the buying mood. Who can claim he is not effected by the sounds of merriment?
My late brother in Christ, Howard Justice, believed as I do and expressed the same concern that I do, that our brethren have become conformed to the world and entangled in customs which find no approval in scripture and... may find it nearly impossible to escape it's grasp.
Maybe it is just coincidence that a little scrambling of the letters in "Santa" yields SATAN...just saying.