Nov 25th, 2023: A Conversation About Christmas

I recently asked an employee of a business whether she and her family would attend the company's annual Christmas party. She told me she is not coming because she is not sure whether Jesus was born on the 25th of December.

I encouraged her to think about it differently and not let Dec 25th be a hang-up. She is a Christian, so I felt free to ask her whether it is appropriate to celebrate Jesus' birth even though we cannot determine the exact date. After all, we don't know the exact day that we were conceived in our mother's womb, but we choose the day we were born to be our birthday.

The precision of the day is not as important as the historical fact of Jesus's life and ministry. I told her that Christmas celebration is the time for me to thank God and to ponder one of the most important events in human history: God decided to be among us and to show us who He is and how He loves us by taking on our sins and dying for them.

She was quiet and then told me that she will share my thoughts with her husband. "That would be great. Thank you," I told her.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6