Post #78: Will We Celebrate Christmas in Heaven

Will we celebrate Christmas in heaven? What do the eyewitnesses tell us? The answer is both “yes” and “no”. First of all, time in heaven is not linear as it is here. Essentially it is always “now” in heaven. Time was created as a dimension of this universe. We have only one time dimension although there is some scientific evidence that the universe originally had ten dimensions, not just the four we have now, but the others were aborted early. Time in heaven, if it exists, is not linear, like it is here, and may be multidimensional, which means we could experience time in ways that are completely foreign to our present experience. Time in heaven is unimaginable. But we have been told that Jesus can be in two or more places at the same time. That has not been said of any human spirits however.

So in the first pass, there is no December 25 that comes once every 365 days. So we will not have a special day to celebrate Christmas. What is special about December 25 anyway? Actually, it is the time of the pagan winter solstice festival celebrating winter (in the northern hemisphere where most civilization happens to be). It is accompanied by snow, cold, snowmen, traveling in snow, sleighs, sleigh bells, animated snowmen, elves, and numerous other things. However, it is also the time Christians celebrate the coming and birth of the Messiah. He may not actually have been born in winter, but nevertheless in the Christian calendar it is the time of the celebration of Jesus’ coming and birth. We will not be celebrating the winter solstice in heaven, since there is no winter there, but will we be celebrating the birth of the Messiah?

Actually, the answer is sort of “yes”, but it will not be part of a winter solstice festival and will be celebrated differently than we are used to it being. Praise for God and Jesus and what Jesus has done are constant in heaven. So that aspect of Christmas will be very much a part of our lives. However, we will not focus on his coming and birth as much as our praise will be focused on what he did for us, how much he loves us, all he did to take up our lives and live them God’s way for us so we would be free to be there with him forever. We will never stop praising him for what he has done for us. So the aspect of Christmas praise for Jesus will be constant in heaven and not limited to one special day. And it will combine Easter praise with nativity praise.

Will there be gift giving in heaven?  God has supplied everything we will need in heaven and many of the things in this world we desire or think we need will not be needed at all. What would we give to each other that God has not already provided? He has provided the garments we wear and the food we enjoy, so will we give each other those things? It doesn’t appear there will be any gift exchanges. But we will all continue exercising the gifts, the calling, He has given us here. But in heaven there is no money and no monetary exchange. Whatever we do to exercise our gifts is freely given for the benefit or pleasure of others. So we will always be giving to each other, without one special day to do so. So that aspect of Christmas will be present in Heaven but will not be limited to a special day.

What is Christmas but a celebration of God’s love for us?  Christmas marks the time God became incarnate as a human but still fully God to love us as only God can do. He came to live our lives for us, fulfilling what we in our sinful nature could not do. He took our place in the death we deserved and instead embraced us with His holy life, a life of faithfulness to Him, a life redeemed from sin, a life capable of love, His love, agape. Christmas here is the time Love came down from heaven to embrace us, redeem us, fulfill us, and bless us. In heaven we will experience that love fully face to face, every day (all the time since there is no day and night and therefore no “day” in heaven). We will be living a constant celebration of Christmas, when Love came down and took us to be with Him forever.

1 Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
star and angels gave the sign.

2 Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, Love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith for sacred sign?

3 Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and others,
love for plea and gift and sign.

By Christina Georgina Rossetti (1885)

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #234

From Hymnary.org

This is the best I can say based on what eyewitnesses to heaven tell us about life there.