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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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263 Items found Print
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1776
by David McCullough
from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$18.99
Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys
by Patricia Lee Gauch, illustrated by Margot Tomes
from Betterway Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Adventures of Munford: The American Revolution
by Jamie Aramini
1st edition from Geography Matters
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of the American Revolution
by Susan Olasky
from P&R Publishing
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
AIO Imagination Station Book #06
by Marianne Hering & Marshal Younger
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$6.79
AIO Imagination Station Book #12
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$6.79
AIO Imagination Station Book #13
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$6.79
AIO Imagination Station Book #14
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$6.79
AIO Imagination Station Book #15
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$5.09
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
from Penguin Random House
for 11th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Alfie's Christmas
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU)
$7.64 $4.00 (3 in stock)
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)
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.04
American Revolution
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
American Revolution for Kids
by Janis Herbert
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Revolutionaries
by Milton Meltzer
from HarperCollins
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
American Twins of the Revolution
by Lucy Fitch Perkins
from Salem Ridge Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Amon's Adventure
by Arnold Ytreeide
from Kregel Publications
Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$18.99
Anne Bradstreet
by Heidi L. Nichols
from P&R Publishing
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$9.79 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Anne Bradstreet
Christian Renegades Series
by Doug Wilson
3rd edition from Canon Press
Biography for
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.56
Annie Henry and the Secret Mission
Adventures of the American Revolution
by Susan Olasky
from Crossway Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Ashes
Seeds of America #3
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
At Seneca Castle
by William W. Canfield
from Salem Ridge Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Babushka
by Charles Mikolaycak
1st edition from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Bartholomew's Passage
by Arnold Ytreeide
from Kregel Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$18.99
Beginning of the Republic
A Basic History of the United States Volume 2
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-BHUS)
$17.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Benjamin Franklin
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
Benjamin Franklin, American Genius
by Brandon Marie Miller
from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Biography of Benjamin Franklin
Sons of Liberty Series
by William M. Thayer
from A Beka Books
for 5th-9th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
Biography of George Washington
Sons of Liberty Series
by William M. Thayer
from A Beka Books
for 5th-9th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
Birds' Christmas Carol
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Black Heroes of the American Revolution
by Burke Davis
1992 Odyssey Classics edition from Clarion Books
for 5th-8th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99
Boston Tea Party
by James E. Knight
Other Printing from Troll Associates
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Boston Tea Party
from Troll Communications
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Boys of '76
by Charles Coffin
from Maranatha Publications
Historical Reference for 10th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
Bread and Wine
by C. S. Lewis, Henri Nouwen, et al
from Orbis Books
for 10th-Adult
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Bulletproof George Washington
by David Barton
2nd edition from WallBuilder Press
Biography for 9th-adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Bulletproof George Washington
by David Barton
3rd edition from WallBuilder Press
Biography for 9th-adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Buttons for General Washington
by Peter & Connie Roop
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Carols for Choirs 1: Fifty Christmas Carols
by Reginald Jacques and David Willcocks, edited and arranged by
from Oxford University
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$13.59
Celebrate the Feasts
by Martha Zimmerman
from Bethany House
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Celebrating Biblical Feasts
by Martha Zimmerman
from Bethany House
for Adult
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
$16.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Chains
Seeds of America #1
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chains
Seeds of America #1
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Chicken Sunday
by Patricia Polacco
from PaperStar Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49
Christ in Easter
by Charles Colson, et al.
from NavPress
for Adult
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Christ in Easter
by Charles Colson, et al.
from NavPress
for Adult
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Christ in the Passover
by Ceil Rosen, Moishe Rosen
from Moody Press
for 9th-Adult
in Holidays / Church Calendar (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Christ of Christmas
by James Montgomery Boice
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Compass
by Alta Halverson Seymour
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
by Fredrick & Patricia McKissack
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1995 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
Christmas Rat
by Avi
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Christmas Songs and Carols for Guitar
by Arranged with Tabulature by David Nadal
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Trolls
by Jan Brett
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Experience
A Basic History of the United States Volume 1
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-BHUS)
$17.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Kids
by Laurie Carlson
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Colonial Period: 1607-1750
American History by Era Volume 2
by Brenda Stalcup (editor)
from Greenhaven Press
for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Coloring Book of the American Revolution
by Harry Knill
from Bellerophon Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.59
Daughter of Liberty
by Robert Quackenbush
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent
by John Piper
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$9.99
Declaration of Independence in Translation
by Amie J, Leavitt
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Donkey's Dream
by Barbara Helen Berger
from Sandcastle Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Down Ryton Water
by E.R. Gaggin
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-6th grade
1942 Newbery Honor
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.60 (2 in stock)
Early Thunder
by Jean Fritz
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.79 $3.20 (3 in stock)
Eating the Plates
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-9th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Egg Tree
by Katherine Milhous
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
1951 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World
by Douglas Kelly
from P&R Publishing
in Government & Civics Resources (Location: GOV-REF)
Encounter at Easton
by Avi
from Beech Tree Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC)
Eve of Revolution
by Barbara Burt
from National Geographic
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Faith and Freedom Trilogy
Faith and Freedom
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$33.97
Faith Unfurled
from History Compass
for 4th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Family Celebrations
by Ann Hibbard
1st edition from Wolgemuth and Hyatt
for Adult
in Holidays / Church Calendar (Location: HOLIDAY)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays
by Malka Drucker
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-7th grade
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
Famous Figures of the American Revolution
from Figures in Motion
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Fiddler's Green
Fin's Revolution #2
by A. S. Peterson
from Rabbit Room Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.44
Fiddler's Gun
Fin's Revolution #1
by A. S. Peterson
1st edition from Rabbit Room Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.44
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 Philomel Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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)
First Thanksgiving OSI
Step into Reading Level 3
by Linda Hayward
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
For Signs and Seasons
by Duane Garner
from Athanasius Press
for 10th-Adult
in Holidays / Church Calendar (Location: HOLIDAY)
$14.95
Forge
Seeds of America #2
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Founding Brothers
by Joseph J. Ellis
from Vintage Classics
for 11th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
Fourth of July Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$7.64
Francis Asbury
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biographies for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19 $4.80 (1 in stock)
George vs. George
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.95
George Washington
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
George Washington
by James Giblin & Michael Dooling
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
George Washington
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
George Washington
Sowers Series
by Norma Cournow Camp
from Mott Media
Biography for 6th-8th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
George Washington
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.64
George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington's Sacred Fire
by Peter A. Lillback
1st edition from Providence Forum Press
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
George Washington's World
by Genevieve Foster, expanded by Joanna Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
History Reference/Biography for 7th-10th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$15.00 (2 in stock)
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