Firstly, I would like to point out that Ignite Now Ministries follows Scripture, the interpretation of Scripture by its Author, which is the Holy Spirit, and adheres to the ordinances set forth therein by God the Father. We do not want to add nor remove from what God ordained. We worship Yahweh in the manner He wants to be worshipped in the Covenant relationship that Jesus, God the Son, established.

Secondly, we follow His way, not our own doctrines or the doctrines of tradition.

1 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

Deut 11:31-Deut 11:32 LSB

For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.

Deut 12:31-Deut 12:32 LSB

You shall not do thus toward Yahweh your God, for every abominable act which Yahweh hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. “Whatever I am commanding you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

Matt 15:4-Matt 15:9 LSB

For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever you might benefit from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commands of men.’”

Thirdly, to know if we should or should not celebrate Christmas, we should first look at HOW GOD WANTS to be worshipped. Therefore, we submit to His Word for correction, guidance, confirmation, and repentance where needed.

2Cor 11:2-2Cor 11:4 LSB

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit which you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you bear this beautifully.

2Cor 11:13-2Cor 11:15 LSB

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Let us delve deeper into the normal questions we get. Just a heads up, it will become somewhat academic, but if you really are seeking thruth, please bear with me.

It doesn’t matter, it is what we make of it… or does it?

Even if it had a pagan origin, it does not matter; it is what we make of it. Here are the basic arguments.

1. Pagans used bells, candles, greenery, and decorations. They also used buildings, songs, bread, water, wine, and even trees. Should we then say that because pagans used it, we should get rid of it? What then about the days of the week, which are all named after pagan gods?
2. The origin of a symbol does not determine its meaning today; current usage thereof does. Even if customs appeared in ancient cultures, it does not define their meaning today for a Christian family worshipping Jesus.

Let us consider the facts and scriptures.

1. Yes, pagans used all of these things too; the everyday usage of them is not the problem. Pagans even created a large part of our societal structure that we as believers are living in; also, not a problem. We need to discern the difference between the objects that pagans used, created, and invented for everyday living (even the days of the week, which were used in the days of Jesus and ancient Israel), and the structure and objects of worship that pagans used. God has a huge issue with that. We are not talking about generic objects, but objects marked for pagan worship, “branded items”, that we introduce to accompany our worship to God. That is the definition of idolatry at heart. What does God say?
   
   

   Deut 12:29-Deut 12:32 LSB“When Yahweh your Elohim cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and inhabit their land, beware lest you be ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and lest you inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ You shall not do thus toward Yahweh your Elohim, for every abominable act which Yahweh hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I am commanding you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

   God says here that we should not borrow from other gods to worship Him. We should not add our own creativity to worship Him in any way, shape, or form. With Christmas, we inserted objects used to worship different kinds of pagan gods and amalgamated all kinds of different customs used towards pagan worship with Christ. We (not God) established a new holy day to commit the atrocity against our holy, sovereign God without fear.
   

2. It is not the heart of the matter; it is God’s heart on the matter. It is not about what we make the object out to be as Christians, or what we currently use it for. It is about the heart of God, how He wants us to worship Him. Ask yourself if the custom you are about to perform, or the object you are about to use, was used in pagan worship. If that object or symbol is associated with, or the custom derived from, idolatry, and/or pagan worship, we can not incorporate it in the same way we worship our God. Saying the origin of a symbol or object does not determine its meaning today creates confusion and will lead to syncretism. Am I permitted to use the satanic star with the snowflakes in my house? No, because of the origin of that symbol and how it is associated with the worship of another god, it taints that symbol, and we are no longer allowed to use it. This is why God gave us feast days with their precepts. That is how He wants us to enjoy His company and spend time with Him.

We have evidence that Christians celebrated Christmas long before pagans did.

Christmas is not the replacement of Saturnalia and Soul Invictus. Historical evidence points to Christians connecting Jesus’ birth to December 25 long before pagans used that day. Pagan celebrations moved towards December 25 as Christianity grew, not the other way around. Read more about it from the Biblical Archaeology Society, Britannica, and Haaretz Archeology.

Really, what does the evidence really say?

