Hi
I am not trying to generate strife. But, I did find this interesting.
My wife and I were members of the World Wide Church of God for many years, when they frowned on celebrating Christmas. After having celebrated Christmas for over 40(including as children) years , we stopped celebrating it and let our families know why (because it is not commanded in the scriptures). They never created any problems for us because of it. Actually , it saved us a lot of money so we were better able to pay our three tithes to the church. I don't know what kind of funny face to put on this.
We still do not celebrate Christmas and it turns out to be fairly great because we do not have to fight the lines at the mall, over charge our charge cards, find money to pay for all the stuff people don't need, and try not to offend people for not outspending them, etc.
It is also strange that many leaders and people in Evangilistic churches realize the fact that Christmas is not required scriptually . I take my mother to church Sunday's (she was baptized a few years ago into an Evangjilistic church). The Sunday school teacher will bring up subjects that he has people comment on. He brought up a list of traditions and Christmas was one. I told them that I do not celebrate it, and considered it a tradition, along with all the stress of doing it. He agreed to it being a tradition and not scriiptual, and being stressful. This actually surprised me.
-Orlando