I can hear Andy Williams’ voice from childhood, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” It was that for me. It was the one time of the year when our whole family would be together (until my teen years), and my parents got along. So I associated Christmas with happiness.

But later, when I was in college and didn’t have a home for Christmas, I was one of just a few in an empty dorm.

There’s a meme flying around on social media picturing a man staring off into the distance with the words: “Wondering how I can get my wife the perfect Christmas gift when she already has me.”

I thought about reposting it for fun, just to see what my wife would write in the comments.

Every December I get questions from parents asking for my opinion on Santa: “Did you tell your kids about Santa?” Some Christians are very adamant: “Santa Claus is a replacement of Jesus in this secularized society and just another way of spreading materialism.” Others see the fable as a harmless, delightful fantasy: “I believed in Santa when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt me! It’s just a fun way to give the kids a little magical spark.”

The only reason Christians celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25 was because the Romans had a pagan celebration on that day and Christians took it over. Right?

Wrong. There’s no evidence for it.

You should’ve skipped Thanksgiving this year if you’re grumbling and complaining today. After all, you were just being a hypocrite. Why would you celebrate a day that you don't believe in? If your modus operandi is to look for what you think is wrong and then voice it, why did you even celebrate Thanksgiving? Everyone was looking at you like, “What’s he doing here?”

“It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3 NIV).

Too many of us do not think this way. Instead, we are so quick to argue, and to even insert ourselves into other people’s arguments.

Scripture teaches a different way.