This is absolutely false. What does the evidence say? There is no evidence of believers celebrating Christmas before 354AD. Here is a breakdown with supporting documents of the earliest mentions of the celebrations of Jesus’s birth.
According to some scholars: “Around 204, St. Hippolytus of Rome wrote that “the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was eight days before the Kalends of January, the fourth day [i.e., Wednesday], while Augustus was in his forty-second year” (i.e., 3 or 2 B.C.) (Commentary on Daniel 4:23:3).” But this has been debunked as a false copy where text has been added to it centuries later in the midieval manuscripts after Christmas was already instituted by the Roman Church. “Interpolation is certain, and admitted by Funk, Bonwetsch, etc.”

The original manuscript reads as follows: ” For the first coming of Our Lord in the flesh, in Bethlehem, took place in the reign of Augustus in the year 5500. And He suffered in His thirty-third year.” Thus proving that in 205 AD, no date was given, no Christian celebration or festival was ever mentioned by any of the original Church Fathers, including Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Clement.

The pagan winter solstice celebrations were recorded by Plutarch around 46 to 120 AD in Quaestiones Romanae (Roman Questions), specifically in section 72 (or question 115, depending on the edition). This is part of his larger collection of essays and dialogues known as the Moralia. Isis gives “birth to Harpocrates, imperfect and premature.” This is the worship of the Egyptian gods in Rome around the first century, where the birth of a son of a demon is celebrated. It is well known that the worship of Isis had been introduced into the Greco-Roman culture before 330 BC, as found in an Athenian decree from the Piraeus.

Thus, the concept of a divine son being “born” at the winter solstice was not a Christian invention nor a late Roman innovation. It was embedded in ancient sun god worship centuries earlier, especially in Egypt.

A 4th-century Church Father, Epiphanius of Salamis, wrote the following: 

“(5) Greeks, I mean the idolaters, celebrate this day on the eighth before the Kalends of January, which
Romans call Saturnalia, Egyptians Cronia, and Alexandrians, Cicellia.”

This is an explicit testimony from a Church Father confirming that 25 December (8th before the Kalends of January) was already celebrated across multiple pagan cultures. He confirms the idolatry of Saturnalia, Cronia, and Cicellia all on the same day, December 25th. There is no grey area; it is not vague. It is absolutely clear that the 25th of December was firmly established as a pagan religious observance long before it was syncretized with the worship of our God. This is proof that Christmas is a heresy and an abomination to God.

Further confirmation comes from the philocalian calendar, the earliest surviving Roman calendar, esplicitly lists December 25th as Natalis Invicti, the birth of the unconquered son, Sol Invictus, the sun god of the Roman Empire, as early as 274 AD, before the appearance of Christmas around 354 AD. The Roman sun god is minted on Roman coins dating as far back as the 1st century, long before the Roman Catholic Church led the church into idolatry. Tertullian (145-220 AD) criticized the Roman Church for their idolatry, sexual immorality, and their syncretism.

“The Holy Spirit upbraids the Jews with their holy-days.Your Sabbaths, and new moons, and ceremonies,says He,My soulhates.By us, to whom Sabbaths are strange, and the new moons and festivals formerly beloved by God, the Saturnalia and New-year’s and Midwinter’s festivals and Matronalia are frequented — presents come and go — New-year’s gifts — games join their noise — banquets join their din! Oh better fidelity of the nations to their own sect, which claims no solemnity of the Christians for itself! Not the Lord’s day, not Pentecost, even it they had known them, would they have shared with us; for they would fear lest they should seem to be Christians.We are not apprehensive lest we seem to be heathens!”

Jacob Bar Salibi, a Roman Catholic Bishop in 1100, admitted that they changed it on purpose! You can read all about it here. He admits the following:

The reason, then, why the fathers of the church moved the January 6th celebration to December 25th was this, they say: it was the custom of the heathen to celebrate on this same December 25th the birthday of the Sun, and they lit lights then to exalt the day. Even Christians were participants in these rites and ceremonies. When, therefore, the teachers of the Church saw that Christians inclined to this custom, they established a plan.  The true Natal feast would be celebrated on this day, and Epiphany on January 6th…

What an abomination! We already know what God says about such a practice in His scriptures.

