Can anyone answer these questions?

Question

Doesn't matter your beleif, I appreciate everyone's input, but since relevant, I'd love to hear from at least one Christian.

1.) What does gift giving have to do with the presumed birth day of the infant Jesus? Then, if a gift must be given, would not gold, spices, and fragrant oils be more appropriate? These were offered to the infant Jesus, per bible history.

2.) What is the significance of a decorated tree when one is celebrating the assumed birth day of the infant Jesus?

3.) How can one celebrate the life of Jesus Christ, who preached humility and giving to others less fortunate, with the blatant capitalism festival that Christmas has evolved into over the ages? How do Christmas sales at Best Buy and Wally World reflect upon an infant born in Bethlehem who is the saviour of Christianity, and the honoree of the "Christmas" celebration?

It seems akin to clebrating Ghandi's life with drive by shootings and the detonation of nukes. Just a musing, nothing more.

Answer 1

Your musings make a LOT of sense. And I think you have hit on the spirit of what is my biggest beef with Christmas Day. There really are two days we celebrate on the same day. One is the day we set aside to remember Christ's birth. The second is the secularized version of the holiday which I call the "greed fest"

Do we celebrate both days in our house? Yes. But that is something that I'm working on with my family. Since I have children, we're trying to limit the Greed Fest day and get back to the simplicity. Do my kids really need 15 presents each?

As far as your four questions.
1) The only factor with gift giving is that we remember that the wise men gave gifts to Jesus. Gold Frankincense and Myrrh were very useful and valuable in those days so they gave what would be the most appropriate gifts to honor the baby's birth. In today, the situation would change to give the most appropriate gifts to honor our families.

2) The Christmas tree is actually a pagan origin, but it has become so intwined with our culture that nearly every house that celebrates Christmas does have a Christmas tree. Our symbolism is that a tree points up to God.

3) Those sales have nothing to do with Christmas. However, giving out of love something that person needs would exemplity walking in love to one another. And walking in love is what Christ wants us to do.

Excellent points to you!!

Answer 2

1) Gift giving symbolizes the giving and the receiving of God's gift to us, Salvation in His Son. Also in giving and receiving good things from eachother. Loving thy neighbor

2) The Tree is Evergreen which symbolizes eternal life. The lights symbolize being the light unto the world.

3) There is no "rule" within celebrating Christmas that one must have to celebrate capitalism. It has gone overly commercial and most people will agree even if they are not celebrating Jesus at the time.

It's nothing to do with hatred and violence no matter if you are celebrating Jesus or not. In fact I feel it can be a way where people of different faiths and cultures can come together to appreciate eachother. You present Ghandi's life as if it were that much different than Jesus' life. Both were very peaceful. Christmas does not involve drive by shootings and nuking eachother so this really isnt a good analogy.

Answer 3

1) We give gifts to celebrate Christ within each of us by virtue of being human. When
God became human, everything changed. Gold, spices, and fragrant oils are not appropriate gifts for a 5 year old in todays world. A woman, perhaps;) The gold symbolizes divinity, the spices: burial, and the oils, the sacraments that flow from the Crucifixion/Resurrection. They were appropriate for Baby Jesus because of what they forshadowed.

2) Decorating a tree comes from Germany in the middle ages. Some say the decorations are symbolic of the angels over the shepherds.

3) Blatant capitalism has nothing to do with Jesus, it has to do with our culture. It's not His fault his birth has had such enormous economic repercussions 2000 years later, and some people say he didn't exist!

Everywhere I go, I see and hear Christians being told to hold back, keep the focus where it belongs, give to the poor, stop spoiling your kids rotten, and heaven is not a Play Station 3.

Good question.

Answer 4

1) Gift giving at Christmastime really didn't being until after the publication of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. After Scrooge was enlightened, he gave a gift of money to his scullery maid. From there, the giving of gifts grew to what it has become today.

I think the three wise men gave what they were able to give. With that thought in mind, giving gifts made from your own hand might be a more appropriate gesture.

2) The Christmas tree has its roots in Pagan tradition. The evergreen was decorated at Yuletide as a reminder of Spring and blossoming to come. During Roman times trees were decorated for the festival of Saturnalia. This practice was adopted by the early Christians as a means of aiding Pagan conversion to Christianity.

3) Getting back to Charles Dickens and his work, "A Christmas Carol," the ghost of Christmas present states that Christmas is not celebrated only one time a year but is rather celebrated each and every day in the hearts of men. You might want to take your cue from that. If you truly are Christian, the act of giving and helping let alone turning the other cheek should be something you do each and every day of the year. In this case, the celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25 should simply be the climax of your efforts throughout the year.

I'm not Christian, by the way. But I do enjoy and appreciate what Jesus was trying to teach. If only those who called themselves Christians did as instructed.

Answer 5

1) Giving gift comes from tradition. First three wise men brought gift to Jesus as a sign of worship. St. Nicolas started give gift to the poor around Dec 25th to show them love. Giving gift is a way of showing love. It does not have to be just at Christmas but anytime of the year you should feel special.

