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Christmas Presents
I would just like to know what is the spiritual significance in Christmas presents?
What's the point of them?
The Pope (Benedicte) was just saying how commercial Christmas has become, and I was wondering where the idea of buying christmas presents came from?
I just cannot help feel that the last person we acknowledge in Christmas IS Christ.
Santa, Coke-Cola, Christmas Trees, snow, goblins, Abba, Tinsel, Chocolate, Mariah Carey, is really what Christmas is about. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how we ended up in this situation.
I just had a HUGE Christmas Dinner, and NO ONE wanted to talk about Christ's Birth, no one cared and no one really believes in God, yet they all got each other Christmas presents. What's going on???
My 2 cents is that when you mix folklore with fact, you lose credibility, and on top of it, the Catholic Church's history hasn't helped bring people to Christ.
What's the point of them?
The Pope (Benedicte) was just saying how commercial Christmas has become, and I was wondering where the idea of buying christmas presents came from?
I just cannot help feel that the last person we acknowledge in Christmas IS Christ.
Santa, Coke-Cola, Christmas Trees, snow, goblins, Abba, Tinsel, Chocolate, Mariah Carey, is really what Christmas is about. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how we ended up in this situation.
I just had a HUGE Christmas Dinner, and NO ONE wanted to talk about Christ's Birth, no one cared and no one really believes in God, yet they all got each other Christmas presents. What's going on???
My 2 cents is that when you mix folklore with fact, you lose credibility, and on top of it, the Catholic Church's history hasn't helped bring people to Christ.
Comments
However, I don't think we are able to change this. As long as we Christians know the purpose of Christmas.
The Problem:
I went to a museum with a friend of mine a few years ago. It was a museum specializing in African Art. I would walk around, look at the art pieces and make up stories that explained to my friend the origin or meaning behind every piece of art I saw. Of course I was only joking. I didn't care for the true meaning. I thought that whatever the piece was made/carved for; the reason is just as good as whatever I was making up.
You have a strong atheist culture, pagan culture and ignorant christian culture in Europe. Christianity, its meaning, its purpose and the message of hope of Christ's Birth, has been replaced by a narrative spoken by ignorant Christians, pagans and atheists. They've added to it, changed it, and mocked it, and Christians have fallen for it - i think this will impact the faith of younger generations who are exposed to this commercialized episode of Christianity.
That's why I was against Christians even using Santa Claus as some story to tell their kids. If you tell your kids a story of Santa Claus, a man who flies on deers and climbs down chimenies to leave presents to kids, and this story is false, then what else is false?! Doesn't that disturb the faith of the children?
But if I already believe that Christianity is false (for argument's sake), then what harm is it (for me) to add a bit more color and tell my own kids about a big man called santa whose best friends were Snow White's dwarfs (YES, the SAME dwarfs) who used to help Santa deliver christmas presents. You see how detrimental it is to mix fact and fiction??
The story and the true message of Saint Nicholas (Saint Claus) has been hijacked, and along with it the message of the angels: "Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men".
If I refuse to talk about this message and to celebrate this message, Christmas will be a very sad time for EVERYONE. Not all families get along; many do not want to see each other this time of the year. Their hope, their happiness and joy IS in the Christmas message that has been subdued by everything that goes on in Christmas - except the celebration in the birth of a Savior.
What's the solution?
The Church has to step up a bit. It is the guardian of the faith. It is the custodian of the sacraments and the true faith. If something I was responsible of was being talked falsely about, why would i not talk about it, or at the very least tell others that they have no right spreading lies about something that I know not to be true?
I think Christmas ought to be private. Only let Christians celebrate it. Have the pagans, the atheists, or whoever celebrate whatever they want on the 25th, call it a national holiday, an end of season holiday.. whatever.. but not Christmas. DOn't call it Christmas when the message, the very reason why we are meant to be celebrating, isn't the reason for celebration. Of course, I do not want. I still feel that Europe has some Christian Heritage and this is part of its identity, but what other choice do you have???
