Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
I’ve heard the debate: Christmas has pagan origins, so should Christians celebrate Christmas?
Today, I thought I’d give you my take on it. Should Christians celebrate Christmas? I’ll let you decide.
Pagan Christmas Trees?
The origin of the Christmas Tree is said to be found in pagan tree-worship. Not only would the pagans worship trees in the woods, but they would apparently bring them into their homes to worship them.
It’s interesting to note that while tree-decorating can be historically traced back to the Renaissance era, Christmas Trees didn’t really take off as a widespread Christmas tradition until the 19th Century.
The biggest kick-start for Christmas trees as a Christmas tradition seems to have roots in early Protestant Christianity — not as a means of evangelizing pagans, but as a means of differentiating from the Catholic Church. After the Protestant Reformation, upper-class Christians in Germany adopted this decorative tradition as an alternative to the Catholic “nativity scenes.” Apparently, the same aversion to “making a graven image of God” that kept the Protestants from displaying sculptures of Jesus hanging on a crucifix also steered the early Protestants away from making a graven image of Him laying in a manger. And since popular German folk music celebrated the evergreen as a symbol of faithfulness, permanence, and constancy, it became for the German Christians the natural symbol of our constant, permanent, faithful Savior.
In case you’re wondering, I have a Christmas tree in my house right now. It’s fake…which makes it even more constant, faithful, and permanent.
Pagan Christmas Presents?
Some have suggested that Christmas gifts originated in pre-Christian Rome. There the emperors would compel their lowly citizens to present offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia (in December) and Kalends (in January). Later, this ritual is said to have grown to encompass gift-giving among the commoners. Others point to the fact that the Magi (or “Wise Men”) brought gifts to Jesus. And still others point to the fact that Jesus is God’s gift to us.
So where did Christmas gifts originate? I suppose you could possibly point to all three of these, but what’s important is how they’re used today. If it’s for the sake of materialism, greed, or pride in one’s ability to give, then there’s a deeper issue going on than a possible pagan origin. And if it’s for the sake of love, friendship, or blessing in Jesus’ name, then the origin is irrelevant…we should be doing that all year round!
In case you’re wondering, I bought and made presents for people in my family this year. And you’re welcome to send me presents if you like!
Pagan Celebration of December 25th?
It has been suggested that the Christian date of December 25th is tied to the ancient Roman feast of Saturnalia, which was traditionally held from December 17th through the 23rd. If you look at the two celebrations, the only (and I mean ONLY) correlation is the exchanging of gifts (unless you count how the world celebrates with drunkenness…even though that has nothing to do with the Christian celebration). During this feast, the Romans wore ridiculous hats and danced naked in front of a statue of Saturn — the “god” of agricultural plenty — propped up on a couch.
…not seeing any correlations there.
Other scholars have pointed to the celebration of the Roman “sun god” named Sol, which did happen on December 25th. This being a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, it could easily be the prime candidate for a Christian takeover. Nevertheless, any good historian will note that the celebration of “Sol Invictus“, while originating in 278 AD, never occurred on December 25 until around 360 AD — that’s decades after Emperor Constantine’s conversion in 315 AD and the adoption of Christmas into church liturgy in 336 AD. It’s therefore more likely that “Julian the Apostate,” who was noted for trying to return Rome to its pagan origins, tried to usurp the Christian celebration around 360 AD. In other words, Christians didn’t hijack a pagan holiday; pagans hijacked Christmas!
The selection of the 25th actually originated from the early Christians’ best “educated guess” at the actual date of Christ’s birth. (There’s a lot to it, and if you want to really dig into the history, you can read up on it here.)
What I find more fascinating, though, is the work done by Frederick A. Larson, as seen in the DVD The Star of Bethlehem
Is there ANYTHING Pagan about Christmas?
Sure. If you’re hanging mistletoe in hopeful expectation of a kiss, this tradition has believable roots in Norse mythology and Druid orgies and sacrificial killing. And if you’re burning a “Yule Log,” this tradition is connected to early Anglo-Saxon paganism and was believed by the British to be a sort of magical amulet that would protect them from evil and make them prosperous.
I suppose you could find some other pagan origins to various Christmas traditions, but does it really matter? The days of the week are named after pagan gods. Should we stop saying the days of the week? We would also have to throw out our wedding rings (pagan origin), cancel our wedding ceremonies (pagan origin), and eliminate various other wedding traditions. You might be surprised to find out how many things we rely on everyday have origins in pagan cultures and religions — like the 24-hour time systems and 12-hour clocks we use. Do you wear a wrist watch? Pagan roots!
