Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are charming and bring an ambiance of magic to the Christmas season. Christmas lighting outside on the lawn reminds us of velvet nights studded with twinkling stars. A holiday tree seemingly alive with small lighted colors delightfully tops off a cold evening in the holiday season. Grand celebrations with the lighting of trees have been traditions for as long as most of us can remember. The first official lighting is said to have been in 1882, when Edward Johnson electrically lit a Christmas tree with tiny light bulbs in New York City. Since that time, strands of small lights have grown into color strings of Christmas lights in all shapes and sizes, utilized by millions of holiday lovers during the holiday season.

Traditional Christmas lighting of trees actually began long before Edward Johnson every strung up the first electrical Christmas lights. Actually, several ancient religions used lamp and candle lighting, along with various trees with their winter ceremonies. The winter solstice season observed by Egyptians was marked with palm trees and leaves decorated in their homes to mark the coming season of life, spring. The Roman culture honored the god of agriculture with a festival called Saturnalia, which was marked with decorated evergreen trees and with the exchange of gifts, including lamps. And in Great Britain, Druids, priest of the woods, would use evergreens and candlelight in mysterious rituals to observe solstice and keep evil spirits at bay.

As harmless as these ancient observations may seem, the root of all religions other than the worship of the One true God are opposed by the One true God. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8) The observance of these rituals and occasions were giving glory to idols and spirits that claimed to be gods, but were nothing more than Satan and his fallen angels deceiving man.

It's interesting how close in practice many of the old rituals were to each other, even though they were each from lands far apart. And, what's more interesting still is that we are using some of these practices, such as the Christmas lighting of trees, today. "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye children of light. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Ephesians 5:11). The Bible warns of mixing our faith with traditional rituals, and throughout the Old Testament, God continually judged Israel for their habit of taking part in other religious activities. "Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed by them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers that move it not." (Jeremiah 10:2-3)

Perhaps this holiday season as evergreen trees are being adorned with decorations, families should reflect on Christ. Perhaps, even an evaluation of all Christmas lighting and other traditions that do not point to Christ could be reconsidered and prayed about. To keep our worship pure, Christians should come to an understanding of what different holidays and their traditions truly represent. Simply accepting any ritual or tradition at face value, without an examination of scripture is proof how easily mankind can be led astray. Fortunately for us, we do have the Bible to work as our ultimate guide to God's will and God's character. For more on Christmas lights and other traditions, click the links above.

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