True Christmas

Whenever I mention Christmas to my non-believer friends, the very immediate thing that they will think of, Santa Claus.

What? What gave you the idea that the focus of Christmas is Santa Claus? Who is this Santa Claus actually that had so much influence that took over the focus of the whole celebration?

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or simply "Santa", is a legendary figure who, in many Western cultures, brings gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24^[1] or on his Feast Day, December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day).^[2] The legend may have part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giverSaint Nicholas. A nearly identical story is attributed by Greek and Byzantine folklore to Basil of Caesarea. Basil's feast day on January 1 is considered the time of exchanging gifts in Greece.

While Saint Nicholas was originally portrayed wearing bishop's robes, today Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.^[3][4][5] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, and films. In the United Kingdom and Europe, his depiction is often identical to the American Santa, but he is commonly called Father Christmas.

Wikipedia.org

This man was only a Catholic Saint who was very generous and he dressed in a red bishop robe with a long white beard which gave the portray of a modern Santa Claus.

The idea is all wrong. (But wait, lol, I once thought that Christmas is all about Santa Claus too.) Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus our LORD! The day our God  became man and was born in Bethlehem.

But wait again! What? Christmas is not the real date of birth of Jesus? Dan Brown claims that the Roman Catholic Churches adopted December 25, which is the day for Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, a early Roman pagan celebration of sun god in his book “Angels and Demons”, so that the new Christians in those days may adapt themselves and more convenient for them to convert.

For many centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born.^[46] However, in the early eighteenth century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations. Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere,^[9] which in ancient times was marked on December 25.^[47] In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church.^[8] In 1889, Louis Duchesne suggested that the date of Christmas was calculated as nine months after the Annunciation(March 25), the traditional date of the Incarnation.^[48]

Pre-Christian background

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means "the birthday of the unconquered Sun." The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian; and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin.^[49] EmperorElagabalus (218–222) introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday.^[50]This day had previously been dedicated to Bacchus, in the Brumalia festival. Bruma being latin for "shortest day."^[51]

The festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be "unconquered." Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus.^[6] "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born", Cyprian wrote.^[6] John Chrysostom also commented on the connection: "They call it the 'Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord . . .?"^[6]

Wikipedia.org

So Christmas  of Jesus Christ isn’t true either. HAHA, great! Let’s not celebrate Christmas! =)

I tell you, the real Christmas doesn’t happen until it happens in your heart! I like this song, written by Carol Owen and Jimmy Owen.

Christmas isn’t Christmas ‘til it’s Christmas in your heart
Somewhere, deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to Jesus, you’ll discover when you do
That’s it Christmas, really Christmas for you.

Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire, a light like a candle’s glow
He’s waiting now to come inside, like He did so long ago
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life and makes them bloom and grow
So welcome Him with a song of joy, and when He comes you’ll know….

That Christmas isn’t Christmas ‘til it’s Christmas in your heart
Somewhere, deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to Jesus, you’ll discover when you do
That’s it Christmas, really Christmas
Christmas, really Christmas
Christmas, really Christmas for you.

Let Christmas happens in your heart my dear. Let not the world deceive you anymore about Santa Claus. You think Santa will give you lots of gifts, but nothing is bigger than the gift that Jesus is offering you, the gift of life.

No Christmas is real, the real Christmas is in you. And we celebrate that Christmas!

(Santa is just so close to Satan, lol, that close…)