We do not know the exact date Jesus Christ was born.  Scripture tells us some things about His birth, but not everything.  Traditionally, His birth has been celebrated on December 25th. For many years that date has been recognized as Christmas Day.  Whether you believe that is actually the date of Christ's birth, or merely a pagan holiday that has been "christianized" is beside the point.

I have always taught my son and my students that the date of His birth is not as important as the fact of His birth. Down through the years, Christmas has been celebrated in various ways. There are as many ways of celebrating Christmas for believers in Christ as there are for those who do not believe.  It is not my intention (or my place) to tell you how you must celebrate Christmas - that is something you must decide for yourself.

People do many different things to make Christmas a truly meaningful celebration for their families. At Christmas time, my husband and I want to focus on Jesus Christ more than anything else. One way we do this is to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Also, many of the decorations on our tree convey some aspect of the Christmas story or of Jesus Himself.  We usually have stars, angels, bells, Nativity figures, and hearts among our decorations.  We often have a lion and a lamb somewhere on the tree (Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God who takes away our sin).  Our tree is always topped by an angel. We also include the cross. The gift of Jesus encompassed His death, as well as His birth.

I know of some people who celebrate Christ's birth by baking a birthday cake for Jesus.  Some have decided to give gifts to Jesus by taking at least some of the money they would normally spend on Christmas presents for themselves and spend it on those who need it more. For several years, our church has an had Alternative Christmas catalog for this reason. People can donate money earmarked for various people or groups that our church supports. For example: clothing, blankets, and food to an orphanage in Asia; school supplies, uniforms, and meals to children in Africa; help for missionaries; and birthday celebrations and money for a Christian summer camp for underprivileged inner city children from a nearby city. These are just a very few examples of things we have provided for others through this Alternative Christmas catalog.

There are so many ways to make Christmas a "holy" day, not just a holiday.  I have mentioned only a few.  As we look for ways to honor God and keep Christ in Christmas, God will show us how He wants us to celebrate this day.  However we choose to celebrate Christmas, may we always remember to live for Him and honor Him everyday.

Kathie Krakowski is a writer, a voice artist, and a teacher living in Delaware.  She is a passionate worshiper of Jesus Christ, the Lover of her soul, and enjoys expressing her devotion through poetry. She writes devotions and also enjoys writing for children, including songs, tongue-twisters, and a series of alphabet stories she hopes to have published.  She is a contributing author in the devotional book, "Spirit and Heart," from Christian Devotions.  She is also the "voice" of Christian Devotions.