The History of the Christmas Festive Atmosphere (TMF:SE20)

Peace to Live By: The History of the Christmas Festive Atmosphere (TMF:SE20) - Daniel Litton
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       It certainly is true that the festive atmosphere surrounding Christmas—the ornaments of Christmas lights and candles, mistletoes, and even the Christmas tree—these things in and of themselves are rooted in pagan (non-Christian) traditions, or cultural traditions, and really have no connection to the birth of Christ (Nissenbaum, p. 5). Nonetheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the partaking or celebrating of Christmas with these kinds of items is wrong. Truly, again, it’s the heart attitude that counts. If we use these items to celebrate Christmas, and do it unto the Lord, we are in the right. I think most people don’t even know why they celebrate Christmas with these things, besides the fact that maybe it is because they were raised to do that, or because that’s what everyone else around them does. But I think a lot of people have these decorations because they want to honor Christ; they really want to celebrate and remember what God has done for us, and for the whole world. And these items bring in the mood and expression of that.

Reference
Nissenbaum, Stephen. (1996). The Battle for Christmas. New York: Vintage Books.