OPINION:
I don’t care how many people judge me or criticize me for celebrating Christmas. I’m celebrating Jesus. I’m celebrating His birthday, and I’m not letting anyone take that joy from me. I know some people say Christmas is too commercialized, or even call it a pagan holiday. But to me, it’s a time set aside to honor the One who gave everything for me. It’s my chance to say, “Jesus, I’m so glad You came down to earth, died for me, and gave me a new heart and a new life.”
For the first 28 years of my life, I couldn’t celebrate Christmas. Growing up, I was bound by religious rules and rituals, living under the weight of legalism. But when I met Jesus, He set me free. Now I get to celebrate Him! But it seems like some people, even Christians, wanted to keep me from celebrating. But I refused to let anyone or anything take this joy from me.
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I’ll never forget my first Christmas after becoming a Christian. I was a single mom, and my daughter was just four years old. We didn’t have much, but we had each other and a new faith in Jesus that was filling our lives with hope. After paying rent and utilities, I only had $29 left in my pocket. I was hoping to go to a thrift store and find a small tree to make our home feel festive. I just wanted something simple to remind us of the joy of the season.
One day, as we were walking past a department store, my daughter suddenly stopped and tugged on my hand.
“Mom, we have to go in there,” she said, pointing at the store. “Jesus told me we need to get our Christmas tree from this place.”
I looked at her, a little taken aback. This wasn’t just any store; it was an expensive department store. I tried to explain gently, “Honey, we don’t need to get our tree here. We’re going to another store.”
But she wouldn’t hear it. She kept insisting with that pure, childlike faith that Jesus wanted us to go into that store.
Finally, I gave in. We walked in, surrounded by beautiful trees and sparkling decorations. She led me right up to one of the biggest, most beautiful trees I’d ever seen — fully decorated, lights and all. She looked up at me with those bright eyes and said, “This is our tree. Jesus promised me this one.”
My heart sank. That tree cost hundreds of dollars, and all I had was $29. I didn’t want to break her heart, but I knew there was no way we could afford it. I gently tried to explain, but she just kept saying, “No, Mom. Jesus promised.”
Just then, a woman who worked at the store walked over and asked if she could help us. I tried to brush her off politely, telling her we were just looking. But my daughter jumped right in, saying, “Jesus told me this is our tree!”
The woman looked at the tree, and then back at us, and said something I’ll never forget. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “This is our last display tree, and we can’t sell it at the regular price. It’s a display, so it has to go.”
I started to tell her we couldn’t afford it anyway, but she wouldn’t let me finish.
She insisted, “Because it’s a display, we’ll sell it for whatever you can pay.”
I was stunned. I pulled out my $29, hardly believing this was real. The woman called over some other employees, and together they carefully took down the tree, wrapping it up with all the lights and decorations. As she handed it to me, she took my hand, pressed the money back into it, and said, “It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about His love. Merry Christmas.”
I can’t even describe what I felt in that moment — overwhelmed by God’s love, by this stranger’s kindness, and by the simple, unshakable faith of my little girl. We drove home with that tree, our hearts full, knowing that Jesus truly sees us, even in the smallest details.
Now, whenever someone tells me I shouldn’t celebrate Christmas, I think back to that day. Jesus is in every blessing, every answered prayer. If He didn’t want me to celebrate, He wouldn’t have blessed us with that tree in such a miraculous way.
So if you’re struggling this Christmas, wondering if God sees you, remember this story. Jesus is a miracle-working God who loves you and cares about the details of your life. Whatever you’re hoping for, whatever you need, pray and trust Him. He’s still doing miracles, and He’s right there, closer than you think.
I pray that this Christmas, you’ll experience His love and provision in a way that fills you with hope because Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas.
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Işık Abla Ministries (IAM) is a global beacon of hope and empowerment led by visionary founder, President, and CEO Işık Abla. As a Muslim believer, she is uniquely positioned, knowing the culture, language, and social norms, to authentically and relationally share the good news of Jesus Christ with Muslims. Today, Işık’s programs are broadcast in multiple languages in over 200 countries on six continents and are available to more than 700 million people.
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