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Celebration isintrinsic to human nature. As God's image bearers we are compelled to celebrate—just as He did when He called His creation good, just as He did when He exalted His Son on top of a mountain, just as the angels and elders do around His throne. God even commanded celebrations in His name, providing the Jews specific instructions for feasts and holidays.

With the coming of Christ things changed a bit. God's people were no longer required to hold specific holy days above all others, because that was a feature of the Law that Christ fulfilled in our place and freed us from. The apostle Paul summarizes in Romans 14:5: One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

That's not to say there aren't good reasons to observe certain holidays, especially those memorializing key events or elements of the Christian faith. We look to the Sabbath, or Lord's Day, as our day of worship, and the Christian calendar is a good guide to those days traditionally observed by the Church, with special emphasis on Advent and Christmas, Easter and Lent, and Pentecost. If you're so inclined, there are a bajillion saint days in honor of famous and lesser-known champions of the faith.

Many will argue that Christians should celebrate none of these holidays. The point isn't that the events commemorated aren't central to the Christian faith, but that their formalized celebration by the Church was simply a "christianization" of similar pagan holidays in the Roman and Near Eastern worlds. For instance, Christmas as observed on December 25th is really a Christian version of the Roman Saturnalia, a festival devoted to the sun; Easter is named after the Babylonian fertility goddess, and celebrates her union with the god Tammuz.

The similarities between the Christian holidays and their pagan counterparts are indeed fascinating. However, we take this as affirmation of God's sovereignty, not as a reason to avoid holiday celebrations. Through His death and resurrection, Christ redeemed all things and reclaimed them in His name.

"All things" includes holidays. Indeed, what Christ has done and what He gives us should be celebrated every day of the year, but to choose specific days for observance can help re-center our all-too-often selfish existences on Him. We do need to be careful not to simply accept worldly standards for our holidays (the commercialization of Christmas, the nonsense Easter bunnies, etc.), but we need to be equally sure we aren't refraining from genuine celebration just because those standards exist. God has given us all cause for joy, and it's our duty and pleasure to thank Him.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here. 

 

