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Yes, you can celebrate Christmas without Christ because people do it every year. Each year more and more people miss the true meaning of Christmas because they leave Christ out. Christmas without Christ is like air without oxygen or food without flavor, lifeless and dull. The vast majority of the traditions that we celebrate are or have been connected, with the Christian faith. Here are just a few

Christmas

Our word Christmas comes from the two words: Christ Mass. The Christ Mass was a special worship service held to celebrate the birth of Christ. The name Christmas comes from a spiritual celebration.

Stars

The fact that people put stars on their trees is a symbol of deep Christian meaning. The Star of Bethlehem guided the Magi or Wise Men to find the baby Jesus. We put lights and stars on our Christmas Trees because they are symbolic of the guidance that points us to find Jesus.

Gift Giving

Gift giving fits into the Christian message of Christmas because of the Wise Men. Even though there a number of popular misconceptions regarding the Wise Men the gifts that they brought for are not. The giving of gifts is because of the fact that the Wise Men brought gifts to honor Jesus. The Wise Men brought treasures of gold, frankincense, and Myrrh. These were three of the most important items of the ancient day.

Angels

Another common decoration for Christmas is the angel. Angels played an important role in the message of Christmas. The word angel means messenger and as we look at the Christmas Story the angels carry the message of Jesus. The angels are key in several ways.

1.) The angel visits Zechariah, father of John the Baptist

2.) The angel visits Mary

3.) The angel visits Joseph

4.) The angels visit the shepherds to proclaim the birth of Jesus

5.) The angels warn the Wise men to return home instead of going back to Herrod

The 12 Days of Christmas

Even this silly Christmas song points to Christ. The song began during the protestant rule in England. The Protestant rulers outlawed the teaching of Catholic doctrine. As a way to teach the doctrine in secret, they created the 12 days of Christmas. Each of the twelve days represents one of the 12 major points of doctrine of the Catholic faith. For example, the four calling birds was a reminder of the importance of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Advent Wreath

One of the central items in the Christian celebration of Advent is the Advent Wreath. Advent is the season of celebration during the four weeks prior to Christmas. Each week one of the Advent candles are lit as a means to remind us about the coming of Jesus. The candles are each symbolic of a different facet of the Christmas message.

The message of Jesus is in every Christmas light we see. The meaning of Christmas echoes in song and is the grace of Jesus is seen in every gift that is given. Each time we say Merry Christmas, we are reminded one more time of whose birth we are meant to celebrate. Can people celebrate Christmas without Christ? Yes, they can but they cannot escape the message of Christ in Christmas.

Learn more about this author, David Dewitt.
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