Here are five facts about Christmas that you probably didn’t know.
Illegal Christmas
Can you imagine getting fined for celebrating Christmas or saying “Merry Christmas”? Actually, in the 16th and 17th centuries there was a war between Puritan or Protestant Christians on Christmas day. There was no question of any kind of “joke”. England helped pass laws making it illegal to celebrate Christmas, so the Puritans of New England followed suit. For a time, Christmas was banned in Boston and Plymouth Colony.
Tree hugger
When I read about it I thought it was ridiculous, but President Theodore Roosevelt actually banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1901. Why? Because he was an environmentalist. But we should be glad that because Teddy Roosevelt is credited with the national parks we have today, he added 5 more parks and 18 national monuments to that list while he was president for future generations to enjoy.
Real Santa Claus
Santa Claus is based on the 14th-century bishop of modern Turkey and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, whose name is a bilingual pronunciation of Saint Nicholas. At the time, he was known as Bishop of Smyrna and Nikolaos of Bari. He lived in a time of great poverty, so he felt compelled to give away much of his wealth, mainly to the poor. If there were children involved, he was even more lenient. I imagine “Sinterklaas” would be appalled at the commercialism of Christmas, which he’s never seen, and his portrayal in commercials today.
First, decorated tree?
Allegedly, one of the heroes of my faith, Martin Luther, was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree. Apparently, he was so struck by the beauty of the stars twinkling among the branches of a pine tree that he brought an evergreen tree home and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children, whom they loved. There was a fire hazard!).
Recycled Christmas Trees?
One of the most bizarre things I learned was that many zoos feed donated Christmas trees to their animals. Can you think of a better use than recycling them into feed for animals? There are lots of people around the world who take their old Christmas trees to recycling centers, and some turn them into bug-repellent mulch.
conclusion
The greatest fact I can stress is that Jesus came to earth to save us from the wrath of God. Jesus was with God; Of course, Jesus is God (John 1), and the world saw his glory. He became Immanuel (God with us) through a virgin birth, and lived a sinless life. By this, he was able to make his life a perfect sacrifice to God, which satisfied God’s wrath for all sin. If you’re reading this and you’ve never repented and trusted Christ, then Christmas is really meaningless; It’s another business holiday from work with lots of parties and gifts. I strongly recommend anyone who is not yet saved repent of their sins today, turn and turn away from them, forsake them completely, and then place your trust in Christ. This decision completely suppresses any other fact.