(0:00)The 'Christmas is Pagan' Argument
When people tell me, "Oh, don't celebrate Easter. I will celebrate whatever it is I want to celebrate. Don't celebrate Christmas. I will celebrate whatever it is I want to celebrate." And God is okay with it as long as I look around me and none of my Christian brethren are positioned in a way that is enimical to their faith as a consequence of my celebration. Unfiltered. Hello. Welcome to PF Unfiltered. Hello. Welcome to PF Unfiltered. PF. Let me do my intro now. No, just the way you said it's very profound. Hello. Welcome to PF Unfiltered and my name is Kiss Kenneth. Just ignore him. Come back to him. Come back to me. My name is Kenneth. Can we Can we be normal? Can we be natural and authentic?
(0:43)The Struggle for an Authentic Podcast
And I'm Esther Griffin. Oh my god. Call me. My name is My name is Premier Ma. As you can see, I'm surrounded by bougie. It's just for speaking people. It's just too loud. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Yeah. Y'all have met the PF in PF unfiltered. Very unfiltered fellow. He came today ready to show himself. Is is the is the indomia. I ate some some indom just before I came here and it's not having good results. I apologize. I ahead of time before we get into our topic today which is a very interesting topic because it was sent to us by our
(1:26)Do You Have Your Christmas Tree Up?
viewersh. Mhm. And so our topic today is should Christians celebrate Christmas? Oh, but before we get started, has anybody put up their Christmas tree? I don't have a Christmas tree. I don't do Christmas trees. Why? Same. H I live in a townhouse and the dogs I have two dogs. Yeah. They will tear it down. Have you previously done um Christmas trees? Before I had the dogs. Yeah. Okay. What about you, Ken? It's just too much work. I don't see the point. I literally But that's not authentic, right? by predecess. Do you live on your own? Yeah, I do. Okay. So, you don't Well, I guess he's a bachelor. You don't put up a Christmas tree. I don't know. They probably put up a small one. Put a Christmas tree. I don't know any bachelor that put up Christmas. It's just too much trouble, right? I just Yeah. Like it's messy. Like for me, I think the problem is when you have to put it back and it doesn't go back like the way you it never fits back in the box exactly the way it is. Sir, and when I used to have a Christmas tree, right, my my children wanted the biggest tree they could fit in the house, right? And it always looked nice when it was up, but what nobody ever calculated was getting it up and getting it down. By the time I'm putting the thing back in the box, I've got scratches all over my arms. Yes. I was very happy when we got dogs. That was a perfect excuse. In fact, one day there, I actually told the dog to go get so that my wife would be like, "Oh, no. We can't have a tree anymore." I was like, "Hey, yeah, sorry." The kids the kids like it. Um, this year I don't I haven't put mines up yet. I don't know if I I am going to put it up because to you guys' point, it's a hassle. It's a hustle, man. Um, trying to do lights and the the whole decor thing. I'm like, "Please, can we just eat chicken and celebrate
(3:09)Why We Eat Chicken for Christmas
the day?" Why Why you eating chicken? Oh, I cook on Thanksgiving. I mean, not Thanksgiving. We just Thanksgiving just passed. I cook on Christmas. And you always cook chicken. Yeah, we have chicken. Why chicken? Why not steak? Because I'm I'm a black woman. I'm I'm sorry. I'm sorry. What? From the south and we eat chicken. Okay. So, what does turkey? What does chicken have to do with Christmas? Do we have to talk about the historical facts around? No. No. I'm just curious because growing up No, no. See, when I grew up, where I grew up, turkey was synonymous with Christmas. Uhhuh. We had turkey for Christmas. Well, you can't you can have turkey, too, but you can also have chicken. Yeah, but turkey, we do turkey for Thanksgiving, and we don't do anything for Christmas. How did you end up with chicken? I do turkey and chicken. Okay. Okay. I just mentioned the chicken pot. Okay. Sorry. It's okay. Let's go. But speaking of that, I do Can we Can we shout somebody out on this on on our podcast? Absolutely. Um, we have a local uh Nigerian um uh bakery. No, it's a bakery. We do have that. I actually just recently got my Barrel Avenue bakery bread um and desserts and so I'm ready to crush that. Um they are a sponsor of our podcast. So, shout out to them. Uh but there's another company here in Dallas in the Dallas area. It's a restaurant African store up in the Salena area. M um it's called myasum one of the members, she's a member of our church as well, New Covenant House if you are familiar. Um but they have like these turkey sales. They sell like these flat turkeys. So I have some flat turkey. Yeah. Like broken up turkeys. Like fresh turkey. Spatch [ __ ] Turkey wings. Sorry. Turkey wings. Yeah. Oh, turkey wing flats. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Cuz we're talking about cuz we're talking about spatchcock flat. I Sorry. Turkey wing flat. So I have some leftovers. So, we're going to cook that for Christmas. That doesn't count as cooking turkey for Christmas. Pause. You can't turkey. No, you can't cook turkey wings and say you're cooking turkey for Christmas. Turkey turkey wings is is struggle food.
