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Keeping Christ in Christmas
Helping families find their focus in the Christmas season - the birth of Christ. Creative ways to celebrate interwoven with practical parenting advice.
145 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1999
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December 27, 2023
A HISTORICAL SURVEY, ALSO CORRECTING SOME MISTAKEN IDEAS
Evangelist and author Steve Russo begins this 1999 book with the statement, “It’s easy to think that Christmas has been celebrated since the very first eve of Jesus’ birth, when angels proclaimed His arrival on the plains of Bethlehem. However, this is not the case… The creation of Christmas celebrations as we know them did not happen overnight… The celebration as we know it was shaped by many people and cultures over a period of centuries, and did not catch on in popular culture until the middle of the 19th century. The holiday had been influenced by everything from Roman festivals to Queen Victoria’s wedding. But most of the elements of the traditional Christmas story have their origin in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke. Together these two books give us an incredible account of the birth of Jesus.” (Pg. 9)
He acknowledges, “Many people have wondered when Jesus was born, but the Bible doesn’t offer the exact date of Christ’s birth. We do know, however, that it could not have been in the dead of winter. As Luke knew, shepherds would not have been roaming the hills at night during the winter with their sheep. Most scholars agree that Jesus was likely born in the spring or summer in the year 4 B.C.” (Pg. 12)
He argues, “The December date for Christmas was not arbitrary but was a calculated decision that reflected the importance of winter solstice festivals for the non-Christian cultures in Europe and Asia. To abolish these festivals in favor of only Christian forms of celebration would have been political suicide, so it became clear to church leaders early on that rather than trying to beat the non-Christians, it would be wiser to join them. Thus the Church incorporated deep-rooted pagan traditions into Christmas worship and celebration… The decision was made to adapt certain pagan symbols and ceremonies to the Christian tradition. Both popular and church interests were therefore satisfied… Many elements of the old festivals remained, while others were transformed to honor Jesus’ birth… including greenery, candles, feasting, yule logs, singing, and tree decorating… The use of December 25 was a remnant of the Mithraic religion… For many people, incorporating Mithraic rites into the celebration of Christmas was easy to justify. Jesus represents life… and restored hope and light. So rather than celebrating the sun, people would be celebrating the Son of God. In other words, the birth of Christ REPLACED the birth of the sun as cause for celebration.” (Pg. 13)
He explains, “The legend of the candy cane claims that a candymaker in Indiana wanted to use his product as a witness for his faith… The candy was made in the shape of a ‘J’ to represent the precious name of Jesus… Thinking the candy somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes to represent the scourging Jesus received. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by the Lord on the cross, our promise of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known as the candy cane---a meaningless decorative treat seen at Christmastime. But the deeper meaning is still there for those who seek the truth.” (Pg. 23)
He clarifies, “The abbreviation of ‘Xmas’ for Christmas is not sacrilegious. The first letter of the word ‘Christ’ in Greek is ‘Chi,’ or X… Originally Xmas was an ecclesiastical abbreviation that was used in charts and tables. In the infant days of printing, font sizes were limited and type was set by hand, so ditto marks and abbreviations were used quite frequently. The church is actually the source of ‘Xmas,’ since it used the term when preparing to print Bibles.” (Pg. 37)
He states, “The legend of St. Nicholas might have died except for his popularity… To the French he became ‘Pere Noël’; to the English he became Father Christmas. Though many people incorrectly assign the German name for the Christ child---Christkindl, or Kris Kringle---the accurate German equivalent is Weihnachtsmann or ‘Christmas man.’” (Pg. 42)
He recounts, “[Clement Clarke] Moore’s portrayal of St. Nicholas as a friend to children and a generous gift-giver was an outgrowth of the legends surrounding St. Nicholas… Moore was not the first to connect reindeer to St. Nicholas, however he was the first to set the total at eight. He also created the names we now associate with those animals.” (Pg. 44)
He recalls, “I was being interviewed on a radio talk show … when a woman called the show and exclaimed, ‘I don’t have anything to do with something unless it’s in the Bible.’ I chuckled before responding, ‘Do you drive a car? Do you use a telephone or have electricity in your home? Because none of these are mentioned in the Bible.” (Pg. 46)
He notes, “Christmas is the number one retailing holiday in America---but it hasn’t always been this way… Christmas was mainly a non-event in America until the 1860s. It was in 1867 that Macy’s department Store remained open until midnight on Christmas Eve. A few years later, in 1874, Macy’s produced its first window displays with Christmas themes. And from there the day has grown into a major retail holiday” (Pg. 71)
He continues, “Unfortunately, the Great Depression brought retail sales to a near standstill. In 1939, after several years of Depression-deflated sales, the head of Federated Department Stores in Ohio argued that by advancing the date of Thanksgiving one week, an additional six days of shopping could be added… President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving that year from November 30 to November 23. In 1941, Congress set the annual date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, thus guaranteeing a four-week shopping season each year.” (Pg. 72)
He suggests, “As you examine the holiday traditions of your family, consider this principle from Acts 20:35: ‘It is more blessed to give than receive.’ … The principle here is very important to the way we should observe Christmas: The focus of your family’s Christmas celebration should be on giving, not getting. There is nothing wrong with exchanging presents with business associates or those you care about but what about making it a tradition to give to those in need?” (Pg. 106)
This book will be of keen interest to Christians wanting to know more about their celebration.
