The Grinch Stole More Than Christmas

By C.H. Pappas

When it comes to the observance of Christian memorial days, such as Christmas and Easter, many are confused.  They have come to think of them being of pagan origin.  They are oblivious in how the early saints had always observed these momentous acts of God. For an example the Easter ob

• Language: English
• Publisher: AD Infinitum Services
• Release date: Dec 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781949570946

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The Grinch Stole More Than Christmas

C. H. Pappas

Copyright 2020 by C. H. Pappas

ISBN Paperback: 978-1-949570-93-9

ISBN Ebook: 978-1-949570-94-6

LCCN: 2020925181

Dedicated to the faithful Saints of

Collins Road Baptist Church,

the faithful few

Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1   Holidays

CHAPTER 2   The Necessity of Memorial Days

CHAPTER 3   We Have the Sabbath!

CHAPTER 4   Christmas, Was It Instituted by Constantine?

CHAPTER 5   What About the Early Church?

CHAPTER 6   What About a Snowy Christmas?

CHAPTER 7   What About Christmas and Sol Invictus?

CHAPTER 8   What of These Heathen Festivals?

CHAPTER 9   Is the Christmas Celebration a Roman Catholic Mass?

CHAPTER 10   What About Easter?

CHAPTER 11   The Epiphany

EPILOGUE

CHRISTMAS

REFERENCES

I express my most sincere gratitude to Brother Travis and Sister Amelia Crane for their labors in editing this book.

INTRODUCTION

Some of my fondest memories as a child go back when, on Friday evening, we would go out as a family for a treat. This was not very often, but oh, what a joy it was when we went! Our favorite treat was an ice cream cone. The cost of a cone at that time was no more than a nickel. As for the flavors, they were chocolate and vanilla; strawberry came on the scene later. But even then, we would have a difficult time choosing the flavor we wanted. I can still remember those days of my childhood which are vividly stamped upon my mind.

Ice cream aside, I must confess that my fondest memory was when I was a third grader at Alexandra Hogg Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas. Before we were dismissed for the Christmas holidays, all the students would assemble in the hall. Then, the teacher with her pitch pipe would find the right note and lead us in singing Christmas carols.

I had never sung these carols before in my life. They were totally new to me. My parents came from Greece and were Anglican Orthodox, so we did not sing these great hymns in our church. We did not have a radio at home, or I would have heard them played. I was so captivated by them that I could not quite sing them. To this day more than three quarters of a century later, I still get excited when I hear them sung.

I also recall during the Christmas season how everyone warmly exchanged Christmas greetings. There seemed to be no strangers, as with smiling faces we cordially greeted one another with Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The joy of the season seemed to permeate the entire atmosphere. Strained relationships were healed, and families that were scattered reunited at mom’s house. Above all, the majority of Americans went up to the house of Lord and worshiped.

However, not everyone was in favor of celebrating Christmas. The Jews, as I recall, opposed the Christmas season, denying that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. But their opposition did not keep the nation from celebrating that momentous event of God being manifested in Flesh. The nation carried on, rejoicing that God now dwelt with man. We knew nothing of sensitivity training or fear of offending anyone. The nation recognized her Christian roots and understood that the Bible was the foundation upon which all her institutions rested.

In time, the atheists raised up their ugly heads and sought to do away with all the observance of Christian memorial days. However, if they removed them altogether, then the merchants would suffer immensely. After all, their profits were made during these festive seasons of the year. So the atheists subtly began to alter the reason for the season.

Strange changes began to come to our culture—changes for the worse. First, there was a subtle change in greetings from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays or Season Greetings or even just Happy New Year. After all, New Year’s immediately follows. Very little thought seemed to be given to this change since the same warm greetings with which we greeted one another continued. But these other new phrases continued to creep into the language of the season.

Then they went even further to supplant the glorious advent of our Lord with the promotion of Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, and chipmunks. Once, I remember being in a mall where a man on a stage was giving a puppet show with cute, little chipmunks. He showed them dancing, joking, and singing secular Christmas songs.