(5:16)The Turkey Wing Debate
What? What is going on? Turkey wings is struggle food. Her turkey wings is not struggle. That thing is perfection. Yeah, turkey is like she has the best turkey wings in Dallas. Turkey wings is struggle food. Her turkey wings each one is like Let me tell you, let me tell you. When I first got mine, my my wife and I had no money. This we could afford was turkey wings. Those are American turkey wings. These ones are not American turkey wings. It's Nigeria. These turkey wings are very big. That's what that's actually cut them into multiple pieces and put inside stew. No. Yeah. When when you describe it like that. It's struggle food now. It's not struggle and and Okay. But how do you how do you do Christmas and you have Turkey wing flat? You don't even have the drumstick. It's just the drumsticks. Flats all day. Shout out to all my flat lovers. Drumsticks out here. Um, turkey chicken flats. It doesn't qualify for celebration food is what I'm saying. Who determines what celebration food is? Celebration food is a whole chicken, a whole turkey, a whole cow, a whole goat. Whole cow. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Run it back. Run it back. Pause. What about the people that are on the streets? Strawberry food. No, no, no. You said a whole cow. EF came to be unfiltered today. Mhm. Look, according to your wallets, right? If you can afford a whole cow, do a whole cow. If you can afford a whole um goat, do a whole goat. If you can afford a whole chicken, do a whole chicken. If you can afford a whole turkey, do the whole turkey. But come on, a wing. PF, should should Christians celebrate
(6:45)What the Bible Actually Says About Feasts
Christmas? Christians can celebrate whatever it is they want. Where does it say that in the Bible? The Bible says, Mhm. Let no man judge you. Mhm. according to the celebration of feasts or holidays. Where does it say that? Pause. Google it. Our producers, we need help. I know it says that, but I also know there is a scripture along the line of I think it's the one of eat food, sacrifice idols, or if I just doing something causes your first Corinthians chapter 8, right? Your brethren to it. First Corinthians 8. It says, "And we know that idols are in themselves nothing." Nothing. Yes. Yes. So if idols are nothing, the only determinant of what I celebrate or what I don't celebrate is how it impacts a weaker Christian. Mhm. That's an interesting thought. So when people tell me, "Oh, don't celebrate Easter. I will celebrate whatever it is I want to celebrate. Don't celebrate Christmas. I will celebrate whatever it is I want to celebrate." and God is okay with it as long as I look around me and none of my Christian brethren are um are positioned in a way that is enimical to their faith as a consequence of my celebration. Yeah. Now some people want to nitpick and tell me that the sun god by the way they are confused cuz some people say the sun god is the c Easter is the celebration of the sun god. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's actually the video that our No, that was that was claiming that Christmas is the celebration of the song God. Yeah. So they should decide when they want to celebrate the song God. But I know that there is no song God. There's only one God. Somebody say it. Every other calling anything else God is a contradiction in terms. There's only one God. Everything else is nothing. There is nothing else, right? Is vanity. Nothing. So why am I going to start quibbling with somebody over celebrating nothing or not celebrating nothing? So why do you think people throw a a huge fuss about like Christian saying that is a pagan holiday? They have no they have no work.