Evangelist and author Steve Russo begins this 1999 book with the statement, “It’s easy to think that Christmas has been celebrated since the very first eve of Jesus’ birth, when angels proclaimed His arrival on the plains of Bethlehem. However, this is not the case… The creation of Christmas celebrations as we know them did not happen overnight… The celebration as we know it was shaped by many people and cultures over a period of centuries, and did not catch on in popular culture until the middle of the 19th century. The holiday had been influenced by everything from Roman festivals to Queen Victoria’s wedding. But most of the elements of the traditional Christmas story have their origin in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke. Together these two books give us an incredible account of the birth of Jesus.” (Pg. 9)
He acknowledges, “Many people have wondered when Jesus was born, but the Bible doesn’t offer the exact date of Christ’s birth. We do know, however, that it could not have been in the dead of winter. As Luke knew, shepherds would not have been roaming the hills at night during the winter with their sheep. Most scholars agree that Jesus was likely born in the spring or summer in the year 4 B.C.” (Pg. 12)
He argues, “The December date for Christmas was not arbitrary but was a calculated decision that reflected the importance of winter solstice festivals for the non-Christian cultures in Europe and Asia. To abolish these festivals in favor of only Christian forms of celebration would have been political suicide, so it became clear to church leaders early on that rather than trying to beat the non-Christians, it would be wiser to join them. Thus the Church incorporated deep-rooted pagan traditions into Christmas worship and celebration… The decision was made to adapt certain pagan symbols and ceremonies to the Christian tradition. Both popular and church interests were therefore satisfied… Many elements of the old festivals remained, while others were transformed to honor Jesus’ birth… including greenery, candles, feasting, yule logs, singing, and tree decorating… The use of December 25 was a remnant of the Mithraic religion… For many people, incorporating Mithraic rites into the celebration of Christmas was easy to justify. Jesus represents life… and restored hope and light. So rather than celebrating the sun, people would be celebrating the Son of God. In other words, the birth of Christ REPLACED the birth of the sun as cause for celebration.” (Pg. 13)
He explains, “The legend of the candy cane claims that a candymaker in Indiana wanted to use his product as a witness for his faith… The candy was made in the shape of a ‘J’ to represent the precious name of Jesus… Thinking the candy somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes to represent the scourging Jesus received. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by the Lord on the cross, our promise of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known as the candy cane---a meaningless decorative treat seen at Christmastime. But the deeper meaning is still there for those who seek the truth.” (Pg. 23)
He clarifies, “The abbreviation of ‘Xmas’ for Christmas is not sacrilegious. The first letter of the word ‘Christ’ in Greek is ‘Chi,’ or X… Originally Xmas was an ecclesiastical abbreviation that was used in charts and tables. In the infant days of printing, font sizes were limited and type was set by hand, so ditto marks and abbreviations were used quite frequently. The church is actually the source of ‘Xmas,’ since it used the term when preparing to print Bibles.” (Pg. 37)
He states, “The legend of St. Nicholas might have died except for his popularity… To the French he became ‘Pere Noël’; to the English he became Father Christmas. Though many people incorrectly assign the German name for the Christ child---Christkindl, or Kris Kringle---the accurate German equivalent is Weihnachtsmann or ‘Christmas man.’” (Pg. 42)
He recounts, “[Clement Clarke] Moore’s portrayal of St. Nicholas as a friend to children and a generous gift-giver was an outgrowth of the legends surrounding St. Nicholas… Moore was not the first to connect reindeer to St. Nicholas, however he was the first to set the total at eight. He also created the names we now associate with those animals.” (Pg. 44)
He recalls, “I was being interviewed on a radio talk show … when a woman called the show and exclaimed, ‘I don’t have anything to do with something unless it’s in the Bible.’ I chuckled before responding, ‘Do you drive a car? Do you use a telephone or have electricity in your home? Because none of these are mentioned in the Bible.” (Pg. 46)
He notes, “Christmas is the number one retailing holiday in America---but it hasn’t always been this way… Christmas was mainly a non-event in America until the 1860s. It was in 1867 that Macy’s department Store remained open until midnight on Christmas Eve. A few years later, in 1874, Macy’s produced its first window displays with Christmas themes. And from there the day has grown into a major retail holiday” (Pg. 71)
He continues, “Unfortunately, the Great Depression brought retail sales to a near standstill. In 1939, after several years of Depression-deflated sales, the head of Federated Department Stores in Ohio argued that by advancing the date of Thanksgiving one week, an additional six days of shopping could be added… President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving that year from November 30 to November 23. In 1941, Congress set the annual date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, thus guaranteeing a four-week shopping season each year.” (Pg. 72)
He suggests, “As you examine the holiday traditions of your family, consider this principle from Acts 20:35: ‘It is more blessed to give than receive.’ … The principle here is very important to the way we should observe Christmas: The focus of your family’s Christmas celebration should be on giving, not getting. There is nothing wrong with exchanging presents with business associates or those you care about but what about making it a tradition to give to those in need?” (Pg. 106)
This book will be of keen interest to Christians wanting to know more about their celebration.
December 30, 2019
A great little book with a Biblical focus on the reason for the season. I especially enjoyed the traditions from around the world and the significance of some of our beloved traditions here. I would suggest this for every Christian parent especially to read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews