Christmas

Pat at Two Blonde Boys asked for responses to this quote from Charles Spurgeon from a sermon given December 24, 1871:

We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas. First, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be sung in Latin or in English. Secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority. 'Superstition' has fixed most positively the day of our Savior's birth, although there is no possibility of discovering when it occurred. ... It was not till the middle of the third century that any part of the Church celebrated the nativity of our Lord; and it was not till very long after the Western Church had set the example, that the Eastern adopted it. ... Probably the fact is that the "holy" days were arranged to fit in with the heathen festivals. We venture to assert, that if there be any day in the year, of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Savior was born, it is the 25th of December. ... Regarding not the day, let us, nevertheless, give God thanks for the gift of His dear Son.

Last year, I read a book titled "Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas". It was really amazing to learn that the idea of Christmas (a relatively new holiday) was opposed by many church leaders when it was established. Apparently the holiday celebration started to combine with the pagan winter solstice celebrations which involved a lot of activity the church didn't want to be associated with. But the people who chose December 25 as Christmas Day did so to give Christians an alternative to these celebrations (kind of like today's Harvest Parties on Halloween). I agree with Spurgeon's comments that special "holy" days aren't important to our spirituality and that December 25 is not really when Jesus was born. But I don’t think of Christmas as either of those things. It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends and a time to reflect on the incarnation, regardless of what day of the year it really occurred. I appreciate that Spurgeon was able to "give God thanks for the gift of His dear Son" despite his total disapproval of Christmas.