Should Christians celebrate Christmas? Well, should Christians wear watches or use any sort of 12-hour based time? Should Christians wear wedding rings? Should Christians say they go to church on “Sunday”?
I think you get the point.
Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
Alright…let’s actually answer this one. Should Christians celebrate Christmas? It depends on what you mean by “should.”
If you’re suggesting that not celebrating is “wrong,” then no. Christmas is not something that Christians “should” celebrate. It’s not commanded in Scripture, and it’s not necessary for being a faithful Christian who loves Jesus.
But if you’re wondering whether or not it’s alright to decorate a tree and open presents on December 25th, I say YES! If your heart is pure in your love for Jesus, then it’s perfectly fine. Any possible pagan origins are irrelevant for the pure-hearted believer.
Titus 1:15 — To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. (NIV84)
So if you’re a Christian, Christmas is perfectly fine to celebrate. That said, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I support you 100% as well.
Colossians 2:16-17 — Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (NIV84)
What about you? Do you celebrate Christmas? Why or why not?
God bless!
–Art
December 25, 2012 @ 9:21 am
The evergreen being used in Germany goes back to the earliest days of evangelism there when an Irish monk named Boniface brought the Christian faith. According to the legend, he interrupted a human sacrifice to Thor that was about to happen, and chopped down their sacred oak tree with one blow of his ax. behind it was a small fir tree. St. Boniface declared “This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace, for your houses are built of the fir. It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.”
Here’s the whole story http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/williamsaunders/straightanswers/68.asp
July 9, 2013 @ 2:48 pm
Then I have 2 questions,
1 What does Christmas mean, I got Christ but what does “-mas” mean in the christmas word?
2 Nobody yet knows what the word Catholic means, do you Pastor?
July 9, 2013 @ 5:26 pm
Hi Peter,
I’m guessing those are loaded questions (by the way they’re worded and the fact that you’re commenting on a Christmas post in July), but I’ll bite anyway.
1) The “mas” part of “Christmas” means exactly what you think: Mass. The Catholic church celebrates different saints every day of the year, and December 25th is set aside to focus on the incarnation of Jesus. Personally, I think it’s great when any celebration of Jesus is adopted into mainstream culture, even if many are confused about how to celebrate it. I frankly love the fact that so many people who never go to church will still attend a Christmas service. Many have come to genuine salvation this way.
2) In its most literal sense, the word “catholic” means “universal.” The term was originally used to refer to the “universal Church,” encompassing all who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. In modern usage, though, it has been appropriated by the church of Rome. I’m not sure what this question has to do with Christmas, but I’m assuming it’s because you already knew the answer to the first question.
October 20, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
Great article! There is so much misinformation and wacky conclusions claiming Christians should not celebrate the holiday. One of my favorites is “The Bible doesn’t tell us to and the early apostles/church didn’t celebrate it…” failing to realize that the Bible also never told anyone to celebrate Hanukkah, yet Jesus Himself was at the temple during Hanukkah (John 10:22) and He didn’t condemn the celebration at all. And who cares if the early apostles didn’t celebrate it? They also didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but how does that prove something is wrong? Lol
Not to mention the Bible didn’t tell us to bow our heads and close our eyes in prayer, yet most Christians do. It also didn’t tell us to take communion on the first Sunday of each month, though most churches designate that day for communion. Having a legalistic view of the scriptures is a slippery slope that will lead you nowhere fast.
BTW I’m commenting on this article in October because of a loved one who said they would no longer celebrate two years ago. And recently he asked me to do research and share what I found. I pretty much came to the same conclusions as explained in this article. I respect everyone’s personal convictions, but it’s a shame when they are made out of fear and a misunderstanding of God’s grace.
December 22, 2013 @ 2:58 am
“How many doorways for demons would you like to have in your home?”
That was the question the Lord asked me, when it came time to getting rid of all the Christmas items: http://dreamsofdunamis.wordpress.com/2012/12/25/all-the-christmas-stuff/. (See also: http://dreamsofdunamis.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/the-spirits-of-christmas/)
So many people do not realize, that there is indeed a ‘spirit of Christmas’, and it is NOT of Jesus! It is a pagan spirit, a demon that has many other demons under him to command. This spirit does not bring in good things, but instead brings in strife, greed, envy, and irritability, among others. And when one puts up their Christmas lights during the winter solstice, they are unknowingly welcoming these demons into their home.
So for those who still celebrate it, watch to see if there is fighting, strife, irritability, and greed in your celebrations. And if there is, turn off the holiday lights, cast them out, and then see how things are! You might be just as surprised at the results as we were…
May God’s blessings be upon all who read these words,
C. Dunamis