While many may believe that Christians should not be discouraged from celebrating Christmas publicly, we must consider the state of the county; that is, considering such sentiment refers to the American public. What has Christmas become? In my city, they call it the festival of light. In much of the country, all meaning is lost and only the name remains hinting at the true purpose of the day.
Some still go to church, but many gather around their pagan tree and adorn themselves and others with presents. Why? Christ received gifts signifying that he was in fact king by birth, but we pervert the issue so much as to mock this event with our own gift giving. In essence, worshiping ourselves or our loved ones and proclaiming that this is the most holy and meaningful symbol in our lives.
Why would a Christian want to take any public part in such blasphemy? It is better to honor the holiday in solitude and leave it as a holy-day. Many use Christmas as an excuse to act kind once a year and this is fine. A Christian, however, should have this attitude every day; thus, it is no loss to avoid the public desecration of the season. You still have the rest of the year to spread "Christmas spirit." Of course, this isn't inspired by jolly St. Nick and meaningless gifts, but rather the Holy Spirit and the gift salvation.
Not only do you find this corruption, but you are singled out in public. Why don't you have idolatry strung up in your home and the pagan solstice tree? Why isn't your child buying into the non-secular season with the others? Perhaps even, the best one, stop talking about religion because you are ruining the holiday; it is about giving and family not about your beliefs. So, if it isn't about my beliefs, there is no point of celebrating publicly something that has lost all public essence of it's true meaning.
Easter is the important holiday anyway. Really the life means nothing without the death. Everyone is so caught up on the virgin birth and history of a time frame we made up that they make Christmas more important for some reason. Of course, that is how we have perverted the whole thing. People go around thinking that their good intentions and disposition are more important than their final choice. It was, nonetheless, the sacrifice that ended sin rather than the sinless birth alone.
That is why Easter is much more important. An individual not only must have good intentions, but they also must also make that sacrifice. They must accept that they live in sin and accept that only Jesus through his death can remove that debt. Instead, by that time, people are more worried about their worldly debt from Christmas and excited about nice weather. They break out some fertility idols and go along perverting our holidays. Really, if you can't reach them or fix the problem, it is best to stay far away and not be held accountable. It is like the golden calf all over again, only this time it isn't Moses coming down from the mountain to see us standing there; rather, it is Jesus who will return as we stand beside the calf ignorantly with no complaint and having no sense to leave or speak out.