Everyone has their habits over the Christmas period. Most of these feel harmless & some are actually quite generous, but a few of them seem to go against what Jesus actually said. Yes, some of the most common things we do go against Jesus’s teaching in the Gospels. Here are six of these habits. Just remember, we’re not trying to suggest that anyone’s somehow less Christian for doing these.
1. Posting charity photos as proof
No matter how much you give, the gesture becomes performative when you keep photographing & sharing every donation. It’s actually something that Jesus addressed in Matthew 6:1-4. He warned His followers not to announce their giving publicly. Doing so, according to the Bible, would turn generosity into a way of managing your reputation, rather than obeying the Lord. Perhaps it’d be better to be charitable without telling the whole world about it.
2. Treating Black Friday as the start of Christmas
The Christmas season often begins in the United States with Black Friday, rather than Advent. That’s quite ironic, given what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24. He says that devotion to money competes with devotion to God, and that seems to be exactly what people are doing during Black Friday. Starting the festive season with consumption isn’t right. It’s almost as though some people are changing the focus of Christmas, even before the special day has arrived.
3. Keeping score by exchanging equal-value gifts
54% of Americans who give gifts over the Christmas period will participate in Secret Santa, according to a survey by OnePoll. Many of these gift exchanges have price limits & rules on what things count as “fair” gifts. But that goes directly against what Jesus mentions in Luke 14:12-14. In this verse, He tells people to give to others without expecting to receive anything in return, and theologian Craig S Keener argues in The IVP Bible Background Commentary that Jesus saw generosity as one direction. Making gift exchanges score-based defeats that purpose.
4. Going to Christmas worship while arguing
Matthew 5:23-24 contains a rather clear command from Jesus. He says that you should stop worshiping & try to fix any broken relationships you may have with your loved ones, putting reconciliation above religious ritual. But that’s not what you see today. Instead, families go to church on Christmas Day out of habit, without trying to fix the issues between them. Worship without resolving family issues goes against what Jesus said we should prioritize.
5. Drinking heavily over Christmas
Alcohol has stopped being optional at the majority of Christmas parties, with research from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism finding that alcohol consumption peaks during the festive period. Yet Jesus warned against such behavior. He repeatedly warned against drunkenness in the Bible, including in Luke 21:34, and He criticized intoxication for its excess. But it’s all too common for Christmas gatherings to be drinking-first events.
6. Using Christmas tipping to replace year-round care
It’s so normal to tip extra during the holidays, especially for delivery workers & other service staff. Research from the International Journal of Hospitality Management found that Americans tend to tip more during the holidays, which is sometimes meant to substitute for giving the rest of the year. However, Jesus’s words in Matthew 25:35-40 show that we should care for those around us every day. Seasonal gestures that disappear in January aren’t good enough, apparently.
Our bad Christmas habits don’t necessarily come from bad intentions. Rather, we continue doing these things because they’re familiar & easy to repeat every festive period, without us having to question where they came from. But maybe it’s time for us to start doing exactly that, especially those who want to live more like Jesus taught.
