If you are serious about following the true God and not be tempted to fall into idolatry, you should study as much as you can about Christmas and the origins. It will amaze you and make you feel like you are very close to being hit with a lightning bolt. What you shouldn't do is completely eliminate all your Christmas beliefs and leave your life and your seasons empty. When God led the Jews into the Promised Land he said he would not clear out all the inhabitants at once but gradually so the wild beasts would not take over those areas left without any inhabitants.

    Your mind works the same way. If you clear your mind of some sinful thoughts and habits you will need to fill it with something. "An idle mind is the devils workshop". A big void in your life and that of your family will leave you sitting around wondering is this really right and you will say to yourself, 'well just a few lights won't hurt' or 'maybe I can send out a few cards to really close friends and family. Then they won't all hate me and scorn me'. Realize that they still enjoy the pagan holiday and think of them at all times of the year. Send a gift or card for love and say Remember what the Lord did for us on the cross. Maybe in July you could send a card saying 'Isn't it great, The Savior was born for us'?

    Get your family around you on regular intervals and study God's word. At least once a week is appropriate and not too demanding on anyone. If you have a family that has been used to celebrating Christmas and you decide, as the spiritual leader of the family, that Christmas is just not right. Plan another event that would take the whole family away for a while and give them a thrill they will cherish for a long time. Let the kids get involved in choosing an alternative to Christmas. I went skiing in Telluride, Colorado several times on Christmas day. The weather was lovely and slopes were not crowded at all.

    Camping is always a fun way to get the family out of a rut and there are places that provide lots of solitude for a mini-retreat to go over any differences, problems, complaints or just to fast and pray for a closer walk with God. I wouldn't replace Christmas with a trip to Disneyland either. If your budget is tight, that will put you in the same poor house as a lavish Christmas season. For the cost of a trip to Disney for a family of four, you could make a good down payment on a small boat, or even completely pay for a used boat. Then everybody could work on it to get it ship-shape. There are a hundred things that I see as constructive activities meant for singles, married, and families alike.

    You might consider going out on Christmas day and making it Arbor Day instead. You and your family could plant a tree instead of cutting one down. Why not have two thanksgivings per year? One near the end on the year, say November or December, to say thank you God for all your blessings. And another in February to say thank you God, in advance, for an up and coming year. Just think of all those poor folks that run around like crazy people all December, and buy and say and do things that they don't like. Find a struggling church somewhere and make an anonymous donation. Find out first if they teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ or if they teach a false doctrine. That would be important in God's eyes.

Cover Next: Chapter 11 -Reading Is Return Home Webpage property of BillBaileyMinistries. All rights reserved. Maintained by Bill