(8:53)Exposing Religious Legalism
They have nothing better to do with their time and they don't read their Bibles. Listen right it's it's it's a is that religious legalistic mentality. Right. And everybody trying to be relevant and trying to be more spiritual than the other person. Right. Yeah. So we keep looking for things. Yeah. Right. To to distinguish ourselves as being better. So, oh, you celebrate Christmas. You're lesser than I am. I don't celebrate Christmas. I am more spiritual than you are. Boncom. Bible says we know that idols are of themselves nothing. The only consideration of whether I will eat meat sacrificed to nothing is if it is a problem, right, for the next person. For the next person. Is it a problem to you that I celebrate Christmas? No. Is it a problem to you? No. If it is, you'll be all right. Is it a problem to you? Is it a problem to you? It's not a problem to anybody in this room. Guess what? I'm celebrating Christmas. Okay. But what about the people that is a problem to? Why is it a problem to them? Because they think that if I celebrate Christmas Mhm. I am less than them. Okay. I'm less than you. Oh, no, no, no. So, what if like what if on a more even though you're serious, but a more serious serious note, I'm very serious. I don't know you are. Look, Christians
(10:06)Are You Really More Spiritual?
need to stop looking for something to one up each other. But what if it's the opposite way? And it's it's truly not. Let's look at somebody that is truly trying to figure out if they should celebrate Christmas or or not celebrate celebrate Christmas based on what they've learned and based on what they've heard and the teachings. Then I will teach them the truth. And the truth is that there is no other God except Jehovah. Mhm. So anything I celebrate says whatsoever you eat, do it to the glory of God. Yeah. Because it is God. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. He's the alpha, the omega. He's the beginning and the end. He's everything in between. There's nothing else. He's God all by himself. Yeah. Right. He doesn't have assistance. He doesn't have subordinate. He's God. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So the idea that I can celebrate something else. Mhm. For me, it's problematic because that thing has to exist for me to celebrate it. And there's nothing else out there. Yeah. It's not like, oh, there's a little god with a small G that I'm accidentally celebrating. Then let's teach them the truth. Let's we we we we we Okay, what about this? We create that problem by implying that there's a plethora of gods, right? And that Jehovah is superior,
(11:27)There is Only One God
right? or that Jehovah is kinder than every other god or he's more faithful than every other god. No, no, no. There is no other god. Okay. What about this? When the bible like the old testament talks about how like the um the pagans worshiped other gods, right? The pagan worship things that they do not know. The pagans worshiped the product of their own imaginations. But they refer to it in the Bible as gods as gods. But there are no other gods. The Bible says, "And we know Mhm. that these things are nothing. Nothing is equal to what? Nothing. Right? If you worship the figment of your imagination, does it make it real? No. Exactly. Give it whatever label you want. Call it God. Call it big God. Call it small god. Call it Lagos god. Call it Dallas god. It is nothing. We know that there are spirits. Correct. Right. Yeah. And these spirits, right? take over um what's what's the way that I can put the spirits will try and manipulate our delusions right but they are created by God father of all spirits the god of all flesh there is no spirit good or bad that exists that was not created by God you know what I'm saying still there's no other god there is no there's no god other than Jehovah so the devil is not a god devil is a created being. Yeah. So if you worship the devil, you're not worshiping a god. You're worshiping Stone Mountain. You know what I'm saying? In real terms, there's only one God. There aren't two gods. We don't have a choice of gods. People will now start getting into,
(13:06)Is 'Allah' Just God in Arabic?
