Hello, beloved siblings in Christ. I come again with encouragement, rebuke, correction, and guidance in love and peace. I pray that this is received with a prayerful, softened heart—not that you simply take what I’ve written into account, but that you be a Berean and search the Scriptures, praying God reveal truth through His Spirit as you do so (not a one-and-done deal, by the way!).
What we see frequently on social media around this time of year is a heated debate over Halloween (what I refer to now as Xween, because hallow = holy). Many Christians are in unrighteous uproar over this observance, not striving to grow together in truth and unity with one mind, maturing in the faith (Ephesians 4/ Philippians 1:27/ Philippians 2:1-2). I have written about Xween here, and I will briefly touch on the subject again in this post, however, I want to come at this from the angle many throw out in response to Xween being pagan and/or unholy. The response typically goes something like this:
“You don’t want to celebrate Halloween because it’s pagan, but what about Christmas? Do you celebrate Christmas? It’s pagan, too!”
So, I want to address this argument in light of the time of year.
Is CHRISTmas pagan? Is it wrong to celebrate CHRISTmas? Is it wrong to celebrate Xween? Is Xween pagan? Are these two observances equal in nature?
To briefly recap what I’ve already written, Xween is a worldly day with origins that are highly debated and not 100% clear; yet, take a look around on that day/time of year in the stores, in the neighborhoods, on the television, and you will see its intent. The one thing that is clear is that Satan capitalizes on this unholiday. Although many have refuted the quote attributed to Anton LaVey regarding Xween—”I’m glad that Christians worship the devil at least one night out of the year,” the “church” of Satan does state, “This night (Xween), we smile at the amateur explorers of their own inner darkness, for we know that they enjoy their brief dip into the pool of the ‘shadow world.'” There is nothing “Christian” (Christ-centered, Christ-following, Christ-honoring) about this observance whatsoever. In fact, it encompasses everything which glorifies Satan: Death, witchcraft, demons, ghosts/spirits, gore, murder, crime, all-in-all sin. It is completely irredeemable—it is not the argument of its origins, whether pagan or not; it is the fact that the way it is celebrated today is (at best) fleshly, worldly, unwise, and foolish participation, and (at worst) downright satanic.
The only thing that can be rightly suggested about this day is to continue sharing the Gospel, like we should be doing every day. Set up a table in your neighborhood and hand out tracts. Make it obvious you are separate from what is being observed. Proclaim Christ in the midst of a lost generation, just as any other day. Ephesians 5:11/ Deuteronomy 18:9-14/ Isaiah 5:20/ 1 John 5:17/ James 4:17/ 1 Peter 5:8/ 1 Peter 1: 15-16/ 2 Corinthians 11:14
Now, on to CHRISTmas:
(Quotation referenced from various sources, listed at the foot of this article)
CHRISTmas was said to be established by Pope Julius for December 25. It is said it’s possible “that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival.” Saturnalia was a “hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down,” celebrating the “god” Saturn. However, Saturnalia was celebrated December 17-23/24 (some say it continued for a month into January). It is not specific to December 25. Some try to tie CHRISTmas in with Yule, a Germanic and Neo-Pagan celebration, but that falls on winter solstice, which is December 21/22. Some speculate it ties to the Sol Invictus, a pagan feast of the sun “god” on December 25, but that wasn’t celebrated until 274 AD—references to Jesus’ birth for December 25 date back approx. 100 years prior to that. The date for Jesus’ birth has always been debated, but since that information is never given in God’s Word specifically, choosing a day to celebrate is not in and of itself wrongful. From everything gathered, there are many observances/celebrations during this time of year, be it Yule, or Saturnalia, or Sol Invictus, or Kwanzaa, or Hannukah, or CHRISTmas, but they are each their own celebration. CHRISTmas is its own entity, as it is the one that celebrates Christ—God humbling Himself to come to this world in the flesh (Immanuel). The “when” is irrelevant in comparison to the “why” and “Who.” Therefore, picking a day to celebrate Christ’s birth connotes nothing more than a time to offer honor and remembrance (which should be included every day of the year as well, just like Resurrection Day and Thanksgiving). CHRISTmas means “Mass on Christ’s day,” and “[t]he corresponding terms in other languages—Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, Noël in French—all probably denote nativity” (actually, it may be more historically accurate to call the holiday “the Nativity” than “CHRISTmas.” At this point, however, they are synonymous—nuance).
