Jesus is The Reason for the Season

While it's important and fun to tell our children about Santa Claus; it's also critical that as Christian families we not do so at the expense of celebrating Jesus' birth."

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

• Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus.

• Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday that usually starts in mid to late December and ends on the first day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. It celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at a time when it was under Hellenistic rule, as well as Josiah's Passover reforms.

• Kwanzaa is a weeklong pan-African festival created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga as part of his effort to unify and uplift black people. It's celebrated from Dec 26 through Jan 1 each year, with each day devoted to one of its seven principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba(creativity) and Imani(faith).

Every year at Christmas time, many families decorate their homes and yards. Often this includes a display of the nativity scene. The nativity scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ.

Every year at Christmas time, many families decorate their homes and yards. Often this includes a display of the nativity scene. The nativity scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ. When you look at a traditional nativity scene you will see Mary and Joseph celebrating Christ’s birth in Bethlehem with three wise men who came to visit them bearing gifts of gold, frankincense (an aromatic resin used in perfumes and medicines) and myrrh (a gum resin).

There are many different types of nativity scenes available today including plastic figurines that can be placed on your lawn or garden, large outdoor versions made from stone or wood that can be placed outside your house or office building or smaller versions which can be hung up inside your home for decoration purposes. These decorations help remind us not only about our Savior but also about what happened when he was born on earth so long ago!

And while it's important and fun to tell our children about Santa Claus; it's also critical that as Christian families we not do so at the expense of celebrating Jesus' birth."

While it's important and fun to tell our children about Santa Claus, it's also critical that as Christian families we not do so at the expense of celebrating Jesus' birth.

Santa is a wonderful symbol of giving, but Jesus is the reason for this season. The truth is that he was born into poverty (Matthew 2:1-12). He grew up in an ordinary home with ordinary parents who loved him dearly (Luke 2:1-20). And yet God sent his Son into this world to die on a cross and offer forgiveness for everyone who would believe in him (1 John 4:10).

Jesus is the reason for the season.

Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. He's the reason we have a nativity scene, and he's the reason we decorate our homes and yards.

The first Christmas presents were gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men or kings who came to visit him after he was born in Bethlehem. These gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). The gold referred to how his people would prosper because of him; frankincense was used in worshiping God; myrrh represented pain and suffering that would come with following Jesus during his life on earth.

With all that said, I hope you have a Merry Christmas! If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Jesus is the reason for the season.