The 12 Dangers of Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful holiday that can be observed by Christians in a godly way that uplifts the good it offers. Time spent with family, charity, recreation, and joy are all biblical ideals that should be part of our lives. However Satan has used this festive time of the year to create dangers for those seeking to live according to Holy writ.

1. Spreading a Lie. The Bible does not tell us that Jesus was born on December 25th. Because there were shepherds out at night with their flocks, Jesus’ birth was likely sometime in the spring (Luke 2:8). There is also the issue of the number of wise men who brought gifts to Jesus after He was born. The Bible tells us that three gifts were brought, but never mentions how many wise men there were (Matthew 2:11). It’s important to be factually accurate concerning biblical things but the real danger is present in the lie that we should celebrate the birth of Christ as a religious holy day. There is no authority in the pages of scripture to do such (Colossians 3:17). Those who created their own holy days in Galatia were reprimanded (Galatians 4:10-11). If God wanted us to celebrate the birth of Christ wouldn’t He have commanded or recorded accounts of such in His word?

2. Christmas Pageants, Plays, etc. Many religious organizations center events around Christmas because they have fallen prey to the idea that we must celebrate Christ’s birth. These are generally filled with false doctrine and help to spread the lie that Christmas should be observed as a holy day. One denomination created a musical based on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The subtitle was, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ Told Through the Story of Ebenezer Scrooge.” Within this “innocent” musical the doctrine of a faith-only salvation was taught (James 2:17). Christians should not promote or participate in these events that teach false doctrine.

3. Becoming Materialistic. So many things about the holidays are good for us. I treasure the time spent with family and joy of giving that is associated with Christmas. However we can place too much emphasis on the gifts. Our treasures are laid up in heaven so we shouldn’t come to love these physical things (Matthew 6:19-21). Remember that all these things will be burned up at the judgment (I Peter 3:10). This Christmas, let your conduct be without covetousness (Hebrews 13:5).

4. Bad Stewardship. Along the lines of the section above, we must beware the temptation to spend too much this time of year. Some overspend in the name of generosity and stretch their credit accounts to the point that they are no longer able to give cheerfully (II Corinthians 9:7). Remember that the presents you buy this year do little to promote what is truly important. I suggest making a Christmas budget and sticking to it.

5. Teaching your Kids the Wrong Message. If we aren’t careful our children can learn from our mistakes and place too much importance on holidays. One of the keys to good parenting is to stress a love of God and His word everyday (Deuteronomy 6:4-12). Don’t allow holiday traditions to come between your children and the activities and doctrine of the Lord’s church. Otherwise your actions teach that Christmas is more important than Christ.

6. Teaching a Lie as a Truth. With Christmas come the popular myths of Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc. These stories are as harmless as Cinderella and Snow White, but some have expressed concern because they feel pressure to lie to their kids about Santa Claus and his role in the gift-giving. They don’t want to encourage older children who understand the myth to lie to the younger children in order to protect the “magic of Christmas.” As Christians we understand that lying is wrong (Revelation 21:8). There’s no need to lie to your children but that doesn’t mean we have to do away with Santa all together. There needs to be balance here. Treat Santa as you would Mickey Mouse. When you see “Mickey” at Disneyland do you call him “Mickey” or “man in suit?” Santa can be part of a game of make-believe for your child without lies or damage to their psyche.

7. Offering Vain Worship. Many traditional Christmas songs emphasize Christ’s birth. Some contain false doctrine and are therefore not beneficial to be sung in any capacity (Colossians 3:17). Some simply praise Christ as our Lord. These could be sung without any affiliation to the national holiday at any period of worship in the Lord’s church. Of course this would be without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments of music which are not authorized in the New Testament. Beware of the unscriptural songs that Christmas time brings.

8. Supporting False Doctrine. Many stores have the representatives of The Salvation Army at their front door. They ring  their bell, wear a Santa hat, and provide a red bucket for you to deposit your donations for the needy. Many well-intentioned Christians give thinking they are pleasing God by giving to those less fortunate than themselves. While the Salvation Army does many charitable things, they also teach many false doctrines. The Salvation Army is a religious organization with its own creed book. According to this book, some of the “official” false doctrines of the Salvation Army include: total hereditary depravity, direct operation of the Holy Spirit, denial of the necessity of baptism, mechanical instruments of music in worship, and the acceptance of women preachers. Giving is a wonderful part of the Christian faith (Galatians 6:10). But supporting The Salvation Army  puts one in fellowship with “unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11).

9. Forsaking the Assembly. There is so much to do in the Christmas season! Parties to plan, relatives to host, presents to buy, and cookies to bake are some of the most treasured activities of December. Sadly, many will forsake the assembly to provide enough time for these endeavors (Hebrews 10:24-25). Where you choose to be Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening reveals your priorities. Instead, use these activities for good!

10. Missing Opportunities. With all the hustle and bustle comes many wonderful opportunities to do good. Instead of your family keeping you from worship services or Bible class, invite them to hear the good news with you. Surely you can spare a plate of the cookies coming out of the oven to talk to a neighbor and invite them to services. When you budget for presents, leave space to give to someone in need. Always attempt to meet their spiritual needs along with their physical ones.

11. Alcoholism. With the Christmas party generally comes the alcohol. The Bible commands us to be sober (I Thessalonians 5:6). The word for sober is nepho which means to completely abstain from alcohol. When tempted to take part in the alcoholic rituals of Christmas, you should choose to completely abstain. There are many delicious holiday non-alcoholic beverages to choose from.

12. Pharisaism. Some in the church have decided not to celebrate Christmas because of these dangers. There is nothing “unChristian” about ignoring Christmas. It is a man-made holiday and should be treated as such. However, this is a personal choice. To bind as a command the decision not to celebrate Christmas is an act akin to the doctrine of the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. We have the right to esteem one day over another as long as we don’t bind it as doctrine (Romans 14:5). God’s law does not keep us from the secular observance of Christmas.