Yalla rabina mawgood. May the Lord have mercy upon us.
A great description/ video about what Christmas means for some people.
(Taraneemonline).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc8ZbVcdHpg
Couldn't agree more, Zoxsasi. I actually have really strong feelings about this. It's worse than Halloween.
Just like how the church tries to avoid trick-or-treating, the same should be done for Christmas. my church was EMPTY today because wanted to open presents instead of coming to church. I, like many others, feel very strongly about this. It's so sad.
I don't mean because people are skipping church over it; I mean because the 2nd most important holiday on any Christian calender has been turned into a vain, secular, materialistic, narcissistic parade.
lol i have to admit though, when i was little, this whole christmas sharade was what i looked forward to every year. my family would put the christmas tree up & the whole thing was so majestic. haha but now that im older, it's all useless to me & my family doesnt even put up a christmas tree...cus we're lazy, but also because its meaningless.
lol some of my friends actually wrap empty boxes under their tree, just so it looks good. haha i think that's halarious
What's the meaning?
At least people should be doing something with some kind of understanding; not living life haphazardly in this way, doing stuff for the sake of doing it, because 1.3 Billion people are doing it.
I really now wish that Christmas celebrations are stopped (i.e. no longer a public holiday). Christians who wish to celebrate it ought to do so privately.
[quote author=George_Mina_Awad link=topic=12727.msg149508#msg149508 date=1324869499]
I don't mean because people are skipping church over it; I mean because the 2nd most important holiday on any Christian calender has been turned into a vain, secular, materialistic, narcissistic parade.
lol i have to admit though, when i was little, this whole christmas sharade was what i looked forward to every year. my family would put the christmas tree up & the whole thing was so majestic. haha but now that im older, it's all useless to me & my family doesnt even put up a christmas tree...cus we're lazy, but also because its meaningless.
lol some of my friends actually wrap empty boxes under their tree, just so it looks good. haha i think that's halarious
Personally, in my opinion I don't think Christmas trees, presents and tasty food are wrong at Christmas. I think the problem lies in the way people organize things in ranks. I have got a Christmas tree too and I love the burning lights in it which create a cozy atmosphere and I love it to have a nice dinner at Christmas evening. But the most important thing is that we put Jesus and his birth at the first place and while celebrating Christmas that we remember the purpose of it. Then at the second place there are the other things which are less important, like Christmas lights and food. Even in my church stands a Christmas tree and they organize a dinner.
Shortly, a sociable and nice christmas atmosphere (with the Christmas stuff) isn't wrong, as long as we put Jesus' birth at the very first place and celebrate his birthday.
but i think we should not be so concerned about what these people are doing who don't know Jesus Christ.
what we should be concerned about is the fact that they don't know Him and don't know of any alternative to their debauchery.
what we should be very concerned about is how we are reaching out to them and showing them a different way of life.
in my church there was a full afternoon programme after liturgy with food (the fish was great!) and plays produced by each of the 3 age groups of children. the plays were actually rich in theology and well produced. the children did actually receive presents after this, but i think this is a good way of helping them understand the customs of the culture they are in. Jesus and the disciples took the culture around them (not the drunken, evil parts) and infused it with meaning.
so exchanging small presents, eating (not getting stuffed) and spending time as a church family are very good ways of ensuring the true message of Christmas gets across. all we need to do now is to make sure people outside the church are invited to these kinds of gatherings.
i have to add that i did nothing at all to contribute to this, i am just commenting on how things are done in my current coptic church (i move house a lot).
people in europe (and other places) have always exchanged presents at times of cultural and religious celebrations, so doing this is no big deal. even in egypt children receive new clothes or money at Christmas and easter.
so lets show the people of the world God's love at this time of year and always.
On Christmas Eve I narrated the Biblical account of the Nativity story for the Sunday School that my parents run. It was the least I could do for them. It was held in our local Anglican church, although they are not Anglicans. At the end of the narration I briefly preached about the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The building is usually empty, but on Christmas Eve it was filled with over 300 people who all wanted to be associated in some way with the Christian Church in the widest sense at this important feast. 300 people were willing to sit in a church for an hour and hear about the birth of Jesus Christ. Most of them would not be attending church again in the year.
