Christmas: Whatchu’ Talking About, Willis?!?!
By: Carletta Traylor aka C.N.
Hey, y’all! What’s crack-a-lackin’ (for those of you wondering what the blip I just said, that’s slang for “How are you all doing this fine day?” Haha)?! My, how time flies! I could have sworn that we were just here a month ago, talking about spending ridiculous amounts of money on food (watch Uncle Greg pull another okie-doke on everyone and buy 3 PRE-MADE apple pies from Wal-Mart! You didn’t bake these yourself! LIAR! Just kidding. Jesus and I still love you. Haha), watching our favorite football teams get embarrassed on national television (yes, I’m a Bears fan. Haha), and witnessing “close” family members pretend to like each other for the sake of Momma’s sweet potato pie (we should always LOVE one another, but we may not always LIKE one another. There is a difference. Haha). We’re at it again!
Thanksgiving is behind us, and Christmas is now upon us. You all know what this means! It’s time for me to make my “Christmas isn’t about Santa Claus (aka Mommy & Daddy. Haha), trees and getting presents” speech! Oh, goodie! Here we go! Haha. In all seriousness, Christmas is NOT about Santa Claus (aka Grandma & Grandpa. Haha), Christmas trees, spending as much money as possible on food and presents (we’re gaining 5 pounds tonight!), and getting as many presents as you can. The true meaning of everyday (not only during special occasions or holidays), should be to celebrate our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ-not only his birth, but his entire existence (his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection (he rose from the dead, y’all!), and his ascension back into Heaven (he went back to Heaven, y’all! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s JESUS!).
I’d like to make a very important point here (don’t shoot me! I’m just the messenger. Haha). Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was NOT born on December 25th; records show that he was likely born during a) the festival of Succot, which takes place during the month of October, or b) during the springtime, between March and early June. Additionally, Christmas is in line with the birthdays of Nimrod, Osiris and Jupiter, all of whom were/are fake, phony, fraudulent, second-rate, impostor “gods” (the only true God is God Almighty, who sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for our sins. The true God is one being in three different forms: God the Father (God Almighty), God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit, which lives within us to guide us once we’ve asked Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior)). The Christmas tree itself is a symbol of these pagan (not having anything to do with God/Jesus Christ), Fruit Loop-loving “gods;” the Bible makes clear that we shouldn’t decorate Christmas trees:
Jeremiah 10:2-5 (KJV)–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 at 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 it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Ouch! God just gave us a divine leg drop, y’all (move around, Hulk Hogan! Haha)! God makes clear in the book of Jeremiah that we should not decorate Christmas trees, we should not prop them up in our houses, and by doing so, we are actually living as the heathen (unsaved, unchurched, ratchet folk. Don’t get mad at me! I’m just saying! Haha) live. I know that some of you are ready to click out of this article now (how dare she tell me that I can’t celebrate Christmas! Who does she think she is?!?! I don’t have to listen to her! I’m not a bad person for celebrating Christmas! Talk to the hand, ‘cause the face isn’t listening! Blady-blady-blah. So forth and such which. Haha), and I know that this is a hard truth for some of us to accept (we’ve been so used to decorating trees, putting gifts under them and celebrating Christmas!). However, I want all of us to live la vida loca (that crazy good life! I see you, Ricky Martin! Haha) with Jesus in Heaven forever, and as such, I had to spill the smoked baked beans. Haha.
God does say the following about celebrating holidays, however:
Romans 14: 5-6 (KJV)–One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
If we decide to celebrate a particular day, it should be to praise God, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we decide not to celebrate a particular day, it should be to praise God, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whatever we eat (bring on the strawberry cheesecake! I love cheese! I should have been born in Wisconsin! Oh, wait. Then I’d have to be a Packers fan. Never mind. Haha jkjkjkjk I’m just kidding, Packers fans! Jesus and I love you too! The Bears aren’t doing squat right now. Haha) or don’t eat should be to praise God, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus! God is good! Pass the cranberry sauce!).
With this in mind, while I no longer celebrate Christmas (for the reasons mentioned above), whether or not you all decide to celebrate Christmas is completely up to you (and between you and God. Haha). I will never try to FORCE anyone to think the way that I think; that’s not cute (it’s actually quite annoying and grounds for me *hypothetically* sticking my foot so far up someone’s behind that he or she throws up my toenail polish as blood. Haha. Please forgive me, Lord! Y’all know that I need help! Say no to violence, kids! Jesus loves you!). I just wanted to drop this nugget of knowledge on you all. Haha.
For those of you who have never heard of Jesus before or understand why people like me make such a big fuss over him (Hi, my name’s Carletta! I love Jesus, love to laugh, and love people. I’m cornier than the cob and cheesier than Kraft macaroni! Just call be a cornball for Christ! I’m about that life. Best side! Haha), allow me to explain what it means to be saved (i.e. go to Heaven when we die and party with Jesus forever!!!). Being saved is as simple as ABC:
· Admit that we’re sinners, and ask God to please forgive us of our sins (bad things that we say, do, don’t do, and/or think, that God doesn’t like) and help us to stop sinning (Please clean me up, Lord! I’m hot garbage, dipped in excrement, sprinkled in chitling grease on the inside (just STANKY!)!).
· Believe that Jesus Christ is God’s son, that he died on the Cross for our sins, that he rose from the dead (3 days later) with all power in his hands, that’s he’s back in Heaven with God Almighty right now, and that he’s coming back to get his children (take all believers home with him to Heaven) and to judge/destroy this wicked world.
· Commit ourselves to following Jesus Christ (listen to him and live for him forevermore).
If we do these things, we’ll be living it up with Jesus in Heaven forever, y’all (Aye! Turn up! Ain’t no party like a Holy Ghost party, ‘cause a Holy Ghost party don’t stop! Party over here! Ooh-ooh! Party over here! Ooh-ooh! Haha)-endless food and fun for the family!
