It’s that time of year again: Christmas trees, lights, music festivals, and more. It is also when we Christians ask if this season is something we should be celebrating. It could be for various reasons, be it pagan roots, concerns over commercialization, or more. Whatever the reason, this time of year certainly brings many questions, some of which hopefully may be answered in this article.
A couple of things must be considered before we can answer whether Christians should celebrate Christmas, the first of which is the historical background. The problem that arrives almost immediately is that the holiday's history is murky. Some scholars attribute the holiday to ancient Greco-Roman festivals celebrating the harvest, while others attribute it to Catholic traditions, firmly placing it as Christian. Neither of these claims can be easily disputed, especially when there is no logical reason that two holidays, especially from two different cultures and belief systems, couldn’t happen on the same day, with each having little to do with the other.
Next, we must consider whether the holiday is Christian or pagan; it hasn’t easily been placed into either category throughout history. Whether celebrating December 25th as the birth of Christ or ‘merely’ a celebration of family, giving, and childlike wonder and curiosity, it would be hard to argue that Christmas has remained the same for the past 2000 odd years. Different countries celebrate the holiday differently, with different folk tales and traditions linked to it, and it has even faced attempted bannings at other times in history, such as in 1647 in England. In fact, many modernized Christmas celebrations can be traced back to Charles Dickens's “A Christmas Carol,” which changed perceptions of the holiday upon its publication in 1843.
This all leads to the question of whether we should be asking if Christians should be celebrating Christmas, the pre-Dickens holiday with pagan roots; Christmas, the birth of Christ; Christmas, the modern variant; some form of mixture; or none at all. To start, we can quickly rule out the pagan-rooted variant of the holiday because, despite the fact that there is no broad consensus as to what such a holiday actually would entail, it is undoubtedly rooted in mystic practices. The two that require more consideration, especially in a Christian circle, are the birth of Christ and the modern Dickens-inspired tale.
As for the birth of Christ, I have no problem celebrating the 25th of December as such. My family has done so for as long as I can remember, and even though we openly acknowledge that the Messiah was more likely born in spring or autumn, we will continue to celebrate the event. I see no problem with celebrating the birth of Christ on any day people choose, be it in December or otherwise, but I don’t believe that many Christians actually do. The issue I’ve heard typically comes down to either a link to old pagan traditions, which we have already discussed, or a modern pagan interpretation of certain Christmas traditions, such as Santa Claus. To examine this aspect of the challenge of the Christian celebration of the holiday, we must look in closer detail at the turning point of modern Christmas.
“A Christmas Carol” does not have anything particular to do with Santa Claus. Yes, the ghost of Christmas present closely resembles the idea of Father Christmas, and the ideas of what Santa eventually comes to represent are there, but primarily, what the book establishes about the holiday is charity, kindness, love, and goodwill towards our fellow men. Santa Claus didn’t fully come into his own until 1863 when paintings by Thomas Nast were created depicting St. Nicholas from the 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (also known as “'Twas the Night Before Christmas”). This poetic interpretation was heavily influenced and linked to Catholic traditions and the ‘real St. Nick,’ Saint Nicholas of Myra, a man known for his kindness and generosity to the poor. However, Santa Claus would originate from this story and eventually greatly influence how Christmas is celebrated.
As Santa Claus is such an integral part of Christmas, let us now examine him in complete relation to the question of celebration. To some, Santa has come to represent greed, capitalism, and the holiday's commercialization. Still, to others, he symbolizes childlike innocence, joy, charity, love, guardianship, and more. While I can see why some have become jaded with the holiday being commercialized, I cannot find it in me to agree with Santa being a symbol for it, at least to anyone who actually digs into the story. Santa is undoubtedly not greedy in any of the classical stories told about him, and more importantly, he gives gifts to everyone around the world, regardless of status, finances, or nationality. I would love to hear such an explanation if that can be interpreted as greedy.
Clearly, I strongly favor the second interpretation and have no problem celebrating Santa as a symbol of everything I stated. I understand that many people’s issues with Santa do not come down to commercialism. Still, rather a religious notion of Santa being the modern world trying to make a replacement for Christ and that celebrating Santa Claus is akin to idolatry. However, I find this line of argumentation tenuous at best, especially as someone who enjoys both aspects of the holiday. Something can only replace Christ if you allow it to, and having role models, be they fictional or real, is not the same as idolatry and worship. Additionally, Santa Claus is directly linked to a deeply religious individual who would undoubtedly be opposed to the idea of being held in Christ’s stead.
Now, onto the question we have been seeking to answer since the beginning: should Christians celebrate Christmas? Simply put, in a quote from Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true.” In reality, your reading of this article has likely done little to change how you will spend this December 25th. Perhaps it did help you consider some other points of view on the issue. I don’t believe that anyone is being disingenuous in their celebration or refusal to celebrate the holiday; it is just that it is a matter of perspective. I wish all of you a merry 25th and that, as I’m sure we can all agree on at the very least, “God bless us, everyone!”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.