We should not be criticising these folk, but rather asking why they are denied the Gospel for much of the year, and why we Orthodox show so little concern for them. It is easy to condemn them for sharing presents with family and friends, but we have not been very active in sharing the Gospel with them, the greatest gift of all.
There is an English language mission in London of the British Orthodox diocese of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate beginning in 2012 as God wills. It is especially intended to reach British people with the message of the Orthodox Faith.
I hope that those who are disturbed by the commercialisation of this season (and there is much to cause concern) will want to support a ministry aimed at helping people to understand the real meaning of this season and of all seasons. At present very few have indicated a willingness to support this mission, especially those living in London who could be of practical assistance.
There is both a Facebook Group and a Facebook Page that can be supported..
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orthodox-London-mission/120962741353666
http://www.facebook.com/groups/259654414094395/
I am grateful to those few around the world who have indicated a willingness to support this mission in London, and to those constant supporters I can always rely on. But out of the thousands of Orthodox in London it is not very many at all. Is it too much to expect to be able to reach a target of 100 supporters? Yet it seems a very difficult thing to achieve.
We should not criticise and condemn those who do not know the true Faith if we are not willing to do something about sharing it. Even praying earnestly for those engaged in mission.
I agree with Father Peter. Just now I realized more how blessed we are that we know Christ. Actually, we should feel pity for the non-Christians. They don't know Christ (however Christ gives anyone an oppurtunity to know him) and it's our duty to preach the Gospel. We're blessed to be Christians. It's easier for us because when we were born, our parents raised us in a Christian manner.
Rather let us pray for the people who don't know Christ so that they may know him (even if there are ppl who do not want to know him).
It is always easy to criticise those who do not know Christ. It is easier than criticising ourselves.
On Christmas Eve I narrated the Biblical account of the Nativity story for the Sunday School that my parents run. It was the least I could do for them. It was held in our local Anglican church, although they are not Anglicans. At the end of the narration I briefly preached about the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The building is usually empty, but on Christmas Eve it was filled with over 300 people who all wanted to be associated in some way with the Christian Church in the widest sense at this important feast. 300 people were willing to sit in a church for an hour and hear about the birth of Jesus Christ. Most of them would not be attending church again in the year.[right][/right]
We should not be criticising these folk, but rather asking why they are denied the Gospel for much of the year, and why we Orthodox show so little concern for them. It is easy to condemn them for sharing presents with family and friends, but we have not been very active in sharing the Gospel with them, the greatest gift of all.
There is nothing wrong with that at all; that's actually pretty awesome. These are not the people I was criticizing.
This year alone, I've talked to around a dozen people who hate the idea that Christmas should be celebrated as a religious holiday. Instead, why can't we just celebrate it with out families without bringing Jesus into it? That's the mindset. America is not a Christian country, but all 300 million+ individuals have access to the word of God. Despite this, it seems that there is almost an active attempt to remove Christ from this holiday, and there are too many who are unwilling to give Him the chance.
Yes, this is easier than criticizing myself, I understand that. But a lot of this is mere observation, and I'm sure that if I'd said something to criticize Islam instead a whole band of you would have come to back me up.
It is always easy to criticise those who do not know Christ. It is easier than criticising ourselves.
Dear Fr. Peter,
First and foremost, wishing you a blessed and peaceful Christmas.
Actually, my post has 2 points:
a) A genuine "asking" as to where does the the idea of Christmas presents come from - what is its spiritual significance, and
b) To appeal to the Church to take ownership of the Christmas story - to remove fact from fiction.
If the Church is the custodian of the faith, then surely it ought to correct any false teachings of Christ - amongst its own faithful and amongst those using our faith to spread their own ignorant driven agendas.
I re-iterate my point again:
if we mix fact with fiction, what is the damage to people's faiths who are delicate or not yet mature in their walk with Christ, yet learning that the Church celebrates things that are not true, or not spiritually edifying.