well, Allah. Allah is Arabic for God. Mhm. Right. Mhm. Mhm. If And that's just a language difference. Thank you. Oo, that's good. At the end of the day, right, we have to be able to say as Christians that there is only one God and everything else is vanity. So would you this has nothing to do but would you say that Allah is God? Allah is Arabic for God, right? Just as Yurba for God. Yeah. Just as um chuku Mhm. is for God. Right. to the best of my understanding. Right. So I I know you mentioned this idea of like people pursuing or I guess worshiping vain things or their vanity. So in the sense of Christmas, right? I I I still kind of want to kind of stay on this for a bit. Some people I think the reason is they think in the celebration of Christmas we are maybe giving way to like being in vain to like an extreme sense right in do we celebrate do we celebrate Valentine's Day? Mhm. We do. Do we celebrate um Memorial Day? We do. Do we celebrate Veterans Day? We do. We celebrate Labor Day. We celebrate Children's Day. We celebrate Mother's Day. We make up holidays, right? We decide that this issue, this person, Martin Luther King Day in America, right, is worth celebrating. And we're not going to say, "Oh, we're celebrating the dead." No. No. That that's almost like the equivalent like it just came to mind. You see, I see and and some people are going to take it there. Yeah. And it's like, we're not celebrating the dead. Some people are going to take it there, right? Yeah. Right. But for me, can I be honest with you? Mhm. These are all days where I don't have to worry about going to work. Sir, say it again for the brain cells in the bank. That's all the days that I don't have to go to work. That's right. Eid lid. All the Eid. My My motherfather was a Muslim. My mother was a Muslim until she converted to Christianity. Mhm. So all the Eids right was jolof for us right there's I don't know which one the the biggest one where we would all um um all the kids in the the grandchildren they would they would sew an attire for us um that one is it I don't I mean we call it yes thank you we would all dress up and then we would go to the to the uh to the central praying ground with my grandfather then afterwards yeah and then Afterwards, we would get the rams that they bought to butttheads. It was just it was fun. Right. I I in my mind, I was not celebrating anything. I was just having a good time. Yeah. Right. Now, I've grown up, right? If my neighbor is doing Eid and they kill a cow and they offer me the meat, thank you. God bless you. That is No, that's So, okay. Growing up, I grew up in Nigeria, right? And that was a point of like I remember my mom would not allow us to eat. Yes. Yes. And and and like like Paul said, right, this meat that is sacrificed to idols, right, we know that it is nothing. Yeah. Right. And so I can eat it. But if my eating it is going to cause your mom Yeah. to have a crisis of faith because of my position, then I have to actually not eat it. Right. My love for your mom would compel me to not eat it. Not that I am thinking ah if I eat this meat, one idol is celebrating somewhere. There's no idol. Okay, I need to say this, right? There was a day, just this one particular day, I was driving and looking for Chinese food or like Thai food. And every time I was going to a restaurant, I kept seeing the statue. I said, I can't eat in this place today. And it was just this one particular day. And so I said, I need to be set free from whatever it is that's happening today. So I just went to the scripture and I went to go read. And one of the verses said, it's not what goes into a man that defiles him. It's what comes out of him that defiles him. And it's within the same parameters of that of Corinthians. And I feel like it just helped to set me free. Yeah. And like give me perspective, right? And so if you're listening, please let's be reading our Bibles. It will truly set us free. I I think I think one of the problems with with our faith, with the the Christian um experience is how little we make reference to the book that guides our life. The Bible says his word is a lamp onto our feet and a light onto our path. We don't use the word as a lamp onto our feet and a light onto our path. We take considering how how how accessible the word is. Mhm. Right. To all of us, right, right? It's amazing how little we reference it. Right. We will reference what Kenneth said even though we can confirm if Kenneth is pulling stuff out of his behind. Mhm. Right. Or if Kenneth is actually quoting scripture in context. Right? We will take what Kenneth said before we go and open the Bible. Right? And that tells you that human beings have a tendency to listen to each other than to look for God. Right? I don't want to label it or judge it, but it is a problem. Yeah. It's a problem. The Bible says we know that idols are or themselves nothing. Yeah. Right. For me that is uh that is liberation. right there. Right. So, I'm not moved by statues or whatever. I'm not. Yeah. Once I can discern that, okay, this statue does not have a spirit, right, that has attached itself to the statue and is using the statue as a basis or as an entrance to cause commotion in someone else's life. Yeah. But I know he can't cause any commotion in my life. It's not my statue. Mhm. But it is not a god. It does not have creative capacity. It