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Chapter 76Holidays And Anniversaries

The Need of Guidance in Holiday Observance
I saw that our holidays should not be spent in patterning after the world, yet they should not
be passed by unnoticed, for this will bring dissatisfaction to our children. On these days when
there is danger that our children will be exposed to evil influences and become corrupted by
the pleasures and excitement of the world, let the parents study to get up something to take
the place of more dangerous amusements. Give your children to understand that you have
their good and happiness in view.1 {AH 472.1}
Through the observance of holidays the people both of the world and of the churches have
been educated to believe that these lazy days are essential to health and happiness, but the
results reveal that they are full of evil.2 {AH 472.2}
We have tried earnestly to make the holidays as interesting as possible to the youth and
children, while changing this order of things. Our object has been to keep them away from
scenes of amusement among unbelievers.3 {AH 472.3}
Shall the Angel Record, A Day Lost?After a day of pleasure seeking is ended, where is
the satisfaction to the pleasure seeker? As Christian workers, whom have they helped to a
better, higher, and purer life? What would they see if they should look over the record the
angel wrote? A day lost! To their own souls a day lost, a day lost in the service of Christ,
because no good was accomplished. They may have other days but never that day which was
idled away in cheap, foolish talk, of girls with boys, and boys with girls. {AH 472.4}
Never will these same opportunities offer themselves again. They had better been doing the
hardest kind of labor on that holiday. They did not make the right use of their holiday, and it
passed into eternity to confront them in the judgment as a day misspent.4 {AH 473.1}
Birthdaysa Time to Praise GodUnder the Jewish economy on the birth of children an
offering was made to God, by His own appointment. Now we see parents taking special pains
to present gifts to their children upon their birthdays; they make this an occasion of honoring
the child, as though honor were due to the human being. Satan has had his own way in these
things; he has diverted the minds and the gifts to human beings; thus the thoughts of the
children are turned to themselves, as if they were to be made the objects of special favor....
{AH 473.2}
On birthday occasions the children should be taught that they have reason for gratitude to
God for His loving-kindness in preserving their lives for another year. Precious lessons might
thus be given. For life, health, food, and clothing, no less than for the hope of eternal life, we
are indebted to the Giver of all mercies; and it is due to God to recognize His gifts and to
present our offerings of gratitude to our greatest benefactor. These birthday gifts are
recognized of Heaven.5 {AH 473.3}
A Time to Review the Years RecordTeach them to review the past year of their life, to
consider whether they would be glad to meet its record just as it stands in the books of
heaven. Encourage in them serious thoughts, whether their deportment, their words, their

works, are of a character pleasing to God. Have they been making their lives more like Jesus,
beautiful and lovely in the sight of God? Teach them the knowledge of the Lord, His ways,
His precepts.6 {AH 473.4}
Making Gods Cause FirstI have said to my family and my friends, I desire that no one
shall make me a birthday or Christmas gift, unless it be with permission to pass it on into the
Lords treasury, to be appropriated in the establishment of missions.7 {AH 474.1}
How Shall We Observe Thanksgiving?Our Thanksgiving is approaching. Will it be, as it
has been in many instances, a thanksgiving to ourselves? Or will it be a thanksgiving to God?
Our Thanksgivings may be made seasons of great profit to our own souls as well as to others
if we improve this opportunity to remember the poor among us.... {AH 474.2}
There are a hundred ways that can be devised to help the poor in so delicate a manner as to
make them feel that they are doing us a favor by receiving our gifts and sympathy. We are to
remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The attentions of our brethren are
most liberal to those whom they wish to honor, and whose respect they desire, but who do not
need their help at all. Custom and fashion say, Give to those who will give to you; but this is
not the Bible rule of giving. The word of God declares against this way of gratifying self in
thus bestowing our gifts, and says, He that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
{AH 474.3}
Now a season is coming when we shall have our principles tested. Let us begin to think what
we can do for Gods needy ones. We can make them through ourselves the recipients of
Gods blessings. Think what widow, what orphan, what poor family you can relieve, not in a
way to make a great parade about the matter, but be as a channel through which the Lords
substance shall flow as a blessing to His poor.... {AH 474.4}
But this does not embrace all your duty. Make an offering to your best Friend; acknowledge
His bounties; show your gratitude for His favors; bring a thank offering to God.... Brethren
and sisters, eat a plain dinner on Thanksgiving Day, and with the money you would spend in
extras with which to indulge the appetite, make a thank offering to God.8 {AH 475.1}
Let not any more Thanksgiving days be observed to please and gratify the appetite and
glorify self. We have reason for coming into the courts of the Lord with offerings of gratitude
that He has preserved our lives another year.... If a feast is to be made, let it be for those who
are in need.9 {AH 475.2}
A Day to Give Thanks [Note: part of a thanksgiving sermon delivered at the Battle Creek
Tabernacle, Nov. 27, 1884.]I think we have something to be thankful for. We ought to be
glad and rejoice in God, for He has given us many mercies.... We want this Thanksgiving to
be all that it implies. Do not let it be perverted, mingled with dross; but let it be what its name
impliesgiving thanks. Let our voices ascend in praise.10 {AH 475.3}
Why Not Holidays Unto God?Would it not be well for us to observe holidays unto God,
when we could revive in our minds the memory of His dealing with us? Would it not be well
to consider His past blessings, to remember the impressive warnings that have come home to
our souls so that we shall not forget God? {AH 475.4}
The world has many holidays, and men become engrossed with games, with horse races, with
gambling, smoking, and drunkenness.... {AH 475.5}

