--------The Candy Cane----------

The Legend (I say legend because I cannot verify the validity of this story) goes that a candy maker wanted to make something that symbolized Jesus Christ thus the Candy Cane was born. The white part is supposed to represent the purity of Jesus Christ because he was the only man that ever lived who is sinless. The red part represents the blood that Jesus shed for our sins and it also represents the stripes he received just before he was crucified. The J shape of the candy is supposed to be J for Jesus.

This story is probably not true at all but I see nothing wrong with using a candy cane as a symbol for Jesus.

-----------The Christmas Tree--------

When you look at a Christmas tree, what do you see? Just a large piece of wood with pretty decorations on it? Looking at the tree from the perspective of this being a holiday in which we celebrate the birth of Christ, you can view the tree in a whole new light.

First of all Jesus died on a tree to pay the penalty for our sins. 1 Peter 2:24 reads Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Secondly, Jesus is the light of the world so as we look at the lights on a Christmas tree, it can remind us of this fact. We read in Luke Chapter 2 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

Thirdly the gifts under the tree remind us that salvation is a free gift given to anyone who will accept it. Ephesians 2:28 reads For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Imagine that you spend hours of study and hard work to pick out the perfect gift for someone you loved. Then imagine on Christmas Day you gave that gift to that one whom you cherish so much and that person told you, "Take back your gift...I don't want it." How would you feel? You would be very disappointed and your feelings would be hurt. In fact, that person would be likely to never receive another gift from you as long as you lived. How do you think Jesus feels when he offers his salvation freely but is told by the projected recipient that His "gift" is not wanted? He is hurt beyond our comprehension because His love for us is beyond our comprehension.

-------Santa Claus--------

What does he have to do with the birth of Christ? Nothing really. This fictional character has traits that are similar to Jesus. He is very generous and gives gifts freely to all the good boys and girls of the world. If that were really true, our economy would crash and there would be a major depression worldwide.

I do have a webpage about Santa & Jesus which I copied from an email that was being forwarded all over the place a couple of years ago. It is located here Santa Vs. Jesus

Santa Claus is actually connected with idolatry and materialism. Retailers use this figure to promote toy sales. Santa Claus diverts our attention away from the true meaning of Christmas.

I remember when my mother told me there was no such thing as Santa Claus...that the parents were the real Santa Clauses. I was so disappointed and wondered why they even bothered with telling us about Santa Claus if he wasn't real. But even after I knew there was no Santa Claus...I still could not sleep on Christmas Eve in anticipation of the next day.

When my son was around 7 years old, I told him to leave some milk and cookies out for Santa because all that work delivering toys made him hungry. Of course, I ate the milk and cookies leaving the glass and plate where they were. Kevin got up the next morning bright-eyed and bushy tailed delighted to find gifts under the tree and his gift to "Santa Claus" eaten.

Kevin is 19 now and he asked me why do we pretend there is a Santa Claus. My answer was that I didn't really know.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Copyright 2003 by Gary Goodworth

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