Halloween, Christmas, and Christianity

Years ago I wrote a post on why we don’t participate in Halloween. 

It ruffled some feathers, to say the least, and I received a lot of backlash for sharing my faith. (Yes, sharing biblically-based faith even in a predominately “Christian” society still comes at a price. Praise God he prepares us for this: Timothy 1:7-8 & Matthew 5:11-12) 

I also received messages asking if I didn’t participate in Halloween, why did we participate in Christmas which has pagan roots?

So today I thought I’d share about both. 

But before I begin I want to make something very clear. 

I’m not perfect. And we don’t believe we are perfect. 

We are Christians, which means we are sinners who have admitted to ourselves, our society, and our God that we need Jesus. 

That we can’t do better or be better on our own, and that we need the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us through His word. 

As our faith and understanding of the Bible grows our lifestyle changes as we adapt and adopt new practices that align with His word. 

We are Bible-based Christians, if it doesn’t stand up to the word of God, or contradicts His word, then we believe that we must work hard to let it go in our lives.

Obviously, this is easier said than done and I have a lot that I am working on in my own life. 

Praise God He hasn’t given up on me when I make the same mistake over and over again. 

What I write isn’t to say I have all of the answers, but rather to share where I am at in my faith and understanding of His word. 

Let me also add that if you participate in Halloween, I am in no way criticizing you, but rather am simply sharing my faith, views, and personal and biblical understanding of these two holidays. 

God is leading each of us on a journey and while there are most certainly absolute truths in this world, we must remember that God reveals His truth to each of us at different times and seasons of our lives.

I pray that if you are reading this you know that all of this is said in love and with hope, not judgment. For we are all sinners in need of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

As I pray daily for the Holy Spirit to fill me I know that God is working on my heart and guiding me towards Him.

I only ask that before you continue reading you say an earnest prayer asking God for His guidance and understanding. 

Because the devil wants to blur the line and have Christians disagree (and the more angrily the disagreement, the happier he is). 

But I know that the power of God is greater and His truth is filled with love, freedom, grace, forgiveness, and joy!

So, onto the subject of Halloween and Christmas. 

Yes, these holidays have paganism backgrounds, is that a reason to stop participating in all holidays with any pagan connection?

No, as long as the pagan aspects aren’t the reason you are celebrating, are not being celebrated, and are not a highlighted theme in the celebration. 

For example, there are so many aspects of our society that have pagan roots that we may not even realize.

While the 7 day week was created by God during the creation of the earth (Genesis 1-2), the names of each day have European paganism tradition.

Both wedding rings and bridesmaids also have pagan roots. 

But neither the 7 day week, wedding rings, or bridesmaids continue to be rooted in darkness nor are they traditionally known as being connected with paganism. 

The same cannot be said of Halloween. 

While we may not believe in or even see Halloween as a pagan holiday, its origins are not just in the past, we can see them alive and well all around us today.

As children, before my parents learned more about Halloween from a Biblical perspective, they dressed us up in non-scary costumes (like princesses or cowgirls) for trick or treating in our little neighborhood. 

So simple and innocent, right?

But the very essence of trick or treat is that if you don’t give us a treat we are going to trick you. 

Another little example is pumpkin carving (aka jack o’ lanterns) which is connected directly to folklore involving the devil to create demonic faces to frighten Jack.

Not to mention that when trick or treating the majority of the houses that are decorated for Halloween are done so with witches, skeletons, and anything that may give you the creeps, chills, and a scare. 

We can easily write it off as being things we don’t engage in and that we just participate in only the fun, family-friendly aspects of Halloween. 

But if you walk into any store that sells Halloween decor, it’s pretty obvious what Halloween is really about. 

But that’s just surface-level stuff. 

Halloween continues to be a holiday in which current-day witches practice the occult. 

Don’t take my word for it, click here to read this viral Facebook post from an ex-witch about Halloween. 

And because of this, it becomes a confusing holiday to others as well. 

I’m a part of a global Facebook travel group for women and earlier this year this question popped up “Genuine question. Halloween from an outsider perspective seems SO culturally important to Americans. But the % of Americans that are Christian that may not believe in pagan festivals is super high?! As an Australian this makes no sense I. I raise this because I’m the past 20 years the Halloween celebration has grown here and I’m interested about the culture of this celebration” (I copied and pasted the question and did not edit it, hence the “I. I” and other misspelled words).