Even early Church Fathers calculated it!

Early Church Fathers, such as Tertullian and Augustine of Hippo, believed Jesus was conceived on March 25th because He died on the same date. This is known as the Calculation Hypothesis.

Oh really? Let’s look at the evidence.

Again, this is incorrect. Yes, many early Christians adhered to a Jewish tradition that great prophets and righteous men died on the same calendar day they were conceived or born, representing a “perfect” or “integral” lifespan. But long after Tertullian in 200 CE, Clement of Alexandria made the first mention thereof.

And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus, and in the twenty-fifth day of Pachon (May 20th). And the followers of Basilides hold the day of his baptism as a festival, spending the night before in readings. And they say that it was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cæsar, the fifteenth day of the month Tubi (Jan 10th); and some that it was the eleventh of the same month (Jan 6th). And treating of His passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, on the twenty-fifth of Phamenoth (Mar 21st); and others the twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi (Apr 20th) and others say that on the nineteenth of Pharmuthi the Saviour suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the twenty-fourth (Apr 19th) or twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi (Apr 20th).

Tertullian never mentions a specific birthday for Christ, and nowhere in his writings does he mention any form of the calculation hypothesis. There is no evidence that Tertullian believed Jesus was born on the 25th of December. None whatsoever. Some scholars point to Chapter 8 in his work “An Answer to the Jews.” Yet, after reading through it, it is obvious that there is no mention at all. Follow the link, and you will see for yourself.

Clement was the first to propose various dates for the birthday of Christ. Yet even Clement never mentions 25 December as a viable option. If it were true that Christians celebrated the birth of Christ before pagans, then Clement would have certainly mentioned it. This calculation hypothesis only appears in later writings, especially in the manuscripts of Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE).

Just because you read something on Google Search or watched a YouTube video, does not make it true. You must have primary sources that show what these quotes say and where they came from.

It doesn’t matter, we will redeem the festival for Christ!!

Even if it were a pagan holy day, it would not be wrong to redeem it. A redeeming culture is not participation in it.

Does Christ redeem cultures and festivals?

Is God into redeeming cultures? What does the Bible say about that? Can God redeem Christmas even if it was pagan? I did not find any Scripture where any pagan holy day, worship festival, or pagan sacred calendar date is taken, renamed, and approved by God for His worship. Did you?

Instead, I found these Scriptures where pagan days are destroyed, altars are torn down, and pagan festivals are rejected by God, even if they are done in His name!!

 2 Corinthians 6:14-17

Mark 7:6-9

Christ came to redeem nations and people.

1 Peter 1:17-19 says:

And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourn, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

We are celebrating an event, not a date or a day.

So even if the date is not the exact day of Jesus’ birth, it is the event of His birth that we are celebrating.

Nope, we are not… Here is why.

Okay, I will now tell my wife, “Listen, I love you, but I want to celebrate your birthday on my ex-girlfriend’s birthday, because I am just celebrating the event and not the day.” Imagine the wrath of that woman… I will most probably end up in three different wards in the hospital.

How much more with a sovereign God, who specified the dates for specific festivals. He set the times and seasons. He instructed Noah with precise measurements on how to build the Ark. Look what happened to Abihu and Nadab when they offered strange fire to God. Do you really want to test His patience? What do you think He will be doing when He returns? Have you read what He says He is about to do to the nations in the book of Revelations?

Why did God give specific dates for festivals like Sukkot, Yom Kippur, and so on? Is it now okay to change the dates of these events to suit my convenience, just because we are celebrating an event, and not a day? Is God concerned about your decisions based on your convenience? No, He wants obedience according to His standard, not yours. You can not tweak the Word of God to fit your preferences; that is heresy, disobedience, idolatry, and rebellion.

The Bible doesn’t command us to celebrate Christmas.

The bible also does not command us to celebrate weddings, mothersday, fathersday, womensday, etc. Yet we do these things, and we do them to the Lord. So the Bible also does not forbid us from celebrating Jesus’ birth.