The date of Christ’s birth has been debated by many throughout history. Some write of Christ’s conception, like Ephraim the Syrian (celebrating the Nativity), who states, “Moses shut up a lamb in the month Nisan on the tenth day; a type this of the Son that came into the womb and shut Himself up therein on the tenth day.” (Nisan [Abib] being March-April for conception, so birth would be around December-January). As I mentioned, though, the “when” is irrelevant in comparison to the “why” and “Who.” As Got Questions puts it, “One thing is clear: if God felt it was important for us to know the exact date of the Savior’s birth, He certainly would have told us in His Word. …the exact date of His birth has no significance whatsoever, which may be why God chose not to mention it. The fact is that He was born, He came into the world to atone for our sins, He was resurrected to eternal life, and He’s alive today. This is what we should celebrate…Surely here is the cause for celebration every day, not just once a year.”
In short, since its establishment, it has actually been a Christ-focused holiday (holy day) which, over the years, has been commercialized (wrongfully), but it is not a pagan celebration (though it may happen to fall into the timeline alongside other festivities). Non-Christians and many self-proclaimed Christians alike have submitted to focusing on that commercialism, not (or very little) on Jesus Christ. That is where the problem lies—when we choose to celebrate “America’s” Christmas and not CHRISTmas. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating a specific day for Christ’s birth, just as we do for His Resurrection on Resurrection Day. When celebrated appropriately, by its intent, it is a time to give full honor and glory to God through Jesus Christ and the celebration of His act of humility to come and serve by seeking and saving, reconciling a broken relationship. But, like the saying or song goes, and as mentioned in the quote above, CHRISTmas should be every day.
What are ways you can “keep CHRIST” in CHRISTmas?
■First and foremost, ensure He is your focus. Turning to the Word is a great way to begin. There are so many Bible-reading advent plans available.
■ Gather with the church on CHRISTmas Eve and/or CHRISTmas Day.
■ When you decorate/celebrate, focus on the intent:
→Nativities are a given (and, I want to interject, the wise men do not belong at Jesus’ birth!).
→ Some say the CHRISTmas tree was instituted:
1) to represent the Holy Trinity (because of its triangular shape, three in one).
2) to represent either God’s creation or the Tree of Life.
3) to represent the foreshadowing (from His birth) of Jesus being nailed to a “tree” (the wood used for the cross).
4) to serve as an attempt by Pope Boniface “to convert the Druids who worshipped oak trees (possibly ‘Thunder Oak’ dedicated to the false god Thor2) as the symbol of their idol. He instead offered the balsam fir tree, using its triangular shape to describe the Trinity and the fact that his evergreen boughs pointed to heaven, as a symbol of God.”1
The CHRISTmas tree’s obscure origin may be cause for concern to some people, many of which use Jeremiah 10 as a foundation for their reasoning. However, when we look at the passage in proper context, it is in reference to using wood (trees) fashioned into idols of/for false gods (carved and adorned with precious metals—what we also see in Isaiah 44:9-20). A tree adorned in itself is not a representation of evil or idolatry, though if someone was to dedicate it to a false god, carve it into a false idol, fall down before it in worship, or pray to it, then it would certainly be an object of evil and idolatry and something we should avoid completely. A tree, however, is something God has provided—for food, shelter, or tools we may need, akin to flowers and other plants. We cannot rightfully prohibit the use of a tree for simple decor without stepping over the bounds of man-made rules/law (if this is the case, if we apply this standard to daily life across the board, we could never send flowers to a loved one, we cannot have house plants or floral arrangements for decor, we can never adorn our porches with hay bales or pumpkins in autumn, nor can we have photos/prints of anything floral).