I agree, it’s honestly confusing. 

Even when we just pick and choose aspects from Halloween that don’t seem “too dark” or are “family-friendly” it’s clear to the world that Halloween is steeped in paganism, death, and evil. 

But what’s most important is to see what the Bible has to say on the subject.

We read in Leviticus 20:27 to find what happens to those who practice witchcraft.

We learn in Deuteronomy 18:9-13 how we as followers should live amongst people who practice pagan traditions. 

We are also reminded in Ephesians 5:11 to “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

And in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Again, I want to make it very clear that I am not perfect and have a whole long list of things that God has made clear to me that are wrong that I am working on. I’m simply sharing because I know this time of year can be confusing, especially as new and growing families try to navigate this holiday season with their friends, families, and Christian communities. Sharing your faith that is contrary to modern-day society, even in the Bible Belt (or should I say especially in the Bible Belt) is difficult and I am praying for all those who read these words and are seeking guidance and understanding on this subject from a Biblical perspective.

Now let’s move on to Christmas.

If you want to know why Christmas is celebrated by Christians on December 25 (even though Jesus wasn’t born on this date), some of the history of Christmas and Christianity, or more about the meaning behind Leviticus 23:40 that talks about decorating trees I recommend watching this short video that talks about both.

While this simply summarizes my understanding of Christmas and its history, I want to share more about why I celebrate Christmas.

While the darkness of Halloween permeates everything by the end of October. 

Come November 1, we start to see a drastic change. 

One in which light, cheer, joy, and giving fill the stores, radio airways, and homes.

Skeletons, ghosts, and witches are replaced with angels, nativity scenes, Christmas trees, and stars. Decorating for Halloween is to give you a scare, decorating for Christmas is for spreading good cheer.

It’s a sight to behold as the contrast is staggering!

While we enjoy decorating our home for Christmas (it’s a big part of my business this time of year), our personal lives aren’t focused on Santa Claus, reindeer, or elves. (ps. There is nothing wrong with watching reindeer games, it’s just not our primary focus.)

This is a special time of year in which we get to celebrate God’s gift to us, His Son.

We love finding ways to emulate His gift by finding extra ways to give during the Christmas season. 

I even have a list of 35 Ways to Emphasize Christ in Christmas to help in finding new ways to foster the true meaning of Christmas.

Roger and I have so many special Christmas traditions (many of which are included in the list above) that foster the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts, home, and community. 

And the reality is, the difference between Halloween and Christmas is very clear. Personally, I’ve only ever heard people say “well Christmas has pagan roots too” when justifying their practice of Halloween. 

The beginnings of something shouldn’t be our justification, rather we should look at the big picture.

The relationship between Bathsheba and David was filled with broken promises, betrayal, and death. 

But that wasn’t the end of the story. 

Clear changes were made (repentance and forgiveness), and from the broken God made something good, as Jesus came from the line of David and Bathsheba. 

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s story begins with them being captured and delivered into a pagan nation. 

Rather than adapting to the society around them, to “fit in” (fitting in with society, even Christian society, is our struggle, their “fitting in” was more akin to survival), they weren’t afraid to stand out, even when they knew it could lead to their death. 

Yet we find it so much harder to be different from our peers, especially when they are church-going Christians. 

And maybe it is harder for us in one sense as the lines have been blurred between family holiday traditions and the gates of darkness. 

But if we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and ask God to guide us through every decision in a humble and earnest way, both big (like participating in certain holidays) and small (like switching from the word “lucky” to “blessed”) decisions, He will create in us a new heart that is led by Him and His Holy Spirit through the words of His Bible. 

I pray that if you read to here that you know that I’m sharing this as a friend in Christ.

A fellow Christian who is continually seeing her own mistakes and praying greatly for God’s forgiveness and guidance towards a more Christ-centered life on the straight and narrow.

So before you comment, message, or begin a heated discussion about what is written above. Please say a prayer for Biblical guidance, (as I prayed throughout the writing and editing of this post). Especially considering that we as Christians are examples to the world. 

And if we can’t kindly discuss the subject of the holiday season, how can we hope to be a Christ-like witness to the love and goodness of God to our fellow humans? 

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With love, Giusti

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:4 NIV