Indeed, this topic could well be about the celebration of halloween. This topic deeply upset me for the same reasons as we have today with Christmas. However, a prominent Coptic Bishop issued a statement deterring any Copts from celebrating Halloween, in any shape or form.
The same should apply for anything that has been applied to the Christian Narrative of Christmas.
For example, the Church ought to make it clear that:
* Santa Claus is not a Chrisitan saint, and his story has been exaggerated and distorted of the real saint Nicolas. We can say that we celebrate Saint Nicholas's feast on a certain day of the year (at the end of December), but we ought to be educating others on the true story, rather than letting false stories of Walt-Disneyfied saints replace the real stories of our Saints whose lives ought to be an example for us.
We are the custodians and living witnesses of their lives.
I am not attacking the unbelievers, but rather the believers - the Church. We worship God in Sprit and Truth, and it is indeed the "Spirit of Truth" whom we Worship. If we knowingly allow lies or misinformation to inter-twine itself with the truth we hold dear to us, then surely we could be held accountable for this irresponsibility.
Finally, my last point, one which I'm not really attached to because it saddens me even thinking about it, wished that Christmas becomes a private affair - not a public one where we celebrate it as a national holiday. The idea was that if people celebrate this day with us, they will - as I've given in my example, mock the nativity and its message, if not even change it to another message.
In any case, if there is a spiritual message or meaning behind Christmas Presents, please let me know.
Thanks
Thank you for your Nativity greetings.
Christmas is an essential part of British Christian society. It is rooted in our Christian heritage which goes back over 1700 years. The fact that some Christians and many non-Christians, have allowed the meaning of Christmas to be subverted does not mean that it should be abandoned. This was the view of the extremist Protestant Puritans.
Over the last 150 years the celebration of Christmas has been distorted in Britain by several simultaneous pressures.
For many centuries, back into the earliest Christian and Orthodox period of British Christian history, the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was both a communal and a church-centred event. There was a time of community celebration, the giving of simple gifts, a brief relaxation from the pressures of daily work. It was the end of the period of Advent fasting. There was a sequence of holy days which occupied the community in worship.
During the Victorian period this communal celebration of Christmas was subverted and it became increasingly a personal and private event. Families increasingly celebrated Christmas in their homes rather than in community. Attendance at worship became an optional aspect of the season rather than one of the necessary elements. Of course this subversion was due both to a romanticisation of the family, and to the effects of industrialisation and community disintegration. But the communal aspects remained longest prevalent in rural communities where some of the traditional elements were preserved, such as wassailing and village festivities.
The other cause of the subversion of the traditional British and Christian Christmas was the commercialisation of the season, driven to a great extent by American culture. Father Christmas has only become the figure he presently is in the last century and a half. In times past a stocking would indeed be more than enough for the simple gifts a child might receive - a piece of fruit, so sweets, a small wooden toy - now the season has become essentially about giving and receiving expensive gifts which cannot be afforded and are not needed.
There is nothing wrong with the giving of gifts, nor with the communal celebration associated with the Nativity. These are important and ancient elements of the British and Christian Christmas. There is, however, much that is wrong with the present situation. The communal aspect is smothered by the private, and the religious aspect smothered by the commercial.
How are the communal and religious aspects to be given more prevalence? It cannot be by ignoring the local and wider community and simply expressing disapproval of their behaviour. It must be by engaging in mission. The true meaning of Christmas is the Gospel. The Gospel has both a communal and religious aspect. Indeed this is what the early Church in Britain understood, indeed the Christian community until a couple of hundred years ago understood this. The excesses of those who were not truly Chrstian did not subvert the real meaning and substance of Christmas.