In Romans 14:5-8 Paul talks about celebrating one day, esteeming another day and so on. He says the following:

“One person judges one day above another, another judges every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards the day, regards it for the Lord, and he who eats, eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not eat, for the Lord he does not eat and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die,we are the Lord’s.”

So Christmas only becomes sinful when you celebrate it in sin, but if you celebrate it as unto the Lord, it becomes worship. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 10:31

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Say what?!

This is really bad exegesis. Romans 14 is used here out of context. So what is the context? The context is about fasting days, not about worship days. If you look at what Romans 13 refers to, leading up to Romans 14, it reads as follows:

“Let us walk properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

And then Romans 14:1-2

“Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats must not view the one who does not eat with contempt, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, for God accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person judges one day above another, another judges every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards the day, regards it for the Lord, and he who eats, eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not eat, for the Lord he does not eat and gives thanks to God.”

So Paul is explaining in Romans 14 how fasting was a serious matter in the 1st century, and that when you fast, it should be unto the Lord.

And then, if we look at 1 Corinthians 10, we have a similar problem. Using one verse without the context of the whole chapter is dangerous. So if I were to apply this way of interpretation, “as long as I do it unto the Lord, it’s okay,” I can use, for example, a satanic holiday, draw the pentagram, light the candles, and then pray to Yahweh in that pentagram? Look what happened to Saul, he was infested with a demonic spirit that tormented him till the day he died. You can just say, “I’m gonna have sex with as many people I want and do it unto the Lord.” You can literally change every scripture and just put icing on the top and say, “Oh, I’m doing it unto the Lord, therefore it makes it okay.”

Look at the example of Jeroboam. He tried that. He did it unto the Lord, on a date that was convenient for him. He created two different worship sites at Dan and Bethel. And God rejected it, but worse, God rejected Jeroboam. In Exodus 32, the Israelites “thought they were worshiping Yahweh,” using the golden calf as a mediator. They did it as unto the Lord, and God rejected it, and about three thousand men died. God will not accept worship that He did not authorize; that is what Deuteronomy 12 is all about.

This type of teaching is blatantly false and very dangerous when we teach people that you can do whatever you want as long as it is unto the Lord.

Even if the world is abusing Christmas, it is still a sacred day unto God.

Just because people are making lots of money out of it, and get drunk on Christmas day, we should still treat it as sacred. The world only hijacked it.

No, from a biblical perspective, Christmas is not sacred.

Only God can declare something sacred (Kadosh) according to Leviticus 20:7-8, Leviticus 23. It is God who sets something apart; then it is sacred. When men set something apart, it is a tradition. We are not taking something back that God created, for example, marriage. Christmas was never given to us by God to begin with, and we are trying to take it back. What is the implication of such worship? Think about it. According to scripture, it is forbidden (by God) to assimilate a pagan festival with the worship of God.

What are we supposed to redeem from the world?

We are only permitted to redeem days, festivals, and objects that God declared sacred and which the enemy distorted. We are obliged to take that back from the world. Anything that God has made holy, we’re supposed to keep it holy (Leviticus 20:7-8). “Be holy for I am holy” Leviticus 11:44-45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:26, 1 Peter 1:16, Matthew 4:48.

As worshipers of a holy God, how can we take something that He deemed unholy, for example, a Buddha statue, wash it with some holy water, pray over it, and “plead the blood of Jesus” over it, and now deem it holy? Yahweh has ordained holy days for us; He set them apart, He made them holy and sacred for us to keep holy and sacred. We are forbidden to move them to other days, or change the way He commanded us to worship Him, or incorporate pagan dates and use them towards worshiping God. IT IS FORBIDDEN.

The Christmas tree is not pagan, and neither is Santa Claus

The Christmas tree and Santa Claus are of Germanic origin, therefore they can not be pagan.

Ho ho ho Odin, or is it now Saint Nick?

Odin rides a chariot with an eight-legged horse, Saint Nick rides a chariot with eight reindeer, and then Rudolph is added in the 19th Century to disguise the syncretism. But wait, Saint Nick is a saint of the church… 

The pagan symbols and origins can not be connected to our modern Christmas festival.