In case you all wanted to learn more about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, please allow me to refer you all to a few of my previous posts (let’s call it Throwback Thursday! FUN!):
1) Jesus’s Birth: Mommy, Where Did Baby Jesus Come From?
2) Jesus’s Life: Joe, Where Did Jesus Go?!?!
3) Jesus’s Death: Jesus+A Tree=I’ve Been Set Free!
4) Jesus’s Resurrection: Jesus Rose Like a G…OD.
I’ll soon be doing an article on Jesus’s ascension back into Heaven (he’s sitting pretty with the best seat in the house, y’all! He’s sitting right next to God the Father (God Almighty) on his Heavenly throne!). Stay tuned!
Given the fact that I did not outline a particular Bible story today, I will not do a modern-day remix of it (no worries, though! I’m not THAT trifling! Haha). I won’t leave you all hanging like that, though! For those of you who will be celebrating Christmas (again, no judgment. That’s between you and God. Haha), I have included a wonderful video from Sharefaith Kids, which explains Jesus’s birth (otherwise known as the Nativity Story) beautifully (it’s so adorable and colorful! Haha).
Sharefaith Kids-Mary and Joseph Christmas Story For Kids-Luke 2 (YouTube):
I hope that you all enjoyed today’s post (or at least aren’t having dreams about dropping me off of the Empire State Building. I’m sorry! I had to tell the truth! Haha)! I pray that you all enjoy the rest of your weeks, eat plenty of good food (I’m salivating like Fluffy (the doggie!) just thinking about it! Haha), spend quality time with your friends and family (you know that you want to!), and thank God for all that he has brought us through (especially with the year that we’ve had. Haha). If there be nothing else, I love you all, God bless you all, and I’ll see you all on the next one!
-Carletta
Hahaha, although this is a serious message, you really made me laugh today. “It’s a bird, no it’s a plane”, lol. and no, don’t worry I won’t be dreaming of you dropping off the Empire State Building. In fact, I hardly ever celebrate Christmas, and I don’t buy and decorate Christmas trees, because as you say in the beginning of this post it makes many not so “close” family members pretend to be nice and lovey-dovey when they spend the rest of the year fighting or being mean. Christmas was always filled with fights and it was just horrible when I grew up, so now that I live alone I never make a big deal out of it either. I treat myself to a nice bottle of wine and a tasty meal, and I give my dogs and cats a yummy treat with their breakfast and/or dinner, but that’s about it.
I also think that Christmas is very commercialized, and I although it is a beautiful tradition its originial meaning has been lost. So, I think this article will serve as a good – and funny 😉 – reminder.
Thank you so much, Christine! My family and I used to love Christmas, but as time went along, I realized how pagan and commercialized it truly was (Santa Claus, Christmas trees, buying and receiving as much food and as many presents as possible, etc.). If we think about it, most families nearly go broke trying to buy one another gifts; I have a mother to take care of, bills to pay, things to do, and vacations to take. Haha. More importantly, Jesus Christ has been made an afterthought during the Christmas season-not only are we NOT truly celebrating Jesus’s birth, but most people think about gifts, trees and “Santa” long before they ever think about Jesus. It’s truly sad how things have changed. Thank you so much for being so understanding and not wanting to throw me off of the Empire State Building! Haha. I must tell the truth for my people! Haha. God bless you!
Carletta
Your blog today is content filled with so many thoughts. i appreciate the way you show the real meaning of Jesus birth – that it did happen and that the reason is so that Jesus could live on earth as a sinless man and then die on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins because God hates sin. Too many parents and children do not understand the real meaning, but you have given them something to think about. You certainly provide enough detail to tell them what to do if they do understand that Christmas is not about all of the commercial things we see and hear at Christmas time. Like you say every day is God’s gift to us so we can honor and reverence him. Your post is a good way to bring up the conversation that Christmas has a far deeper meaning and a forever meaning that needs to be understood. Thanks for presenting the truth in a way that is digestible and powerful.
Thank you so much, George! I wanted to emphasize the true meaning of everyday (and what the true meaning of Christmas SHOULD be) in this article. Society has geared us to treat Christmas like a shopping spree-accumulate as much food and as many presents as possible, often causing families to go broke before the new year begins. We should use everyday to praise God, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We don’t need a special day (especially a day that is pagan in every sense of the word. Haha) to praise God (we should do this everyday), spend time with our families (we should do this everyday), and be kind to one another (we should do this everyday). I will use this holiday season to praise God (through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ) and point people to him. I’m so happy that you enjoyed my post! God bless you!
Carletta
Great article and lots of humour. I do still decorate and put up a Christmas tree. Mainly for the kids. But now I know that Christmas was not the day of Christ birth! How will I tell the children?
Great article and keep posting interesting content. I will be visiting again thats for sure.
Thank you so much, Kalpesh! I used to love celebrating Christmas, but once I discovered the truth about what and whom it was really about, I no longer wished to celebrate it. Christmas was not the day of Jesus’s birth, but actually celebrates the birthdays of several pagan gods, including Nimrod, Jupiter and Saturn. We should celebrate Jesus Christ everyday; we don’t need a special day to do so. I would suggest that you pray and ask God how you should break the news to your children, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. He will give you an answer. God bless you!
Carletta
I visited Bethleham and spend a good deal of time there, trying to figute out the reality of Christianity. I think you have talked about the birth of jesus beautifully. God bless you.
Regards,
AB
Thank you so much, Aparna! I have always wanted to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Galilee, and if it be in God’s will, I will be able to do so in the near future. I too want to be closer to the very places where Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again! Let us celebrate Jesus everyday, not only on special occasions. God bless you!
Carletta