I can think of a great many things that could be done by Orthodox Christians to help restore the meaning of Christmas in our communities. The feeding of the poor, the visiting of the elderly, the provision of comfort for the homeless, the welcoming of the wider community to our celebration and festivity, but also the keeping of a true Christmas in witness to those outside the Church. Perhaps this means a service of prayer, scripture reading, and hymns in honour of the Gospel of the Nativity that those outside the Church can participate in? It surely means that we must provide some form of Nativity worship in English. This is certainly an advantage of the British Orthodox Church in that we worship in English and we keep the Feast of the Nativity on December 25th.
Christmas is not lost. There are a great many people who are waiting to hear the Christmas Gospel. There are a great many people who are lonely, cold, hungry, and dissatisfied with the commercialisation around us. But we must reach out to them, in their own language, with an Orthodoxy they can understand, and at the time when they are open to considering spiritual things.
Commerce and consumption policy aside, presents are a known way to express love and are a common nice human gesture during a feast, it is like adults giving some money to the children to spend during a feast celebration or special occasions. We should all worship the Lord then also celebrate.
Hosts of angels (we have heard on high) were delighted and shouted their praises of God's Glory with great joy:
Luke 2:13-15 (NKJV)
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
1st, why not let ppl congratulate each other, exchange presents and also give away charity or gifts to the poor? What can be wrong if you do remember that 'Jesus is the reason for the season', then give presents that last and help spread the joy of this great feast so that all would speak of the Hope made by the Lord by His greatest Love of all?
2nd I can find a good spiritual meaning for these presents: along with Hope the event is also the birthday of Jesus Christ. We as Christians truly became His Body, so exchanging presents is as you're giving presents to Jesus Himself, don't you think?
Be happy everybody and revive God's greatest gift for He loved us so.
GBU
Father Peter mentioned doing good deeds and helping the needy during Christmas to restore the true meaning, but I don't understand how Christmas can be restored if we help the unfortunate. What does it mean to "restore Christmas"? We still pray the Nativity Liturgy regardless if anyone decides to do charitable deeds. Isn't that Liturgy the only true meaning of Christmas for the Orthodox? I don't get the "restoring" part.
Also, I've noticed how we're quick to help people during December, but not any other time of the year. Isn't Easter more important for us as Orthodox than Christmas is? How come we don't witness to our communities during our biggest feast of the year?
I just don't see how Christmas = the time for good deeds.
(And I also don't think it's fair that homeless shelters, elderly homes, orphanages only get attention one time a year)
My second question relates to the history of Christmas. I heard that it was originally a pagan holiday and Christians "baptized" it and adopted it into the church, is that right?
If it's true than I have a whole lot of follow up questions! ;)
I'm really not grumpy, just trying to understand. :)
It is a communal and a religious festival, indeed it only has value, as all Christian festivals only have value, when it is celebrated with and for the wider community. Our faith is not private and personal, we are always members of communities.
Christmas is a time for doing good because as human beings we experience the particular to guarantee the general. It is because we have a particular priesthood that the universal priesthood of all believers is guaranteed. We experience particular feast days so that all of time is sanctified. We do good especially on one day so that we understand that we should do good on all days.
The Liturgy is not the only true meaning of Christmas. Indeed it would be possible to imagine a congregation who offered the Liturgy with great precision and sang every hymn and yet entirely failed to enter into the meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of the Gospel is not offering liturgies, it is self-giving to the world. If we receive Christ in the Liturgy and do not live the life of Christ in the world then we are worthy of judgement and eternal punishment, we will be unmasked as hypocrites.
Some friends of my family, not Orthodox, have spent the two days of Christmas and Boxing Day in London serving food to the homeless. This seems to me to express the true meaning of Christmas in a manner which challenges me. I hope that if the Lord wills that an Orthodox mission be gathered in London that there will be opportunities for such service in the area where the mission will be based next Christmas as part of the witness of the Orthodox community. (It is commendable that Orthodox communities in London are involved in feeding the homeless).
