While I like the family time we get at Christmas I have never liked the giving gifts thing as I see alot of selfishness we instill in the little ones. It also reminds me of the selfishness I had for many years. That 5, 6 or 7 year old may hear the birth of Jesus read but what is it they long for? Christmas morning and the gifts. For many years I tried to get my family to not buy gifts but instead rent a place in Gatlinburg, TN and all go and just enjoy family and being together. Know what? I tried that for at least 15 years and each time our selfish desires won out and no one wanted to do it. That is on my side. On my wifes side every year all of the family goes to her aunts house on Christmas afternoon. We all take our left overs from our own Christmas dinners. There are no gifts exchanged just family enjoying each other. It is great. That is Christmas to me.
As for the timing of Easter and Christmas. Our time isn't correct but God knows what is in our heart when these holidays come around, and what is in our hearts all through the year.
I didn't respond to this immediately, because what I have to say isn't that spectacular. I don't put a lot of emphasis on any holidays, not even my own birthday. The ones I make the most effort on are the ones which I can use to make my wife feel special (Valentine's Day, anniversary, her birthday.) We don't have any family out here in Montana, so we don't do much for Thanksgiving. I make it habit already to be thankful on a daily basis year-round. We do fly home to see our parents in CA and WA every year for Christmas. Christmas isn't much of a religious holiday for me. I use it as a good excuse to spend time with family, as it is large and this is the one time of year that most of us have time off work all at the same time. While I'm home, I do try to make it to the Christmas Eve midnight service at the church I grew up in. It's a great service, but if I miss it I don't worry too much. I don't need a special day to worship my Lord. As for the real timing of Jesus' birth, there isn't enough biblical evidence to make a desicive timeline. If you get 100 scholars together and polled them, you would get 100 different answers. As for the timing of the crucifiction and Resurection, this is easier because it is tied to Jewish holidays like Passover.
How do you celebrate the two and how do you make Christ a reality in your celebrations? Personally I find it offensive that most stores have almost stopped promoting the "Holiday of Gratitude" by earlier and earlier promotion of the "Holiday of Greed." How do you feel about that? And one last question ... Have you done any studying of the correct timing for Christmas (and maybe even Easter since the two are tied together) and what has been your conclusions?
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"I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people." Jude 3 Joyce