does not have creative ability. The only ability it has is the permission that whoever it is that is holding on to gives in their own life. Mhm. And if they sacrifice a goat to that statue, if I am hungry and I see that goat sacrificed and they cook it in a way that I like, I can eat it and nothing will happen to me. Mhm. Period. Period. So back to Christmas. Yeah. It is what it is. It is what it is. So um what about in terms of like um uh like modern day Christianity and like you know how now we've okay we know that what we celebrate um uh Christmas for is for celebrating the birth of Jesus right that's also another topic right we've chosen a day that most of us don't know if it's actually the day that Jesus was born right right so we all cannot come to agreement on that as well right and so how do do you think that matters I I think that we we have family members who don't know exactly when they were born. Yes. Right. They don't they don't have their birth certificates. They've chosen that. You know what? I like the sound of February 17th. So going forward, let us celebrate my birthday on February 17th. Personally, I don't care if everybody chooses what day they want to celebrate the birth of Christ. Mhm. Right. If you want to do it on the 25th of December, on the 16th of November, on the 12th of April, I don't care. M I seriously for me it really doesn't make any difference cuz I know Christ was not born on the 25th of December anyway. Yeah. When so when was he born? I don't know. I wasn't there. Right. I don't know. But guess what? Everybody's doing it on the 25th. So why not? We celebrating, right? Mhm. I celebrate his birth. Yeah. Although the truth is it has become an excuse to get presents and I like gifts. Mhm. So, bring the gifts. What do you think about that? Like the buying gifts and how like I like I like gifts. Well, that's exactly what I think about it. I like gifts. Okay. But what about like if there was no Christmas? Would I get gifts? I like Christmas. Please don't Christmas. No, you get gifts on your birthday though. Only once a year. Hey, and that's that's it. Listen, if they start giving gifts on Easter, they can cancel Christmas. I don't care. I don't care, man. Oh, and you get gifts on uh pastor's appreciation. Well, I don't really get gifts on pastor appreciation. I should get gifts. Are you listening? New Covenant House. I should get gifts. Alas, I get a I appreciate you, pastor. Where's the gift? Okay. What about the like, okay, now we've all decided that we're going to choose one day to celebrate. We didn't all decide. Some people decided and we're going along with it. Okay. But but our our our silence is complicity. So we all Oh, no, I'm not complain. As you can see, I'm not being silent. I'm going along with it. As I said, we all have agreed. I think this thing is too We're taking this thing too deep and too serious. But but these are questions that people have. What? Why are they asking those questions? Listen, people I'm I'm sorry. I think I told you I ate ramen before I came here. This is the ramen today. Go on, please. Okay. So, in terms of like we've decided that Christmas is the 25th and that's the day that we're going to celebrate it. But now a day that's supposed to be used to celebrate the birth of Christ have turned into us spending money and like going to it it's it's almost like they have commercialized it and it's no longer about Christ, right? When they say, "Oh, S Santa Claus." What does Santa Claus have to do with the day that Christ was born? Maybe you can educate us on um St. Nicholas. Abi St. Who? Isn't that um I mean they call him St. Nick. St. Nick. I don't mean I don't know. Can I Can I be honest with you? Right. Yeah. I think that we we major in the minors. Mhm. Mhm. Right. And the things that matter the most, right? We we we we forget. For me, all of the gifts given, right, is a celebration is an opportunity for people to express the love they have for one another. Mhm. Right. If that is the only thing that Christmas accomplishes, it's a good thing. Yeah. During wars, they would actually pause fighting. During World War I, the worst battles in Europe, right, the worst battles in Europe, on Christmas night, they would all put their guns down, the next day they resume killing each other, right? That for me is powerful, right? that a day exists in the experience of every human being where we're able to say on this day I will show kindness and I will show love. Mhm. Right. That's a good thing and people should celebrate that and people should enjoy that. Right. Personally it's a great thing because that is one day when I can give and receive. Yeah. without any sense of guilt or inhibition, right? Yes. There are commercial interests that take advantage of it. Yeah. Absolutely. We live in a world that is driven by commerce. Mhm. Trying for this day that is so pure. Nobody sends nobody, you know, where advertises anything. Nobody buys anything. It's just it's it's it's it's for me for me that is such a joyless aesthetic world. Mhm. Right. Christmas buy gifts, give gifts, receive gifts, enjoy. Yeah. And bless the name of the Lord. Speaking of gifts, have you bought your children any gifts? My children are old now. They don't get gifts. What does that mean? I don't understand. You just said that we should PS. How about No, wait. Calm down. Calm