Yes, there are parallels, that is true, but parallels do not prove the pagan origin of Christmas. If we removed everything pagans ever touched, we would need to stop using calendars, horse wagons, wedding rings, cancel birthdays, remove every evergreen tree, never sing songs in minor keys, and avoid every city named after pagan gods. In other words, we will have to leave the world. But Jesus prayed to God the Father:

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”

John 17:15 LSB

It is not about the parallels; it is about the origin

We have already differentiated between objects for everyday use and objects used for worship. As covered before, Deuteronomy 12 is specifically and exclusively talking about using objects for pagan worship, not everyday use. Once you cross that line, you are practicing idolatry. There is a huge difference between the eye of Horus and wearing a wedding ring, or placing a baby in a crib under a Christmas tree (Tree of Donar).

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

Usually, pastors would handle it like this.

“So if your concience allow you, celebrate it to the glory of God. If your conscience bothers you, don’t celebrate it, but do not judge others who do. As Romans 14 guides us, if we celebrate Christmas, we should celebrate it as unto the Lord. If we don’t celebrate it, don’t bind others with your personal convictions…”

Is this the way of Christ?

Let me unpack this statement quickly.

I should celebrate it to the glory of God. How can I glorify God on my terms? Or am I not to glorify God according to His commandments?

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” – John 14:15

“Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” – Genesis 4:4-5

And he took this from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” And Aaron looked and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.” – Exodus 32:4-5

“…But Yahweh your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” However, they did not listen, but they were acting according to their earlier custom. So while these nations were fearing Yahweh, they also were serving their graven images; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers acted, so they are acting this way to this day. – 2 Kings 17:39-41

If your conscience bothers you, don’t celebrate it, but do not judge others. Are we not to correct eachother when we see a brother in error? Or are we to leave him in his deception?

“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Are you not to judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God will judge. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” – 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.” – Matthew 18:15-17

“Now He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” – Luke 17:1-3

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death…. Little children, guard yourselves fromidols. – 1 John 5:16-21

Better is reproof that is revealed Than love that is hidden. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. – Proverbs 27:5-6

There is a plethora of Scripture that speaks against this practice and the false guidance of staying quiet and saying nothing. Go read Galatians 6:1-5, Ephesians 4:13-32. We are obliged to speak out to save, not to condemn.

Don’t bind others with your personal convictions. So all the Apostles and Church Fathers were wrong to bind others with their personal convictions about Jesus, idolatry, resurrection, ascetism, and abstinence? I would think Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the two Johns will have something different to say…

Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 3:1-2

From that time Jesus began to preach (or proclaim) and say,“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17

But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. – Acts 2:14

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. – Acts 17: 16-17

And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. – 1 John 1:5-7

There are no grey areas in God, and if we walk or worship in “grey” areas, we should repent and turn back to Him in pure, unadulterated worship, free from all idolatry.

Romans 14 context

We can not apply Romans 14 to the context of Christmas, because it is not written in the context of holy days. Romans 14 is written in the context of fasting days, which God did not specify. He permits us to fast, so we are free to choose which days we would like to set apart for fasting. That is the true context of Romans 14.

1 Corinthians 10 Context

People often reference 1 Corinthians 10:31 as permission to celebrate Christmas.

“Whether, then, you eat or drink orwhatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

But that has nothing to do with holy days. The context of this chapter is idolatry through unbelief, and a warning against precisely what we have been discussing in this article, syncretism! 

Unbelief

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased. For they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” – 1 Corinthians 10:1-7

Syncretism

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. – 1 Corinthians 10:14

Look at the nation Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord tojealousy? Are we stronger than He? – 1 Corinthians 10:18-22

So yes, do everything you do as unto the Lord, especially in fleeing from idolatry!!!!

I have given you the links and the evidence for the origin of Christmas. You now have to make a choice. Do you choose Jesus, or do you choose idolatry? You can not serve the holy God the Son and demons. You must choose. 

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and calamity; in that I am commanding you today to love Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not listen, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your seed, by loving Yahweh your God, by listening to His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” – Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Here as some YouTube content that I recommend
Jim Staley on the origin of Christmas