The Origin and History of America’s Christmas Traditions
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As the weather grows colder our hearts grow warm, remembering that holy night, long ago when the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. Believers all over the world celebrate the season through a variety of Christmas traditions that are centuries old. Much of our Christmas history is marred by pagan practices and beliefs. But just like Jesus came to redeem the world from sin, Christians—through Him—can reclaim the holiday to celebrate our Savior, who is so worthy of honor.
The Sordid Origin of Christmas
Early Christians never celebrated Jesus’ birth. The most reasonable explanation for this is that the Bible makes no mention of the exact day Christ was born. Biblical scholars suggest Jesus was born in the springtime because the shepherds watched their flocks in a field—an activity that wouldn’t have taken place in the winter. But even if Scripture would have provided us with a date, early Christians would likely have never considered the idea of a birthday celebration for Jesus, given that was not their custom.
During Christ’s time, Roman culture regularly celebrated feasts and festivals to honor their pagan gods during the winter solstice. Saturnalia—a festival in honor of Saturn, was held from December 17th to December 24th. And “The festival of Juvenalia commemorated a feast for the children of Rome and was marked on December 25, to honor Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun.” This pagan history would later prove an important part of the origin of Christmas.
In the second century AD, Sextus Julius Africanus, a notable Christian historian, proclaimed December 25th as Christ’s birthday. His assumption about the date was based upon other theories believed by scholars at that time. Africanus believed the world was created by God on March 25th, therefore the Savior’s conception must have happened on the same day—which would have led to Jesus’s birth nine months later, on December 25th.
Although Africanus’s theory was widely accepted, it wasn’t until the fourth century A.D. that church officials decided to institute an official holiday to commemorate the birth of Christ. Pope Julius 1 chose December 25th for the holiday as a practical and symbolic means to dethrone the pagan gods—and place the Christ child in the seat of worship during the winter festivals and feasts. This kind of syncretism was often used by the Roman Catholic Church to acclimate pagan cultures to Christianity. The new holiday, originally branded The Feast of the Nativity, spread to Egypt by 432 and reached England in the sixth century, where it was renamed Christmas. However, the holiday bore little resemblance to Christmas today.
Even though the church had successfully redirected the focus of worship from multiple pagan gods to Christ, the immoral celebratory style of the culture remained central to the holiday’s festivities. On December 25th Christians would attend a special church service. Afterward parishioners would indulge in drunken feasts, engage in wanton sex, and mob the streets in carnival-like displays of revelry. The poor would use the holiday as an excuse to terrorize the rich and demand gifts and food in recompense for their misfortune.
This all changed during the early 17th century when Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England and sparked a surge of religious reform. In an effort to rid England of the debauchery that had infiltrated the church, the Puritans not only canceled Christmas but also made the observation of the holiday illegal. One public post issued by the Puritans warned that anyone who observed the “sacrilegious and Satanical” holiday by exchanging gifts, dressing in fine clothing, or feasting would be fined five shillings.
The History of Christmas in America
In America’s pre-Revolutionary War era, the early settlers brought the debate about Christmas with them to the colonies. Some believed strongly that Christmas should be celebrated—minus the immoral activities. Others considered the holiday sacrilegious. Because of this controversy, the observance of Christmas was considered taboo in some states and illegal in others, until 1870. Most historians agree the reason for America’s change of heart regarding Christmas can be linked to three key factors—two classic works of fiction and Queen Victoria’s influence.
When Washington Irving, wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. in 1819, the collection of stories took America by storm. The sketch titled, Christmas, painted a vivid literary picture of selfless giving and peaceful nostalgia that soothed the nation’s post-war tension. The story was so well received that Americans adopted Irving’s fictitious Christmas traditions as true customs of the season. Likewise, Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, The Christmas Carol, caused America to rethink and reimagine what Christmas could be like if charity, goodwill, and family were given a chance to thrive during Christmastime.
These books influenced Americans to embrace Christmas again and replace the raucous celebratory practices of their ancestors with more charitable, peace-filled, family-centered observances. Queen Victoria affirmed these newfound themes of Christmas because they echoed traditions from her German Protestant roots. Many of America’s modern Christmas traditions were first put into practice after Queen Victoria re-introduced the Christmas customs of her German heritage and thus made them fashionable in American culture.
In 1870, President Grant declared Christmas a national holiday in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Historians believe that Grant’s decision was a strategic move, to encourage a sense of unity at a time when urbanization, industrialization, and the aftermath of the Civil War had left the nation ill at ease. Christians expand on that reasoning to explain that Grant wanted to remind Americans of their common faith in Jesus Christ—the Prince of Peace, at a time when peace was desperately needed in our nation.
By the late 1800s American’s celebrated Christmas much the same as we do today. Christmas trees adorned one in five homes, gifts and cards were exchanged, stockings were hung, and Santa Clause became the holly-jolly hero for kids everywhere.
Why and How Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
Knowing the sordid origin of Christmas and realizing that most of our seasonal traditions are rooted in fictional literature, popular culture, and commercialism can be disheartening. Should Christians celebrate Christmas? The Puritans asked this question, as did the early American settlers, along with countless other Believers from that time to this. But is it possible we’ve been focusing on the wrong issue and asking the wrong question? Maybe a better question would be: Is Jesus any less worthy of worship on December 25th? Of course not! How then can Christians celebrate Him on that day, and every day, in a way that will bring Him honor?
In the Old Testament God prescribed strict rules and regulations about worship and gave Israel specific guidelines, dates, and times for feasts and festivals to honor Him. When Jesus came and fulfilled the Law, He made a revolutionary statement that would forever change the way God’s people would express their adoration. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
What does that kind of worship look like during Christmastime? The Nativity story gives us a complete picture of “Spirit and truth” worship. And if we’re looking for God-honoring ways to commemorate Christ’s birthday, there’s no better place to look than scripture.
The shepherds drew near to Jesus, they praised Him, and they spread the good news of His birth—"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child … The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.” (Luke 2:16, 20)
Glory and praise spill from the soul that has been with Jesus. And when we’ve been with Him, we want to tell others about how wonderful He is, just like the shepherds.
The Magi searched for Jesus and brought Him priceless gifts—“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi a from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1)
If we’re seeking Jesus with our whole heart during this Christmas season, we’ll find Him. Even if we must journey through hostile land and wade through pagan culture, Christ’s presence can’t be hidden from those whose heart is set on Him.
The gifts we give to each other in His name should be nothing compared to the gifts we give to Christ. What can we give to God, who owns everything and who has already given us His own life? Only our whole body, mind, heart and soul will do. (Matthew 22:37)
Mary treasured all the details of Jesus’s birth and meditated on them.—“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
If our mind is consumed with Christ’s truth, love, perfection, beauty, and majesty, there’s little room left for trivial or worrisome matters. Christ came as the light of the world. When we meditate on Him and His word, we will not walk in the darkness of this world. (John 8:12, Matthew 6:22)
When we worry less about the history of Christmas and focus on—His story—in Christmas, the real reason for the season shines through and changes the way we see and celebrate the holiday. Whether or not we deck the halls, trim the trees, hang the stockings, or wrap the gifts makes no difference. What matters is that our hearts are so caught up in Christ, that everything we do becomes an expression of our worship—for His glory. (1 Corinthians 10:27-33)
Photo credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Brett Taylor
This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ!
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Christmas Bible Verses to Share and Celebrate
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