down. The way you give gifts to your children from the way I give gifts to my adult one of them is married. Your children doesn't change. It changes they are working now. They make money. So So D if you're expecting any gift from me, expect less. Wow. How much more our heavenly father? Wow. So So now they now they're asking for now now is I love Thank you, Sister Esther. Now they can go to their heavenly father and receive gifts from him. Their earthly father now is a he's giving stones. No, never stones. Never stones. Never never stones. No joke aside. Jokes aside. Um gift giving has changed. Mhm. You know, as the children get get old, it changes, right? What they want from you changes. You know, those days when they wanted toys, all of that has changed. Now people are talking about things that actually are important, you know, um for their cars. Yeah. You know, tires for the car. Yeah. You know, important things. So, it's it's different. It's very different. I like it now. What about you, Kenna? So, so there's one thing about Christmas though and I think I can speak for the people who still kind of struggle with everything you just said which is like we mentioned idol latterie lord like the idol of idols I think right this is me thinking enough people have made Christmas like a golden calf right this is me taking it back to the old testament where it's like their expectation and look towards that day or that season is in such a way that I think if they like actually think about it, it's like you place so much almost like this day, this season is almost like a I'll say it's almost like a god because a god is something that you're willing to give so a certain level of attention to that I would say takes you away maybe from the attention you would probably give to god or not even equal to what you would give the living God, So that's that's what I think sometimes when I see the way we currently I disagree with that on a profound level. Do you think you can idolize Christmas? I don't think so. And I'll tell you why. I I I think I have an expectation that in the winter when winter comes I can wear it's going to be cold and I have this pair of um I have this new coat I want to wear. So, I'm looking forward to wearing that coat in winter. Okay. Right. I really like how I look in the coat. So, I'm really looking forward to it. I feel like it is going to make me happy cuz I'm going to look so cool. I'm not idolizing winter and I'm not idolizing the coat. Mhm. I have an expectation of how the coat will make me feel, right? I'm not attributing any characteristics of God to the coat or to the winter. There's nobody I think that is expecting that Christmas will solve all their problems. They won't be healed from Christmas. They won't be promoted by Christmas. They won't get any breakthroughs from Christmas. They look forward to the joy, right? They look forward to the happiness that permeates the atmosphere, right? They look forward to the merryntment, to to the celebration, right? Um to the gifts in the same way we all look forward to. We've been working 40, 50 hours a week. You look forward to the weekend and to the rest of the weekend, right? To the to the sleeping in on the weekend. The weekend is not an idol, right? It is just something you look forward to because it provides an opportunity to give you something you want, right? But there's nowhere in your mind where you are worshiping it. You are preparing for it, right? You look forward to it longingly. You imagine the things you will do, the places you will go, right? But you're not worshiping it. You're not making your life choices, right? Do I fornicate or not fornicate based off of Christmas? Do I steal or not steal based off of Christmas? Christmas is not dictating how you live your life. Christmas is just something that you look forward to. But when we talk about idolizing it, it means that it controls us, right? It means that it it it it it determines our choices, right? Serious choices. Mhm. Right. People are not taking jobs because of Christmas. I hope if I take a job before if I take a job because of Christmas. They're taking a job because of Christmas. Taking a job that will let me be off on Christmas. So they can buy gifts. Spend more at Christmas. More money to spend. I see those life choices you mentioned. I see. So I'm I'm I'm So basically what you're saying is that I am going to take an extra job so that I can spend more money at Christmas. That's called responsible. PF responsible. This indom me. Oh, so you're going to call it idolatry. I call it idolatry cuz I'm being responsible. No, no, no, no. I mean it's like can your reasons for doing like you probably would not have done this maybe at any other time. And then you went to go get you take a job to go on holiday though. You take an extra job to pay for a holiday. You take extra shifts to pay to pay for holiday. That's what you're saying. People do take jobs to pay for your car. Right. Right. So why is it that now that I'm taking an extra shift for Christmas, we're going to attach idolatry to it. Why isn't it when I take an extra shift to pay for my car? Idolatry. You are idolizing your car. Your car is determining your choices cuz I want to pay for Christmas without debt. It's true. Ah, it's a real ah what about when you actually enter debt because of Christmas? If you entertain, what