Shall not the people of God more frequently have holy convocations in which to thank God
for His rich blessings?11 {AH 476.1}
Holidays Afford Opportunity for Missionary ServiceWe want men in the church who
have ability to develop in the line of organizing and giving practical work to young men and
women in the line of relieving the wants of humanity and working for the salvation of the
souls of men, women, youth, and children. It will not be possible for all to give their whole
time to the work because of the labor they must do to earn their daily living. Yet these have
their holidays and times that they can devote to Christian work and do good in this way if
they cannot give much of their means.12 {AH 476.2}
When you have a holiday, make it a pleasant and happy day for your children, and make it
also a pleasant day for the poor and the afflicted. Do not let the day pass without bringing
thanksgiving and thank offerings to Jesus.13 {AH 476.3}

Chapter 77Christmas
Christmas as a HolidayChristmas is coming, is the note that is sounded throughout our
world from east to west and from north to south. With youth, those of mature age, and even
the aged, it is a period of general rejoicing, of great gladness. But what is Christmas that it
should demand so much attention? ... {AH 477.1}
The twenty-fifth of December is supposed to be the day of the birth of Jesus Christ, and its
observance has become customary and popular. But yet there is no certainty that we are
keeping the veritable day of our Saviours birth. History gives us no certain assurance of this.
The Bible does not give us the precise time. Had the Lord deemed this knowledge essential to
our salvation, He would have spoken through His prophets and apostles that we might know
all about the matter. But the silence of the Scriptures upon this point evidences to us that it is
hidden from us for the wisest purposes. {AH 477.2}
In His wisdom the Lord concealed the place where He buried Moses. God buried him, and
God resurrected him and took him to heaven. This secrecy was to prevent idolatry. He against
whom they rebelled while he was in active service, whom they provoked almost beyond
human endurance, was almost worshiped as God after his separation from them by death. For
the very same purpose He has concealed the precise day of Christs birth, that the day should
not receive the honor that should be given to Christ as the Redeemer of the worldone to be
received, to be trusted, to be relied on as He who could save to the uttermost all who come
unto Him. The souls adoration should be given to Jesus as the Son of the infinite God.1 {AH
477.3}
The Day Not to Be IgnoredAs the twenty-fifth of December is observed to commemorate
the birth of Christ, as the children have been instructed by precept and example that this was
indeed a day of gladness and rejoicing, you will find it a difficult matter to pass over this
period without giving it some attention. It can be made to serve a very good purpose. {AH
478.1}
The youth should be treated very carefully. They should not be left on Christmas to find their
own amusement in vanity and pleasure seeking, in amusements which will be detrimental to

their spirituality. Parents can control this matter by turning the minds and the offerings of
their children to God and His cause and the salvation of souls. {AH 478.2}
The desire for amusement, instead of being quenched and arbitrarily ruled down, should be
controlled and directed by painstaking effort upon the part of the parents. Their desire to
make gifts may be turned into pure and holy channels and made to result in good to our
fellow men by supplying the treasury in the great, grand work for which Christ came into our
world. Self-denial and self-sacrifice marked His course of action. Let it mark ours who
profess to love Jesus because in Him is centered our hope of eternal life.2 {AH 478.3}
The Interchange of Gifts as Tokens of AffectionThe holiday season is fast approaching
with its interchange of gifts, and old and young are intently studying what they can bestow
upon their friends as a token of affectionate remembrance. It is pleasant to receive a gift,
however small, from those we love. It is an assurance that we are not forgotten, and seems to
bind us to them a little closer.... {AH 478.4}
It is right to bestow upon one another tokens of love and remembrance if we do not in this
forget God, our best friend. We should make our gifts such as will prove a real benefit to the
receiver. I would recommend such books as will be an aid in understanding the word of God
or that will increase our love for its precepts. Provide something to be read during these long
winter evenings.3 {AH 479.1}
Books for Children Are RecommendedThere are many who have not books and
publications upon present truth. Here is a large field where money can be safely invested.
There are large numbers of little ones who should be supplied with reading. The Sunshine
Series, Golden Grains Series, Poems, Sabbath Readings, [Note: reference is made in this
article to noncurrent publications. As the principles set forth in this connection are applicable
today, these specific references are left in the article.] etc., are all precious books and may be
introduced safely into every family. The many trifles usually spent on candies and useless
toys may be treasured up with which to buy these volumes.... {AH 479.2}
Let those who wish to make valuable presents to their children, grandchildren, nephews, and
nieces procure for them the childrens books mentioned above. For young people the Life of
Joseph Bates is a treasure; also the three volumes of The Spirit of Prophecy. [Note: early E.
G. White books preceding the present Conflict Of The Ages Series.] These volumes should
be placed in every family in the land. God is giving light from heaven, and not a family
should be without it. Let the presents you shall make be of that order which will shed beams
of light upon the pathway to heaven.4 {AH 479.3}
Jesus Not to Be ForgottenBrethren and sisters, while you are devising gifts for one
another, I would remind you of our heavenly Friend, lest you should be unmindful of His
claims. Will He not be pleased if we show that we have not forgotten Him? Jesus, the Prince
of life, gave all to bring salvation within our reach.... He suffered even unto death, that He
might give us eternal life. {AH 480.1}
It is through Christ that we receive every blessing.... Shall not our heavenly Benefactor share
in the tokens of our gratitude and love? Come, brethren and sisters, come with your children,
even the babes in your arms, and bring your offerings to God according to your ability. Make
melody to Him in your hearts, and let His praise be upon your lips.5 {AH 480.2}