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Active Filters: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6)
'Tis the Season
by Cooper Edens
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
by Matt Tavares
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Advent and Christmas In Family Worship
by Doug & Amy Hayes
from Home Fires Publishing
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Alfie's Christmas
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah
by Emily Jenkins
from Schwartz & Wade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Amazing Peace
by Maya Angelou, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
from Schwartz & Wade
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
An Edwardian Christmas
by John S. Goodall
from Atheneum
for Preschool-Adult
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Animals' Christmas Carol
by Helen Ward
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Babar and Father Christmas
by Jean De Brunhoff
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Baboushka and the Three Kings
by Ruth Robbins, Nicolas Sidjakov (Illustrator)
from Houghton Mifflin
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1961 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Babushka
by Charles Mikolaycak
1st edition from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Babushka
by Charles Mikolaycak
1st edition from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Becky's Christmas
by Tasha Tudor
from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Bee My Valentine
by Miriam Cohen, illustrated by Lillian Hoban
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Better Than Anything Christmas
by Barbara Reaoch
from Good Book Company
for Preschool-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$9.99
Blessed Are You
by Michelle Edwards
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
Bugle, A Puppy in Old Yorktown
by Mary Andrews, Illustrated by Manning de V. Lee
from Rand McNally
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Chanukah in Chelm
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chicken Sunday
by Patricia Polacco
from PaperStar Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Children's Letters to Santa Claus
by Bill Adler, compiler; illustrated by Yanni Posnakoff
from Essandess
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Christmas Alphabet
by Robert Sabuda
from Orchard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from William Heinemann
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Christmas Carol (abridged)
by Charles Dickens, abridged and illustrated by Mercer Mayer
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Christmas Carol (adapted)
by Charles Dickens, adapted by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Dean Morrissey
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-7th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Carol Miracle
by Luise Putcamp
from Abingdon Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Christmas Cat
by Efner Tudor Holmes, Tasha Tudor (Illustrator)
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher
by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Vip
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Christmas Folk
by Natalia M. Belting, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Christmas in Noisy Village
by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Ilon Wikland
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Christmas in the Barn
by Margaret Wise Brown
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Is Here
by Lauren Castillo
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$12.99
Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P. J. Lynch
20th Anniversary from Candlewick Press
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Poems
by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
from Holiday House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Rocket
by Anne Molloy
from Purple House Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.99
Christmas Story
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Countdown to Christmas
by Bill Peet
from Golden Gate Junior Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Christmas
by Wende & Harry Devlin
First Edition from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Christmas
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.99
Cranberry Easter
by Wende and Harry Devlin
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Cranberry Halloween
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Donkey's Dream
by Barbara Helen Berger
First Edition from Philomel Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Donkey's Dream
by Barbara Helen Berger
from Sandcastle Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Draw Write Now Book 3
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Early American Christmas
by Tomie dePaola
from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Easter Bunny, Are You for Real?
by Harold Myra, illustrated by Dwight Walles
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Easter Egg
by Jan Brett
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Egg Tree
by Katherine Milhous
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
1951 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Expected One
by Scott James
from B&H Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$12.99
Famous Figures of the American Revolution
from Figures in Motion
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$12.00 (4 in stock)
Fir Tree
Scandinavia Fairy Tales
by Hans Christian Andersen, Translated by Hans Henrik Breitenstein, Illustrated by Tiziana Gironi
from Word Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
First Christmas
by Marcia Williams
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
First Thanksgiving
by Jean Craighead George
from Putnam Juvenile
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.99
First Thanksgiving Feast
by Joan Anderson
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Forever Christmas Tree
by Yoshiko Uchida, illustrated by Kazue Mizumura
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Holidays / Church Calendar (Location: HOLIDAY)
Frosty the Snow Man
by Annie North Bedford
from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
George Balanchine's The Nutcracker
from Barnes & Noble
for Preschool-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
George Washington: America's Patriot
Heroes of History for Young Readers
by Renee Meloche
from Emerald Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Heroes for Young Readers (Location: BIO-HERO)
Gift
by R. Kent Hughes, Illustrated by Ron DiCianni, Calligraphy by Timothy R. Botts
from Crossway Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Picture Book Studio
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Gift of the Magi: Collectors Edition
by O. Henry, illustrated by Robert Sauber
from Unicorn Publishing House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Gingerbread Baby
by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gingerbread for Liberty! OSI
by Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Giving Thanks
by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Holidays / Church Calendar (Location: HOLIDAY)
Golden Christmas Treasury
by Rick Bunsen (editor)
from Golden Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hardest Word
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
He is Risen
by Patti Rokus
from Zondervan
for Preschool-1st grade
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas
by Phyllis McGinley, illustrated by Kurt Werth
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Christmas Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
I Spy Christmas
by Jean Marzollo, Walter Wick (Photographer)
from Cartwheel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$14.99
Jesse Tree
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Eerdmans
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Jesse Tree
by Geraldine McCaughrean
Reprint from Eerdmans
for Preschool-5th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Jesus Rose for Me
Beginner's Gospel Story Book
by Jared Kennedy, Illustrated by Trish Mahoney
from New Growth Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
Jewish Child's First Book of Why
by Alfred J. Kolatch, illustrated by Harry Araten
from Jonathan David Publishers
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
Jolly Old Santa Claus
from Ideals Publications
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Legend of the Poinsettia
by Tomie dePaola
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Legend of the Poinsettia
by Tomie dePaola
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Letters from Father Christmas
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Revised from Mariner Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$25.00
Letters from Father Christmas
by J. R. R. Tolkien, introduction by Bailie Tolkien
Centenary Edition from William Morrow & Company
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$32.00
Liberty!
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Random House
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99
Lion in the Box
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
Little Child
by Jessie Orton Jones & Elizabeth Orton Jones
from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Little Drummer Boy
by Ezra Jack Keats
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little Fir Tree
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Littlest Angel
by Charles Tazewell, Illustrated by Sergio Leone
Reprint from Ideals Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Living Nativity
by Helen and David Haidle
from Honor Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Long Ago on a Silent Night
by Julie Berry, Illustrated by Annie Won
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Madeline's Christmas
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Mission Accomplished
by Scott James
from New Growth Press
for All ages
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Mole Family's Christmas
by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban
from Parents Magazine Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Molly's Pilgrim
A Bantam First Skylark
by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (5 in stock)
Morris's Disappearing Bag
by Rosemary Wells
from Dial Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Mousekin's Christmas Eve
by Edna Miller
from Prentice Hall
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert San Souci, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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