Bell chimes echo in the frosted air, marking the start for festivities. Candles flicker like tiny stars against the dark winter night. Holly drapes over mantels and glows a rich, crimson green. Yuletide garlands curl along staircases, their pine scent mingling with the aroma of pull-apart bread and spiced cider. These festive decorations fill every corner of the Christmas celebration. And yet, for all their charm and sparkling warmth, none of them reflect the humble story of Jesus’ birth that Christmas is meant to honor.
Christmas is celebrated across the world by many people of different cultures. According to Pew Research, 96% of Christians have included this as part of their holiday celebrations. The name Christmas, meaning “Christ’s Mass,” has long been recognized as the celebration of Jesus’ birth into the world. However, traditions that are associated with Christmas originate from before his birth and were part of pagan cultures.
THE BIRTH OF CHRISTMAS
The origins of Christmas as a holiday trace back to the 4th century after Roman Church leaders established Dec. 25th as Jesus’ birthday. The first mention of Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25th dates back to the 3rd century, where in T.C. Schmidt’s book, Hippolytus of Rome, he writes, “The first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December 25, Wednesday.” The truth is, because the Bible doesn’t provide specifics of his birth, we don’t know the date on which Jesus was born, let alone the year.
However, at that time, there was already another popular Roman holiday, Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a period of celebration between Dec. 17th and 23rd dedicated to Saturn, the Roman God of agriculture and harvest. Another popular celebration was Sol Invictus, or the “Unconquered Sun,” associated with the Winter Solstice, which was observed on Dec. 25. These holidays included feasts, the giving of gifts, and the decoration of homes with wreaths, all familiar traditions that we recognize now. Initially, both the Pagan holidays and Christmas coexisted, but they eventually began to merge together into one holiday, Christmas.
THE EVOLUTION OF CHRISTMAS
The Christmas we know now went through many changes throughout different time periods. Historian Mark Cartwright writes that Christmas during the medieval period (500-1500 AD) was celebrated across 12 days from Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th) to the Twelfth Day (Jan. 5th), and basic traditions like a Christmas feast and giving to the less fortunate were established during this time. They were even slightly raucous and rowdy, like today’s Mardi Gras parades. As the medieval period neared a close, the influence of the Church on people’s lives began to ease, and thus more secular traditions began to form.
During the 17th century, the future of Christmas looked shaky when the Puritans, both in England and America, placed a ban on the holiday, whose celebrations like caroling, feasting, and decorating were seen as remnants of pagan influences.
Jumping forward in time, we see a modern-day Christmas really began to take shape during the Victorian Era, when Queen Victoria’s husband, who was German, introduced the tradition of Christmas Trees from his country, and this quickly spread to other households across Britain. Carols and card giving also became popularized during this era, allowing gift-giving to become more acceptable and accessible. Literature during this period, such as poems like Twas the Night Before Christmas and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, helped cement Christmas as a holiday for all ages and people. As the Industrial Revolution kicked into full swing, more things became commercialized, and a huge range of gifts, from imported goods to homemade toys, were on sale for the increasingly consumer-hungry population.
Even the Great Depression and the World Wars could not prevent the celebration of Christmas (such as the Christmas Truce), where gifts were still given to their children. Of course, who could forget the rise of Santa Claus in America and around the world, whose own story could fill an entire article, which helped propel Christmas into the holiday that is celebrated by both believers and non-believers all over the world.
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
With all the advertisements of sales that end up commercializing and secularizing the longstanding traditions of Christmas, we live in an era of two different Christmases. One is filled with the ‘warm and fuzzy’ cultural traditions that seek to emulate Christian values, the other with our focus on the birth of Christ and the incredible story that is his sacrifice to save us.
When we look at the true spirit of Christmas, we should see Isaiah 9:6, which says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The celebration of Jesus and his birth is a great thing, and many Christmas traditions even reconcile with our callings as Christ followers.
From experiencing Nativity scenes to watching the latest Hallmark rom-com, Christmas is a special time for all to share, but as Christians, we are commanded to remember the reason for the season, which is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