happened? your house is he not basic I'm sorry is it not is not a mortgage no I don't understand let let me tell you guys so so this this is my this this is my problem this is my problem right I feel like when we spiritualize everything right we lose the opportunity to even have serious conversations right somebody should ask me a question should you go into debt because of Christmas right should you go into debt at all is my would be my response why do we want to single have Christmas. Mhm. Right. Christmas is just an event and people will make choices like they make choices over everything else. Yeah. Right. Why do we want to spiritualize the choices I make over Christmas? Let's spiritualize the choices I make over food. H cuz the Bible talks about some people their bellies their God. Yeah. Let's let's spiritualize the choices I make over material things. Mhm. But no no no no no no no no. We want to spiritualize the choices I make over Christmas. want to scapegoat Christmas. No, but let's call it a golden g. No, because people do work. Okay, so I want I want to bring up this this point, right? In terms of like people looking forward to a thing, right? Some of the points that you brought out in terms of like hap, you know, being happy, looking forward to a thing, etc., etc. You can still That's the Holy Spirit checking you cuz I just checked you. He told me that he was about to check you. Wait, he did. However, I do want to bring it up. Thank you, Holy Spirit. I do want to bring more I do want to bring out the point because I think it's important you can still get all of those things like joy etc and um happiness and all of those feelings you can you can experience outside of Christmas. Yeah. Can I ask you a question? But this is what the Holy Spirit said. He said you don't need to have a wedding to feel happy that you've been married. You know you know you know how I know it was the Holy Spirit. I was about to talk about your wedding. I literally I I that's what I said it was. I was literally going to say, "So, your wedding?" Because people look forward I looked forward to my wedding. Exactly. But it didn't. Was your wedding an idol? It wasn't. There you go. It wasn't. Your wedding day was not an idol. It was just a day to have fun, spend money, eat, and celebrate the fact that I married somebody. And and and I'm not sure if you got into debt, but don't get into debt. I did it. I paid off every single thing before the day of the wedding. You're you're you're awesome. You're prudent. Ah, she But you made But you made choices. You made choices. It's financial choices. Yeah. To be able to afford to pay for that wedding. Mhm. Right. That's what people do. Yeah. Right. See, this is my this is my thing, right? Christmas should not be the scapegoat. Yeah. Right. It's just a day. Mhm. It's just a day, right? People are putting people people put people under pressure. The kind of car you drive, they put you under pressure for it. The kind of house you live in, they put you under pressure for it. But I don't want us to scapegoat Christmas. I like Christmas. and and and you would think that Christmas is the happiest day for me. It's not. My mother died on Christmas day. Oh, so so it's not really for me it's a very interesting it's become a it's a complex day, right? But that's a me thing. Mhm. It's it's personal to me. No one else I don't know if anyone else has a similar experience of losing somebody they love like I did. But if they didn't, then there's no reason why they should not be happy on Christmas Day. Yeah. Right. So I I I I I I am pushing back against this this pseudo spirituality that wants to bash Christmas. Yeah. It's not real. There there are lots of things we can bash. Yeah. Mhm. Don't bash Christmas. There's nothing to bash there. If you're bashing Christmas, I feel like you're trying to create relevancy for yourself. That's not necessary. You are relevant. God loves you just like you are. Celebrating Christmas or not celebrating Christmas does not make you spiritual or not spiritual. And now I have another question. Yes ma'am. What about dirty December? Dirty December is a is a creation of social media. Mhm. December a lot of people Valentine's Day a lot of people this have you been in Europe in the summer? Yes. I heard they Okay. So So let me let me let me let me let me tell you something. I lived in I lived in Austria, Vienna, Vin for 2 years. Mhm. And the winters there our winter, not like what you have in Dallas here. When it's cold is cold and spring, the air spring is like our winter in some ways. Wow. Really cold. So when summer comes, it is summer. Mhm. It's w it's hot. Everybody is half naked. Mhm. Now as in you enter the bus, you don't know where to put your face because it's so hot. It's everybody's half naked, right? And of course I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. Are we going to call it dirty summer? You know, that one is a dirty summer. Jesus, Lord. The point I'm trying to make is that is that Christians should stop this nonsense, right? There's a season of the year that is very festive. Mhm. In Nigeria, the Nigerian music scene, for example, is popping, right? There's a lot of parties, there a lot of celebrations. So, people are trooping there. Mhm. Right. It's a thing. It's a fad. It will pass. Mhm. Okay. Wait, since we're on this topic, because