Christmas

“I knew that my friends were receiving things like televisions, Nintendo games, new bicycles, basketball goals with break-away rims, and the latest Nike Jordan shoes. And I didn’t mind. In fact, I was thankful. My mom’s spirit and hard work caused me to realize that her love was a greater gift than the new Nikes I wanted.” - John Ellis

“There have been many attempts to explain the Christmas Star scientifically, and three will be mentioned here.” - AiG

“Charles Dickens tells us in his Christmas Carol that Scrooge’s cramped vision hardly ranged from his counting house. He and the spirit wouldn’t need to travel far.” - IFWE

“While similar numbers disagreed in 2014 and 2018 (18 and 19 percent respectively), the percentage who said they were unsure if Christmas should be more about Jesus jumped from 3 percent four years ago to 16 percent today.” - Baptist Standard

Given this lead, New York City seminary professor Clement Clarke Moore cemented the connection. On Dec. 23, 1823, the Troy Sentinel published Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Beginning with the now-famous words, “’Twas the night before Christmas…” - RNS

“With what little we know about St. Nicholas, it is safe to say he would not be pleased to know he had eclipsed Christ in the hearts of many as the central figure of Christmas.” - Kevin DeYoung

“A school district in Nebraska has clarified that a principal’s recent directives to teachers effectively banning all Christmas and other religious holiday symbols violate school board policy.” - CPost

“But amid the opportunities for creative service and extravagant generosity, competing temptations of materialism abound, threatening to twist our Christmas merriment into a pursuit of self-indulgence or self-gratification.” - Acton