What is the History of Christmas?

Christmas as a Religious Holiday

No one knows what day Jesus was born, or even exactly which year. But in 336 A.D., the Western Church, based in Rome, chose December 25 to celebrate the coming of Christ into the world. In English, this day was known as "Christ's Mass" which became "Christmas." The Eastern Church chose January 6. The day was named Epiphany, meaning "appearance." Eventually the period from December 25 to January 6 became known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Advent is the church season leading up to Christmas. It begins four Sundays before Christmas. For churches that follow a liturgical calendar, the first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the church year. But most other Christian churches also observe Advent in one way or another. Advent was traditionally a time of penance and fasting in preparation for Christ's second coming and for the Christmas celebration. Fasting is no longer observed, however, and Advent has become a more joyous season.

Religious Christians attend special church services during the Christmas season that commemorate the birth of Jesus and call us to a life of devotion and following in Christ's footsteps.

There are no references to Christmas in the Bible because the first Christmas celebration did not occur until about 250 years after the last book of the Bible was written.

Christmas as a Nonreligious Celebration

The Christmas season has also become a nonreligious festival that is celebrated around the world by Christians and non-Christians alike. The nonreligious aspects of Christmas celebration include gift giving, Christmas trees, lights, decorating, Santa Claus, acts of charity, feasting and partying.

There was an ancient pagan festival of lights at the winter solstice (Dec. 21-22) to celebrate the days beginning to get longer rather than shorter. During the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., many pagans were converted to Christianity, often by force, and the pagan and Christian traditions became intermingled because they occurred at the same time of year. The lights and feasting of Christmas may have originated from the pagan traditions.

The Christmas tree tradition began in Germany. German families put up a "Paradise tree" on December 24, the feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it symbolizing the bread distributed in Church for Holy Communion. The Christmas holiday followed immediately, so candles representing Christ as the "light of the world" were often added to the tree. Thus began our tradition of putting lights on Christmas trees.

The tradition of Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas originated with several old European legends. The modern image of Santa as a gift-giving, rotund gentleman in a red suit with a sleigh and reindeer can be traced to Clement Clark Moore's poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, which was published in 1823.

The "Christmas spirit" of giving can be traced to the book A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Dickens' book, published in 1843, is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy curmudgeon, who has a series of visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future. These ghosts show Scrooge a series of disturbing visions that make him realize the evil and futility of his life, and he becomes a completely new person -- generous, loving and likable.

Are Nonreligious Christmas Celebrations Wrong?

During the 1600's, some Puritan groups considered Christmas a pagan celebration because it included nonreligious elements such as decorating and feasting. As a result, Christmas celebrations were outlawed, for a time, in England and parts of the English colonies in America. However, the pagan origin of some of the traditions does not make Christmas a pagan holiday. Those of us who celebrate Christmas in the spirit of worshiping Christ are not glorifying paganism nor demeaning Christianity.

Many Christians celebrate Christmas in both religious and nonreligious ways. The Christmas traditions of generosity and charity and the ambiance of peace and goodwill are certainly strong Christian values, and there is nothing in the Bible against Christmas trees, gift-giving, lights, decorating, parties, etc. But some of the nonreligious Christmas traditions, particularly drunkenness, revelry and crass commercialism, are not consistent with Bible teachings.

Some Christians are offended by nonreligious holiday traditions, and they may try to pressure merchants, government units and non-Christians to recognize and observe Christmas by displaying religious symbols or other means. However, the Bible says we should work toward perfecting ourselves rather than judging or criticizing those outside the church (Matthew 7:1-5, Romans 2:1, 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 5:12).