then they'll say that pastor has said that you go and dirty December and then you go to the club, you start at like 9:00 and then you don't come back till like 5:00 a.m. and you have really been dirtying it back to back. Let me tell you something. Let me tell somethingh when pastor said they said pastor said when pastor didn't say they said pastor said it's okay. The last one that we I said that I said Nigeria is is when I said the spirit of Mammon lives in Nigeria has headquarters in Nigeria has headquarters in America has headquarters in Europe they cut it off at headquarters in Nigeria they didn't hear the America they didn't hear the Europe when I said Nigeria is just as materialistic as America if not more so. Mhm. They didn't hear that. They heard me say which I didn't that Nigeria is the most materialistic country in the whole wide world. So whether I say or I don't say they will say I said so I'm not saying you should go from club to club or go to the club at all. I'm not saying that. That's I'm not advocating that you should go to the club and I'm not advocating that you should not go to the club. I'm just advocating that remember that you're a child of God and that anything that you do if it does not glorify God then maybe you ought not to do it. That's all that is the only thing I advocate for. That's good. So when you are quoting me quote this part Dirty December um but for the people that are going to dye of December be safe, be careful. Um have fun. You see, you see, you see, you see, sister Esther, you are telling them to have fun. Me, I didn't even say I said glorify God. Have fun. Have fun. Who Who is encouraging people to dirty December? Now, everybody's dirty December looks different. My dirty December is not dirty. There's nothing dirty about my December. No, it's not that it's dirty. It's what? It's dirty. There's nothing dirty, dirty, dirty about my December. My December is holy. Holy December. Hallelujah. Holy December. Hey, don't do me I me I'm holy. It says be holy as I am holy. Me I'm walking in holiness through Christ Jesus. Amen. Okay. But you know what that holiness is about, right? Okay. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. It's about being kind to your people who deserve it and don't deserve it or I don't know. Okay. I'm just saying. Has nothing to do with dirty December or dirty November. One more question. Do we have any holiday traditions? Any like Christmas traditions that we do during the Christmas time? Can I go first? Yeah. Not really. Like if anything, maybe when I was younger and with church, we would do like the uh the Christmas carols and stuff. I would actually sing. Yeah. Like you know the the good you songs. That was fun. Yeah. Like I I I remember that. But as of recently, not really. For me, I do go back home though. So I live away from family. But Christmas, I would always go back home with family. Yeah, you stay. Yeah. Okay. What about you? What are your per traditions? Well, I don't like to be in America during the Christmas season. So, right now I'm looking to go to London. So, I'm trying to figure it out because these ticket prices are crazy. Really? Why? Why don't you like being in America? We're not Christian enough for you. You want me to be honest? Yeah. I always get sad around the Christmas season. Why? I don't know. I just get really sad. Really? Um, what do you call that thing? Seasonal seasonal depression. Mhm. Oh, okay. Yeah. God will hear you. Amen. So, you end up to get money. I also do have a therapist as well and I'm actually making intentional decisions to like be happy on Christmas and so that's why I plan okay towards doing those things. So, the tradition since I've had kids is that we travel somewhere during the holidays. So, you spend money at Christmas. Ah, we did blue. You see, they they ch my money. You see? Yeah. Okay. Cool. Yeah. What about you, Fia? Huh? What? Christmas traditions. Traditions? Nothing really. You know, since my mom passed, it's just been weird. But we just whatever it is that looks like fun that day is what we do. Whether we hang out at my house, my brother's house, just it's just a family jolly jolaf. Mhm. Chicken, not flats. No, nothing nothing major. Just, you know, we just like to chill together, that's all. Yeah. All righty. Well, thank you guys for joining us. I hope this conversation was helpful. Um, you know, we know a lot of you all have questions around Christmas and the meaning. And, you know, I just want to encourage you, continue to read your word, continue to ask questions. You know, um, being inquisitive is good. And uh if you want to celebrate Christmas, please celebrate your Christmas without any guilt. Don't let anybody guilt trip you into not celebrating Christmas. And if you don't want to celebrate it, don't celebrate it with your chest. Yeah, it's okay. Carry it on your shoulder. I don't do Christmas. No problem. No problem. No quils. Share, comment, follow. Um we appreciate you guys. Thank you guys for being with us thus far from January up until now. We appreciate you guys. You guys have been so consistent um with even sharing and commenting and engaging with us. So, you know, we're thankful. Um shout out to PF. He's been unfiltered all year. So, yep. All right. Thank you. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. See you guys next time. Unfiltered.