Does Jeremiah 10 Mention Christmas Trees? - A Closer Look!

I have seen many anti-Christmas believers who say that celebrating Christmas is wrong, and putting up Christmas trees is pagan. The verse used to back up this claim is Jeremiah 10:3-4 which states; 


³For the customs of the peoples are delusion;
         Because it is wood cut from the forest,
         The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
    ⁴"They decorate it with silver and with gold;
         They fasten it with nails and with hammers
         So that it will not totter. 

At first glance of this verse anyone would probably agree that it sounds very much like Christmas trees many people use today. But is this really what Jeremiah is describing? Let's take a closer look...

(Pay special detail to the underlined phrases)

Thus says the LORD,
         "Do not learn the way of the nations,
         And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
         Although the nations are terrified by them;
    ³For the customs of the peoples are delusion;
         Because it is wood cut from the forest,
         The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
    ⁴"They decorate it with silver and with gold;
         They fasten it with nails and with hammers
         So that it will not totter.
    ⁵"Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
         And they cannot speak;
         They must be carried,
         Because they cannot walk!
         Do not fear them,
         For they can do no harm,
         Nor can they do any good."
    ⁶There is none like You, O LORD;
         You are great, and great is Your name in might.
    ⁷Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
         Indeed it is Your due!
         For among all the wise men of the nations
         And in all their kingdoms,
         There is none like You.
    ⁸But they are altogether stupid and foolish
         In their discipline of delusion--their idol is wood!
    ⁹Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
         And gold from Uphaz,
         The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
         Violet and purple are their clothing;
         They are all the work of skilled men.
    ¹⁰But the LORD is the true God;
         He is the living God and the everlasting King 
         At His wrath the earth quakes,
         And the nations cannot endure His indignation.

So does this still sound like a Christmas tree to you? It's easy to use verses out of context when you just take one snippet, without reading what was before that line, and after it! It's obvious Jeremiah is not speaking of Christmas trees in this verse, but of IDOLS. "Because they cannot walk!" and, "Do not fear them.." is proof that these are indeed carved idols from wood,silver and gold! Who in their right mind would fear a tree, or expect a tree to walk??

If Christians are not worshiping their Christmas trees, or making Santa or easter bunnies the main theme of the holidays, we shouldn't condemn them. The true meaning of the holidays should beto give thanks and praise to Jesus! This means getting rid of any Santa figures, and stop making this time about a fat man in a red suit, and teaching children to idolize this "Santa Clause" delusion, and giving all glory to Jesus Christ!!