2) I do not know where the Tradition of decorating a tree come from but I have no problem with it.

3) Christmas has gone to capitalism and it not about Christ birth much any more in the world eyes

IF you are wondering I am a Christian

k1

Answer 6

I'm a Christian. Modern Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Jesus wasn't even born in the winter-he was born in the spring. But anyway, all of the material, marketed reasons people celebrate Christmans now is just that......giving gifts and making money and puttin up trees. Most of the traditions, like putting up a tree and giving gifts, are, in fact, pagan traditions. My family does make eachother gifts for Christmas-but we do not go and spend hundreds of dollars on eachother. We read the Bible and we do celebrate the birth of Christ, but we study and know that it is society that has made Christmas what it is now. Simple answer to your question-gift giving and tree decorating and capitalism and all that has NOTHING to do with Jesus's birth.

Answer 7

1. Christ's birth is seen as the giving of the gift of hope to mankind, and gift-giving symbolizes this.

2. The decorated tree is a custom which dates back to eary European times. In Austria and Germany, primarily, the Roman Catholics would traditionally set up a nativity scene. The Protestants, however, did not want to have a possibility of "idols" by having the nativity scene figures, so they opted instead to decorate a tree with lights (candles) since an evergreen symbolized eternal life (evergreens stay "alive" through every winter) and the candles represented that Christ was the "light" of the world.

3. One can celebrate the life of Jesus Christ in his every day life as well as on Christmas. Christmas, however, is specifically focused on the BIRTH of Christ, the gift of a savior to mankind. This is why many Christians will engage in the traditions that focus on His Birth.

As for the commercialism and capitalistic aspect of Christmas, the same can be said for many, many things which are virtuous and good. Christmas "sales" at all these stores reflect more upon our society in general than upon the Christmas holiday itself. Many people who do "Christmas shopping" are not even Christians, and many of the ones who call themselves "Christians" are only such in name, and don't practice the faith. Many people who don't believe in Christ still see Christmas time as a time of hope and festivity and don't want to give that up. Most of my atheist/agnostic friends have Christmas trees, and even some of my Jewish friends do.

In other words, Christmas has come to be more than the Christian holiday it originally was, and to more people. It's no different from how non-pagans might celebrate "Halloween"; even though we don't believe in the pagan holiday of Samhain, we are used to the traditions of Halloween and we think it's fun and festive to have costume parties and give out candy and so on.

The commercialization of a holiday and how it is ultimately practiced by each individual are two different things, and you can't blame the commercialization of a holiday on a sincere believer's personal practice of a holiday, which is what you seem to be trying to do with your question.

Answer 8

The Christmas tree is an incorporation of pagan ritual into Christian worship, initially for the purpose of converting pagans in
the early church. It was referenced in the bible:


Jeremiah 10

1Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Gift-giving was simply an easy practice to incorporate into this new pagan/christian holiday. The rest is simply commercialization and there is no stopping it.

Answer 9

This is what happens in a capitalistic society. Nothing is regarded as sacred. Everything is regarded as an opportunity to get and spend.

It seems you have noticed that there are indeed discrepancies among what Jesus said and what some who claim to follow him do. This is to be expected, no?

I personally don't do the things you mention here--don't do the gifts, don't do the tree, don't get involved in the whole "blatant capitalism festival." I thank God daily for the gift of his Son and don't find it necessary in any way to engage in the pressure-to-conform-to-it getting-and-spending hoo-ha associated with the birth of Christ. The festival of it means nothing to me, and so I don't participate. Others do participate, and that's their prerogative. But for me--on an individual level--stepping into the scene of cash and wrapped goods is icky, so I don't step into it.

Answer 10

Your comments sound as tho you are a Jehovah Wittness. But you ask questions that need response. I am a full gospel Christian, a pentacostal. But, the things you ask are so revelant. No, we dont know the exact date of Jesus' b/day. but they assume it was probably in the spring. Many of the customs of the Christmas celebration as pagan orientated, and should not be a part of any Christians life. So many dont believe in God and they even celebrate Christmas. what For?? What is the purpose/ Noone that doesnt believe in Jesus should celebrate Christmas. It is blasphemy to God. And, no Christian should be ignorant, and should study for themselves about all the pagan rituals and symbols of most holidays. The decorated tree is also pagan, and if most knew its meaning would not use it. It represented a phallic symbol of one of their pagan gods, god of sexuality. read up on it, it will blow you away. gift giving is the same thing. God wants us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to jesus, as Jesus sacrificed His life for us upon the cross. He died that we may live. We are to be loving and giving like Jesus, and celebrate Him every day. But, we do our own Christmas here, we celebrate His birth, life , death and resurrection, for in that lies OUr Blessed HOPE. Christians read up, and find out the evil you do by using pagan symbols. you cant mix light and darkness. they dont mix. Great questions..... Press on with God in unity of truth and of the faith.