Christmas was not originally a pagan festival. But all Christian culture has pre-Christian elements. This is not a fault or a weakness. To restore the meaning of Christmas does not mean celebrating a Liturgy hidden away from the world, but sharing the Gospel of the Nativity of our Saviour with the world. This sharing was always part of the meaning of Christmas in Britain before the modern period. The bringing in of the Yule Log, the shared Wassail cup, the blessing of fields, the sharing festive food and simple gifts, the singing of carols, the attendance at Liturgy, these were all shared and communal aspects of the Nativity which belonged to the whole community. We must find ways of sharing this Gospel, and the joy of the Feast, with those who have been isolated from others and from the Church.
I would rather a member of my congregation missed the Nativity Liturgy and was on the streets somewhere serving the homeless and distressed than that the Church be filled with people who had no thought of sharing the Gospel of the Nativity, which was, after all, announced to all by the Angelic Host, and then by the band of Shepherds.
As I reread it about 43 more times, can you explain why helping the needy during Easter isn't encouraged as much as Christmas?
If giving to the poor is big during Christmas, than shouldn't it be even biiiiiiigger during Easter? It's not.
Thank you for responding, Father! :)
It is not so much a matter of only giving at Christmas but especially giving at Christmas.
We are certainly encouraged to do good during Lent. But it seems to me that there is a joy about the season of Christmas which the Church should be sharing, a family aspect in which the Church should be embracing the needy.
It seems that you're saying we didn't adapt this tradition into our Faith, but vice versa. I guess inside me, I feel like it's the opposite. I wonder how the Church Fathers celebrated Christmas? Was it also the time to visit the poor, or is that a modern act?
Also, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, it tells us to do charitable deeds in private, and not let "our left hand know what our right hand is doing", yet it is encouraged, and even publicized, to do charitable deeds with big crowds during Christmas. Is that an exception to the verse?
Do you think a hungry, cold and lonely man cares about our struggle with pride - which is what the verses in the Scriptures are about when they speak of doing good deeds in secret.
I am not really sure what your argument is? I have no interest in American Christmas movies. Christmas is joyful because God clearly states it is joyful. Easter is always tinged with sadness even though it is the central Feast of our Faith. Our Lord and Saviour has been brutally killed because of our sins. That he has raised Himself from the dead and won the victory over sin and death is wonderful but does not remove the remembrance of the Passion.
Luke 2:10 Then the angel said to them, "Stop being afraid! Listen! I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.
Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people who enjoy his favor!"
The Gospel of the Nativity is 'Good News of Great Joy'.
This has nothing to do with modern American movies and the joy of the Nativity season was always present in the ancient British Orthodox and Catholic experience. We make the Nativity joyful because it has been announced to us as tidings of great joy. And this joy is not just for us but 'for all mankind' which is why we must share it, and are lacking in an important aspect of Christian life when we do not.
How can Christians not want to serve the poor and needy? I am a little confused that you seem to be looking for some sort of commandment to do so? Having received the gift of our Saviour at this season of the Nativity how could we not feel obliged to give of ourselves to those in need, not only in physical and mental terms but also those lacking spiritual life in Christ.
Matthew 25:33-46 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
I have nothing against serving the poor and needy, nor am I looking for a commandment to do so. I simply wanted to understand the correlation between Christmas and doing charitable deeds.
Personally, I would much rather serve the needy any other time of the year, by myself. I don't really like the idea of serving because it's a required day or because it's a joyous day. Since the needy get their attention on Christmas from.. well, everyone really... I think it is my job as an Orthodox to give them their attention the remainder of the year.
I am not condemning, but I also think our Lord will say "I was thirsty, you gave me no drink...etc" to those who only serve during Christmas, because "it's the right thing to do".
I hope you see where I am coming from.
If the Church is the custodian of the faith, then surely it ought to correct any false teachings of Christ - amongst its own faithful and amongst those using our faith to spread their own ignorant driven agendas.
The one thing we must keep in mind is the distinction between culture and religion. The commercial practice of Christmas trees and gifts, although originally based in Christian origin and meaning, has semantically ceased to be a religious practice and has become a cultural practice. As such, we can't expect to put religious rules and meaning on a cultural practice and expect to make it a religious holiday again. We can however, leave the cultural practice alone, and celebrate a spiritual Nativity feast in conjunction with a cultural feast.
