CHRISTMAS CONTROVERSY!

I'm not letting the naysayers steal my peace and joy!

Who Knew Christmas Could Be So Controversial?

I recorded yesterday’s video just a couple of days after Christmas. Yes… Christmas. Apparently, wishing someone a Merry Christmas has become controversial in recent years. Who knew?

And I’m not talking about the employees at Home Depot who say “Happy Holidays.” I’ve mentioned before that I don’t mind that at all. “Happy Holidays” likely includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, and that’s fine with me.

What does make me just a teensy, weensy bit bent out of shape is when people get bent out of shape because I celebrate Christmas.

Yes, haven’t you heard? Christmas is pagan. Saturnalia. Saturn worship. The devil. And Jesus probably wasn’t even born on December 25th.

Well. Merry Christmas, everyone.

That’s not actually what I want to dive deep into, but I will talk about it briefly.

What I want to focus on are the beautiful Christmas cards, letters, and gifts you sent me. I want to talk about why I celebrate Christmas. And I want to explain why I’m not afraid of the “pagan roots” of Christmas… or of a whole lot of other things in this modern day life.

The Real Controversy of Christmas

Christmas has become controversial, especially because of consumerism and commercialism. Some people go into debt buying gifts. Others lose sight of what they call “the reason for the season.”

I understand those concerns. I do.

But instead of doing a deep dive into the pagan origins of Christmas (there are plenty of YouTube channels doing that very thoroughly), I want to take the opposite approach. I want to talk about meaning. About intention. About redemption.

For me, Christmas is about joy, love, peace, hope—and time.

As a young adult, there were years when my family skipped the big tree-and-gifts routine entirely. Instead, my parents gave us something far more meaningful: time together. We took family vacations. We shared meals, conversations, experiences. No credit card bills. Just the gift of time together.

Those memories matter even more now, especially since some of those family members are no longer here. That gift has lasted far longer than anything wrapped in paper ever could.

I’ve also had the “traditional” Christmases (trees and gifts) during my childhood and I cherish those memories too. I’ve had all kinds of Christmases. And through all of them, the same thing mattered the most: intention.

I’m an inquisitive person. A researcher. A truth-seeker. So no, it probably won’t surprise you that I’ve looked into the origins of Christmas.

And yes, many modern traditions have roots that go back to pagan, Roman, Greek, Persian, or Egyptian civilizations.

People will argue about dates and months. Was Jesus born in December? March? April? September?

Here’s my punchline: the exact date doesn’t matter to me.

I’ve celebrated Christmas on days other than December 25th because of health issues, travel, or family circumstances. So, I don’t put that much value in the actual date. It’s more about the spirit of the season. I don’t attach spiritual significance to a square on the calendar. What matters to me is not when we celebrate, but why we celebrate.

Yes, it may be true that Christ was not born on December 25th. And if that’s news to you, I suspect your response is similar to mine: it doesn’t shake your faith. Because faith isn’t rooted in a date.

For me, Christmas is about stepping away from the busyness of life. It’s about being with family and friends, reflecting on the blessings I’ve been given, and sharing those blessings with others. It’s about joy, love, peace, and hope.

That is what I choose to focus on.

If we’re going to reject everything with pagan roots, we’re going to have a very long to-do list.

Let’s start with the days of the week.

Sunday? Named for the sun.
Monday? Moon day.
Saturday? Saturn’s day.

I’m guessing most people who warn me about Saturn worship still say, “Let’s meet on Saturday.” I know I do—and I’m not lighting candles to Roman gods when I say it.

How about the months?

January comes from Janus, the two-faced Roman god.
March from Mars.
May from Maia.
June from Juno.
July from Julius Caesar.
August from Augustus.

And yet, here we are using these names every day without pledging allegiance to ancient Rome.

Intent matters.

Meaning matters.

Redemption matters.

Christianity didn’t cower in fear of corrupted things. It redeemed them. And that’s exactly how I see Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday that has been reclaimed for joy, light, and truth.

I celebrate Christmas because it’s a season of love. Of warmth. Of generosity. Of hope.

And nowhere is that clearer to me than in the cards and letters you send.

When I read your messages—your encouragement, your prayers, your kindness—I feel God’s love through you. The Bible tells us God is love, and I see that reflected in this Healthy American community every single day.

So, thank you all for the many gifts and cards and letters you sent this Christmas season. I shared several in my video linked above.

That’s how I keep going. Yes, God is my ultimate source—my executive producer, if you will—but your support sustains me in very real ways.

I’ll have a special message for you on New Year’s Eve. Don’t miss it. I, for one, am ready for smoother sailing in 2026.

Merry Christmas, friends. And thank you for all the warmth, peace, and light you bring into my life.