This was the title of an article appearing in a recent fundamentalist publication. The writer was lamenting how Santa Claus had replaced the savior in the Christmas celebration. He asked, "who sits on the throne in the department store, enjoys the place of honor in the parade, is adored by trembling little eyes, hears their prayers, and promises when he comes unexpectedly on Christmas night, he will reward those who are good?"

The writer was laying down a beautiful case for the abandoning of old Kriss Kringle. But suddenly, he dismantled everything he had built when he said, "Yet, Santa is here, and it does little good to rant and rave, 'Bah! Humbug!' like old Scrooge or to tell kids there is no Santa Claus when the child sees him everywhere!"

Such is the reasoning of those who would really rather not see the demise of a holiday they have come to cherish, regardless of what their minds and hearts tell them is the proper, Biblical thing to do.

In the same publication, the editor wrote a column entitled, "Should We Observe Christmas?" In it, he answered a letter he received advising him against it. Our comments follow his.

"You say there is no Scripture commanding us to observe [Yeshua's] birth. I fail to see your point."

The point is, if YEHOVAH God Almighty intended man to keep the birthday of the Messiah there would be no question about when the celebration is to be observed. We would not run up against total silence on the matter.

But YEHOVAH is explicit on the seven annual days He expects man to observe, telling us exactly when to keep them and why. He details how others kept them and when. And He repeatedly commands that they be observed "forever." Shouldn't that tell us all we need to know about what days are important to YEHOVAH God and what are not?

"I'm not worshiping pagan deities when I keep Christmas. I'm honoring the Savior's birth " argue many.

The Bible is clear: we cannot mix the holy with the profane. "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and  not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot be partakers of the LORD's table, and the table of devils" (1 Corinthians 10:20-21). The prophet echoed, "Learn not the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2).

Furthermore, there is no passage that condones adding to what has been given. In fact, we are warned at the end of the Bible against adding worship that isn't in the Scriptures. "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18).

Others might say: "You are mistaken, however, when you say there is 'no historical record or account, sacred or profane, of the early churches observing His birth or Christmas.'"

Indeed, the churches of the third century and beyond began to keep an enhanced pagan Roman Saturnalia with so-called Christian symbolism. That's how we came to see all the supposed religious imagery mixed in with pagan trappings.

But nowhere do we find the apostles, disciples, or the Messiah himself hanging up stockings, decorating Christmas trees, eating ham, drinking eggnog, and exchanging presents on December 25 -- or at any other time.

We do find them observing the Passover, Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Shouldn't that be our example? How can you follow an example that doesn't exist?

Could such a seemingly innocent thing as celebrating the savior's birthday cause one to lose one's salvation? Didn't YEHOVAH's Word say that His truth was changed into a lie? Shouldn't we worship Him in spirit and in truth?

If we can see or understand that the time of the celebration of the Messiah's birth is wrong, and yet still cling to a lie, then where is repentance? We are told to repent and believe the evangel (truth), Mark 1:15. If there is no repentance from sin, deceit, falsehood, and lies, then there is no salvation.

YEHOVAH God has carefully hidden the time, to keep man from doing what man has done anyway -- create a huge, commercialized, deceitful celebration of the savior's birth. We must seek YEHOVAH's will, not man's.

YEHOVAH's law says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:4).

When YEHOVAH God says "anything that is in heaven or earth beneath or water under the earth," that covers everything!

The Messiah said we must worship YEHOVAH in spirit. Can we see spirit? I can't. If there is someone who can I would like to know because I have a myriad of questions to be answered. But, here again, man always does the opposite of that which YEHOVAH commands, doesn't he?

Are not the images portrayed in the Christmas scene exactly that? Don't people look on them in worshipful admiration? Don't they sing songs of praise and worship to them?

I wonder how many have secretly or even openly prayed to them? What about crosses and pictures hanging in churches and homes?

The commandment continues, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:5-6).

Satan knows that man wants to see what he is worshiping. Man is physical, fleshly, and deals with the physical world. We like to see, hear, feel, taste, and touch things in order to believe.

The evil one has deceived man into turning from the truth of this commandment and rationalizing that these traditional images are okay.

How many realize that the wise men were never present at the manger scene? Notice in Luke 2:8-20 that angels made the announcement of the Messiah's birth to shepherds who came to find the baby in the manger. The shepherds then "made known abroad" the saying concerning the child and then returned to their flocks.

Considering the fact that the shepherds made these events known abroad, while the wise men caused such a stir in Jerusalem, it would have been no problem for Herod to have dispatched soldiers to seek out the child and find him.

Matthew 2:9-11 states that the star they had seen earlier announcing his birth appeared to the wise men, leading them to the young child. Verse 11 says, "And when they were come into the house" -- not a barn, stall or manger.

The wise men were warned not to return to Herod, so they departed another way into their own country. When Herod finally realized that his intentions to slay the child were foiled, he sent forth and slew all the children of Bethlehem from two years old and under, "according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men," verse 16.

The words, "diligently inquired" can be translated "accurately inquired" or "exactly inquired."

If he slew all children two years of age and under according to the accurate or exact time, then doesn't it seem logical that the wise men appeared somewhere around one to one and a half years after the Messiah's birth?

Other points to consider in refuting an early arrival of the wise men is that Luke states that Yeshua was taken to Jerusalem to be presented to YEHOVAH God according to the Law of Moses, which said, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD" (Luke 2:23).

Miriam's Offering

The law of Moses states that the woman was to be unclean for a period of 40 days after bearing a male child, Leviticus 12:2-4. She was then to bring an offering of purification to the door of the tabernacle (temple) of the congregation. This offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, was given to the priest, Leviticus 12:6.

Joseph and Miriam were still in the Jerusalem area 40 days later because when the days of her purification were accomplished, they brought the Messiah to Jerusalem to present Him to YEHOVAH God, Luke 2:22.

But notice also her offering: "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." What does this verse mean? YEHOVAH had provided for the poor. If they were not financially able to offer a lamb, then they were to offer two turtledoves or two pigeons, Leviticus 12:8.

This offering refutes any idea that Yeshua the Messiah was born to rich, well-to-do parents. They were so poor that they couldn't even afford a lamb. But it also refutes the idea that the wise men had already appeared with their expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Had they done so, Joseph and Miriam would have had the means to afford a lamb.

A Great Mystery

Let's consider something else that has been hidden from view. The deceitful Christmas scene has become so traditional, much of the real truth and meaning has become hidden from view.

True enough, the announcement that a king and savior has been born is declared, but what about other symbols that are not so easily discerned, but that also reveal and prophesy of Yeshua the Messiah?

Bethlehem, true enough, was the city of king David, which in conjunction with the genealogical heritage of David speaks of Yeshua as the prophesied King. But how many realize that the name "Bethlehem" in the Hebrew means "House of Bread"?

What does this speak of? The Messiah said, "I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eats of this bread shall live forever" (John 6:35, 48-51, 53-58).

When he was born, his mother placed him in a manger (Gr. phatne, from pateornai [to eat]; a crib [for fodder]: manger). Animals were to eat their food from the crib or manger. In other words, it was a feeding trough.