*Something interesting to note also is that some of the traditions or means by which we celebrate certain holidays are steeped in biblical tradition. For instance, I think of celebrating Thanksgiving as kin to the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles/Sukkot). During this commanded feast (no longer required under the New Covenant, of course, but not prohibited in freedom either), there was an autumnal celebration of thanksgiving for harvesting God’s provisions (Late September-October). Mainly, however, it served as a remembrance of Israel’s wilderness journey, when they dwelled in temporary tents/booths/tabernacles. These booths were fashioned from a variety of trees and were adorned with fruits. Something that brings to mind our decor of pumpkins, cornucopia, and trees. Very biblical aspects.
What’s also interesting is (and yet another take on the date of Christ’s birth) “[t]here are also some who believe that it was likely during the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus was born. While we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, most scholars acknowledge that this tradition was begun in the fourth century AD by the Roman Catholic Church and that the exact day of Jesus’ birth is unknown. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been born earlier in the year during the Feast of the Tabernacles includes the fact that it would be unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their sheep in December, which is in the middle of the winter, but it would have been likely they were in the fields tending sheep at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. The strong possibility that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles is also seen in the words John wrote in John 1:14. ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ The word John chose to speak of Jesus ‘dwelling’ among us is the word tabernacle, which simply means to ‘dwell in a tent’” (Got Questions). So, again, trees and fruits and things for which we are grateful can be quite biblical for both Thanksgiving and CHRISTmas.
→St. Nicholas was a real historical figure who gave to those in need; we can convey the truth of his history in demonstrative personal giving, but not as the imaginary, chubby, bearded old man who knows everything (elevating him to godlike status) and flies around to all the children. When you submit to this, and pass it on to your children, you acquiesce to a lie and bring the focus to commercialism.
→There are other physical aspects which can offer Christ-focused symbolism when we use them as such—like candles, for being the light of Jesus to the world, candy canes, representing a shepherd’s cane and the blood sacrifice and purity of Jesus, and wreaths, symbolizing God as eternal and eternal life.
Things like snowmen and gnomes, however, along with Santa figures do not offer any benefit and can become idolized or, at the least, a stumbling block.
→ Choose music which glorifies Christ rather than commercialistic, secular messages. Likewise, choose other forms of entertainment, like movies, which glorify Christ or bring to attention the meaning of CHRISTmas.
■ Keep in mind, things like family gatherings and giving may be important at CHRISTmas, but that is not what CHRISTmas is about. Let us be careful not to elevate man and the secular over Christ as the reason of our celebration.
References:
History.com. 2021. History of Christmas. Retrieved November 1, 2022 from, History of Christmas – Origins, Traditions & Facts – HISTORY
Dougherty, Melissa. 2021. Judy McJudgerson Tries to Wreck Christmas. Retrieved November 1, 2022 from (1) Judy McJudgerson Tries to Wreck Christmas – YouTube
Hillerbrand, H. J. (2022, October 25). Christmas. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas
1 Fagnant-MacArthur, Patrice. 2013. Catholic Exchange. Retrieved November 5, 2022 from, The History of the Christmas Tree (catholicexchange.com)
2Weidenkopf, Steve. 2014. St. Boniface and the Christmas Tree. Retrieved November 5, 2022 from St. Boniface and the Christmas Tree | Catholic Answers
Church of Satan. Is Halloween Important to Satanists? Retrieved October 27, 2023, from www.churchofsatan.com/faq-holidays/
Bible Hub. Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian. Hymn IV. This is the month which brings all manner of joy. Retrived October 27, 2023 from https://biblehub.com/library/ephraim/hymns_and_homilies_of_ephraim_the_syrian/hymn_iv_this_is_the.htm
Got Questions. February 3, 2022. Was Jesus born on December 25? Is December 25 Jesus’ birthday? Retrieved October 27, 2023 from https://www.gotquestions.org/December-25.html
Got Questions. January 4, 2022. What is the Feast of Tabernacles / Booths / Sukkot? Retrieved from What is the Feast of Tabernacles / Booths / Sukkot? | GotQuestions.org