In 1984 film, Gremlins, Phoebe Cates' character, Kate Beringer, tells Billy Peltzer that she hates Christmas. When Billy Peltzer asks her why, Kate replies:

"The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas. Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was 9 years old. Me and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple hours went by. Dad wasn't home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing. So the police began a search. Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. That's when I noticed the smell. The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out my father. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He'd been climbing down the chimney, his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus."

Fortunately, that is not my story, nor is it anything close to the reason for my non-participation in the Christmas holiday. But I do think it would be massive fun to just once tell that story.

Festivus for the rest of us!
As a humorous alternative to the pervasive and ubiquitous "Merry Christmas" greeting, I occasionally will respond with "Happy Festivus." Festivus is a sort of a holiday parody, a non-denominational secular event introduced in 1997 by the TV series, Seinfeld, in an episode titled "The Strike" (episode 10, season 9). The observance of the holiday includes the traditions of the "Feats of Strength" and the "Airing of Grievances." For more information about the origins and practice of Festivus, click here.

All kidding aside, below are links and further details regarding my repudiation of religious holidays.

The Holiday Letter
This is letter that I give to new friends and acquaintances that are not familiar with my view of Christmas and other religious holidays.

The Seven Ones Paper (PDF document)
This paper provides some more detailed treatment of the philosophy and theology I espouse.

the bible: inerrancy, infallibility
I believe the Bible is really and actually God’s inerrant and infallible communication to humankind, and that it is accessible and comprehensible by the common, thoughtful man or woman. Just as a compact disc, if sufficiently protected from irrecoverable scratches and nicks, still produces the music as it was intended to be heard, the Bible’s robust design and God's divine protection have similarly preserved its contents and intended message over time and space.

The message: The Mystery
The biblical message of the apostle Paul’s to his audience was that a new program had been inaugurated, namely, the Mystery. Previously held in silence, this Mystery involved the Body of Christ, a new company of believers, distinct from the nation of Israel, the teachings of which were distinct from that of Israel .

The differences between Israel and the Body of Christ
The Bible teaches that, because of their direct relationship with God, members of the Body of Christ are not to submit themselves to intermediaries such priests or angels, as did the nation of Israel. All religious holidays (i.e., holy days) require this submission, whether explicit or implied, whether total or partial, which is why they are prohibited in the Bible for the members of the Body of Christ.

The role of angels in Holy Days
The Body of Christ has a heavenly hope, that is to say, the believers in Christ have been placed into an administrative hierarchy in which their seat of authority is above the angelic realm. This is what Paul meant when he said the Body of Christ is seated above principalities and powers (Ephesians 1:20 2:6).

That means religious holy days and ceremonies, which were characteristically and distinctly earthly and kingdom-related (i.e. of or pertaining to Israel and Gentile nations of that time), are not to be observed by members of the Body of Christ. The angelic realm functioned at that time in a mediatory role between the kingdom believers and God, bridging the chasm between man on earth and God in heaven was mediated by the angels.

There is no such chasm between the members of the Body of Christ and God. The holy Spirit dwells within each member and the"temple" (i.e. where the believer meets with God) is not a function of a physical place or a special time, requiring the intercession of angels, as it was with ancient Israel and the nations.

Since the Body of Christ does not share Israel's earthly kingdom hope, there is no need for angelic mediation, which is why there is no angelic ministry today. The Body of Christ sits with Christ upon the Father's throne, above principalities and powers (Ephesians 1:20 2:6) and is administratively superior to the angels (1Corinthians 6:3 Ephesians 3:10). For members of the Body of Christ to participate in religious ceremony, ritual, and holy days is tantamount to angel worship, which is forbidden for the Body of Christ (Colossians 2:8-23).

Complaints about using "Holiday" instead of "Christmas"
Certain people and religious activist groups, such as the American Family Association, often protest the use of "holiday" in place of "Christmas." Such people and groups deride the efforts of others who strive for "political correctness" and their attempts not to offend anyone.

I find it interesting and ironic that, despite the AFA's complaint about using the word "holiday" in place of "Christmas," the former can actually be found throughout our English Bibles (see Psalm 42:4 and Colossians 2:16). Whereas the latter, "Christmas," is not found anywhere in the Bible at all. Nor is any such celebration to be found, let alone sanctioned, in Scripture.

Keep Christ in Christmas? What about the Mass in Christmas?
Furthermore, why isn't the "mass" part of Christmas emphasized as much as the Christ part? Lots of evangelicals want to say, "Keep Christ in Christmas," but seem to blithely ignore the other part of the word. Curiously, most non-Catholic evangelicals are opposed to the concept of the Mass, i.e., the sacrifice of Christ, the eating of His actual body and the drinking of His actual blood in the Roman Catholic rite, but they seem to have no problem with the "Mass" part of Christmas.

Not a fear of paganism.
There are others (Jehovah's Witnesses, for instance) who also abstain from observing Christmas and other holidays. For some, the reasoning is to avoid any and all things pagan. However, I am of the opinion that, if this is one's criterion for whether or not one participates in or observes things in our culture, one is going to live an impossibly and unnecessarily complicated life.

Consider the fact that the names of the days of the week are of pagan origin, as are the names of the months. Many of the words in the English language are pagan, even words used to translate our English Bibles. How many of the products we use are supporting organizations and companies and people with ties to pagan philosophies?

It is noteworthy that the apostle Paul wasn't bothered by the presence of paganism. He knew and taught that meat sacrificed to idols was no big deal, and to eat it was not a participation in paganism. The reason Paul prohibited the celebration of religious holidays has nothing to do with a fear of paganism or pagan influence, or legalism for that matter (which is the typical protest I get from well-meaning religious people). Rather, it is because the observance of anything religiously ritualistic, ceremonial, or symbolic was regarded as angel worship.

©2008 James Hilston