What's the point I'm making. We can't call the cultural practice a false teaching of Christ. Nor can we need to abandon the cultural practice and if we insist on abandoning, as Dzheremi has convinced me, we no longer belong to the culture, whether American or European or Australian. We have introduced racism in the pursuit of Christian purism, which is completely un-Christian. There is a time for Coptic bishops to clarify Christian practices based on spirituality, and there is a time to keep a distance. Coming from an Islamic country, we tend to have difficulty separating culture and religion. Apparently, we are picking up the Islamic practice of "fatwahs", claiming religious reasons for cultural practices. There is no off button. Islamic amams are making fatwahs about every little non-religious practice. If we head down this road, we'll be making Christian fatwahs that have no religious basis. If we ban Copts from celebrating the cultural Christmas holiday, then we have to also ban cultral foods like "3al3as" on Epiphany, salty (rotten) fish on Monday after Resurrection, ban New Year's eve party, people's birthdays, anniversaries and graduations and many other cultural events all based on a misunderstanding of separating culture from religion.
This is not to say we stop becoming Christians for a moment to celebrate cultural celebrations. We live a life a prayer and fasting but we are not expected to isolate ourselves from the world. We are only expected to live holy lives (as much as we can). There is a difference. Correct, but why not see Santa Claus as a cultural invention that brings joy to children and good holiday feelings on December while seeing the Nativity as a spiritual acceptance of Gentiles with the Incarnation as Natives of the heavenly kingdom on January 7th? Why do we have to confabulate the two meanings? Or claim one is necessary and one is evil? It's my understanding that Christmas gifts are a "re-enactment" or commemoration of the gifts offered to Christ by the Magi. As the Magi offered Him gifts representing His nature, so too we offer gifts to one another representing what the other person wants. In doing so, we fulfill Christ's words in Matthew 25, "in as much as you did it to one of these my brothers, you have done it to me." So Christmas gifts that bring joy is an act of goodness we offer to Christ. The holiday season is a time of giving and joy, not because of cultural commercialism, but in agreement with the Scriptures, "goodwill toward men." The word in Arabic and Coptic, is not goodwill, but good pleasure or happiness. Happiness to men was the message to the shepherds and all mankind. We share in this happiness first spiritually by singing psalms (James 3) and secondly by offering gifts to each other and thereby offering to Christ.
Fr Peter beat me to the post.
I sense a growing interest in and valuing of the native English culture and tradition, and this may be an opportunity to share an Orthodoxy which is both British and Orthodox.
The British, for instance, used to keep the Advent Fast from St Martin's Day, 11th November, until the Feast of the Nativity. It is not something new to keep the fast, but something old and British which has been forgotten.
In some parts of the country, from St Martin's Day to Christmas Eve, a choir would take an image of Christ in procession around the surrounding villages singing a narrative hymn which described the meaning of the Nativity and the Salvation which had come to men. The first verse of one such song goes...
The first good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of one,
To see the blessed Jesus Christ
When he was first her son,
When he was first her son, good man,
And blessed may he be,
Both father, son, and holy ghost
Through all eternity.
There is also the tradition of the Yule Log and the Yule Candle. These appropriately associate light and warmth with this season of cold and dark.
On St Thomas' Day, 21st December, there was a general custom of the wealthier inhabitants of a community providing food and material benefits for those poorer folk of the parish who came asking for alms.
This is what I mean by the whole season of Christmas being communal and filled with religious and social meaning, which it would be good to restore. The Christian Faith is neither a private matter, nor something to be locked in a Church building. Christian communities of even just a few centuries ago in Britain understood this and shared the experience of Christmas, and all the other seasons of the year.
i get what you're saying. u r a bit like how i was when i was younger.
i think that Christmas is a good time to harvest the good will of people who ordinarily can't be bothered about the poor and show them that it's a good thing to do, so that they will get involved at Christmas at first, and then continue to get involved throughout the year, following their Christmas experience.