Which days/holidays SHOULD we observe?

[Spirit Reborn]

Hello brothers and sisters ♥

So I'm a bit torn ..you know how Christmas is a pagan holiday? Is it okay if you strictly make it about God and his Son? Even if gifts are involved, and it comes from the heart is it still okay? Even if one pays no mind to the actual pagan history involving Christmas but makes the day
entirely focussed and centred around Him? I know it's contradictory since this pagan holiday involves giving gifts- it's part of that tradition.. ;;;

But more importantly, which days SHOULD WE be observing/celebrating that God wants us to observe/celebrate?
And how exactly should these days be celebrated/observed? :3

Thank you for your time. I want to turn away from these pagan holidays. I feel guilty knowing that it's pagan yet.. with something like Christmas and Birthdays.. and not giving a gift to those who expect it on such a holiday..
it makes me feel stingy and feels like others think the same of me. Like I 'don't care' about them because
of a lack of a present. Which is kinda materialistic of a holiday if you think about it in order to
show that you love them.  

[Aquatic_blue]

This is a great question and is generally debatable among people.

God clearly does not want us taking part in other religions, and when holidays are concerned - well, I'm not even 100% sure myself.

I've celebrated Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc. in a society that enjoys celebrating those holidays, we can get caught in the middle.

To me, it's generally depended on what traditions people do on these holidays. On Christmas, instead of presents - I'd honestly rather give to others and not expect anything. I don't always enjoy the materialism that can come with Christmas - we've all seen it either in real life or in a movie when someone gets a gift and they clearly don't like it, say it's disgusting, throw it away, or say, "This isn't what I wanted." or something rude. Materialism can be an idol in itself. I remember at times my family didn't celebrate Christmas with gifts and I was okay with that. I would log online into an instant messenger and friends would be asking, "What did you get for Christmas?" and I would say, "Nothing." Then they would say, "Nothing?!" I said, "No, nothing." and then they were like, "What?! Why?! I hope you get what you want! You deserve gifts that you want!" and I was surprised at how people were about gifts. I don't like the materialism portion of Christmas so much - I think it should be about reaching out to others and helping those in need. Some Christian families will get a Christmas tree and decorate it with decorations of a Christian nature like crosses, angels, etc. At times we'll read the story about Jesus Christ and pray to him saying thank you for the things He blesses us with. I personally don't believe Jesus was born on Christmas day, but I see nothing wrong with calling it a "belated birthday".

I don't see anything wrong with birthdays. Although, I know that if people say, "What do you want for your birthday?" and I know what I want - it's usually not something that's so expensive that people can't afford, sometimes it's something simple and easy to find or something that I actually need. I will usually say, "You don't have to get me anything. If you want to, feel free - I can't stop you. I'm happy with just about anything I receive." It's nice to have someone say, "Happy birthday!" or something of that sort because you lived through the year to be another year older and that's something that is worth celebrating - at least in my thoughts.

Any holiday that comes by doesn't have us taking a break as a Christian - we're Christian 24/7 so we should remember to act as a Christian should - reaching out to others, spreading the news, being kind, etc.

The choice on what to do and how to celebrate holidays if you celebrate them at all is up to you as well. Make sure to pray about it, read God's word, and do what God would want. smile