Christmasa Time to Honor GodBy the world the holidays are spent in frivolity and
extravagance, gluttony and display.... Thousands of dollars will be worse than thrown away
upon the coming Christmas and New Years in needless indulgences. But it is our privilege to
depart from the customs and practices of this degenerate age; and instead of expending means
merely for the gratification of the appetite or for needless ornaments or articles of clothing,
we may make the coming holidays an occasion in which to honor and glorify God.6 {AH
480.3}
Christ should be the supreme object; but as Christmas has been observed, the glory is turned
from Him to mortal man, whose sinful, defective character made it necessary for Him to
come to our world. {AH 480.4}
Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, the royal King of heaven, laid aside His royalty, left His throne
of glory, His high command, and came into our world to bring to fallen man, weakened in
moral power and corrupted by sin, aid divine.... {AH 481.1}
Parents should keep these things before their children and instruct them, line upon line,
precept upon precept, in their obligation to Godnot their obligation to each other, to honor
and glorify one another by gifts and offerings.7 {AH 481.2}
Turn Thoughts of the Children Into a New ChannelThere are many things which can be
devised with taste and cost far less than the unnecessary presents that are so frequently
bestowed upon our children and relatives, and thus courtesy can be shown and happiness
brought into the home. {AH 481.3}
You can teach your children a lesson while you explain to them the reason why you have
made a change in the value of their presents, telling them that you are convinced that you
have hitherto considered their pleasure more than the glory of God. Tell them that you have
thought more of your own pleasure and of their gratification and of keeping in harmony with
the customs and traditions of the world, in making presents to those who did not need them,
than you have of advancing the cause of God. Like the wise men of old, you may offer to
God your best gifts and show by your offerings to Him that you appreciate His Gift to a sinful
world. Set your childrens thoughts running in a new, unselfish channel by inciting them to
present offerings to God for the gift of His only-begotten Son.8 {AH 481.4}
Shall We Have a Christmas Tree?God would be well pleased if on Christmas each
church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for
these houses of worship. [Note: reference is made in this article to current building projects.
As the principles set forth in this connection are applicable today, these specific references
are left in the article.] Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, Shall we have a Christmas
tree? Will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a
disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. There is no particular
sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen and placing it in our churches, but the sin lies in the
motive which prompts to action and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree.
{AH 482.1}
The tree may be as tall and its branches as wide as shall best suit the occasion; but let its
boughs be laden with the golden and silver fruit of your beneficence, and present this to Him
as your Christmas gift. Let your donations be sanctified by prayer.9 {AH 482.2}

Christmas and New Year celebrations can and should be held in behalf of those who are
helpless. God is glorified when we give to help those who have large families to support.10
{AH 482.3}
A Tree Laden With Offerings Is Not SinfulLet not the parents take the position that an
evergreen placed in the church for the amusement of the Sabbath school scholars is a sin, for
it may be made a great blessing. Keep before their minds benevolent objects. In no case
should mere amusement be the object of these gatherings. While there may be some who will
turn these occasions into seasons of careless levity, and whose minds will not receive the
divine impress, to other minds and characters these seasons will be highly beneficial. I am
fully satisfied that innocent substitutes can be devised for many gatherings that demoralize.11
{AH 482.4}
Provide Innocent Enjoyment for the DayWill you not arise, my Christian brethren and
sisters, and gird yourselves for duty in the fear of God, so arranging this matter that it shall
not be dry and uninteresting, but full of innocent enjoyment that shall bear the signet of
Heaven? I know the poorer class will respond to these suggestions. The most wealthy
should also show an interest and bestow their gifts and offerings proportionate to the means
with which God has entrusted them. Let there be recorded in the heavenly books such a
Christmas as has never yet been seen because of the donations which shall be given for the
sustaining of the work of God and the upbuilding of His kingdom.12 {AH 483.1}