Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?

The question of whether or not Christians ought to celebrate Christmas has been a seemingly endless debate. One that has often gripped the walls of my family home as my brother zealously tries to convince the family to put away the festivities. For a seemingly innocent and cheerful celebration, is there anything beneath the surface that Christians ought to consider in their judgement of Christmas?

To answer this question, we must first consider the following:

Is it objectively wrong to celebrate the birth of Jesus?

Short answer: There is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Jesus.

In fact, this event was celebrated in the Bible. After Jesus’ birth, three wise men showed up, bearing gifts, worshiping and rejoicing with great joy (Matt 2:1-3,10-11). That same day, a heavenly host of angels appeared to some shepherds in a field, praising God and announcing the location of the newborn king to the shepherds (Lk 2:10-11,13-14). These men celebrated in praise and gave God the glory for all they had heard and seen (Lk 2:20). 

The New Testament has no records alluding to whether or not the birth of Jesus was something the early church celebrated. This is likely because Christmas isn't an essential issue. When it comes to celebrations like it, the Bible seemingly carries a lackadaisical approach to the matter: 

"In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honour him…" - Romans 14:5-6

Here, Paul is communicating that whatever we decide is acceptable. Want to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Fine, as long as it's unto the Lord. Choose not to celebrate? Fine, either way, that day should honour him. 

This idea is further communicated in Colossians 2:16-17:" Therefore, don't let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ."

Is there something wrong with celebrating on December 25th? 

Most people's concern with celebrating Christmas on December 25th is linked to its foggy origins. The truth is no one can be certain why this date was chosen. (As concluded by this publication). What we do know, however, are widely popular theoretical views.

One theory is that December 25th was chosen in order to repackage a popular pagan holiday with the purpose of encouraging people to convert at the time. While many pagan celebrations occurred during this month, one that is often referenced is the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. This pagan festival occurred from December 17th to 23rd, during which people would offer human and animal sacrifices to their gods and take part in a time of lawlessness where drunkenness, rape and sexual immorality ran rampant. Festivities this month would conclude on December 25th with “sol Invictus", a celebration of the sun god "Helios". 

Another, more ancient theory, a belief held by 4th-century theologian Augustine of Hippo and recorded in the Babylonian Talmud, is that this date was chosen because it was believed that Jesus died on March 25th. Why is this important? Long before the Romans instituted “sol Invictus” in 274 AD, it was early church tradition that Jesus died on the same day he was conceived. This means the birth of the Messiah was calculated by taking the day of his conception, March 25th, and adding nine months to get December 25th. (Although some Eastern Orthodox denominations believed Jesus was conceived on April 6th, so they celebrated his birth on January 6th)

With either theory possible, this non-essential issue is often argued from a position of plausibility, with the idea that seems more likely often claimed as true and a consequential driving factor in one’s decision to celebrate Christmas or not.

Despite which theory is true, if any, celebrating the birth of Christ on this particular day isn't inherently wrong as all days belong to the Lord (Rms 14:5-6, Deut 10:14). December 25th isn't suddenly off limits because nearly two millennia ago, a long-forgotten about god was worshipped on that day. 

Is there something wrong with the way we celebrate?

Christians don’t celebrate Christmas with the intent of worshipping a pagan god. However, it is worth noting that elements of modern-day Christmas traditions may have derived from pagan practices. For example, decorative trees and mistletoe were common tools for worship and incantations during many pagan winter solstice celebrations.  

However, the act of decorating trees and hanging mistletoe isn’t inherently wrong. What made these traditions pagan was the intention and purpose behind them, not the traditions themselves. Like everything else on Earth, trees are created by and belong to God (Job 41:11, Col 1:16). So bringing one into a home and decorating it doesn't suddenly mean you are now worshiping an ancient god whose name you don’t know. Christmas traditions aren't acts of spirit-invoking, religious ceremonies as these pagan traditions were, but non-compulsory, harmless holiday activities. A decorated Christmas tree has about the same amount of religious sentiment today as a decorated vision board.

A guilt-by-association fallacy is often presented as an argument against modern-day Christmas traditions. The logic allegorically consists of points like: "Because, 2000 years ago, people worshiped a pagan god by singing, all singing is wrong". The action is associated with a group who used it for wickedness in order to discredit the action in any other context. This logic is self-restricting and impossible when consistently played out.

The True Meaning of Christmas:

Christmas is a holiday that ultimately celebrates one thing: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - Jn 1:14

To celebrate Christmas is to ultimately give thanks for the incarnation of Jesus. The day God looked at our fallen creation, and instead of doing nothing or sending his servants to clean up the mess, he, the King of Kings, emptied himself by taking the form of a bondservant (Philippians 2:7) and abruptly intervened for the fate of humanity. This was the day he revealed himself as Immanuel – God with us (Matt 1:23), a God who is personal to us, who relates with us and is present. 

Christ is someone who deserves to be celebrated every day (Ps 34:1-3) and is glorified through our living act of worship (Romans 12:1). It is better to be a Christian who doesn't celebrate Christmas but celebrates Christ every day through their surrender to him than a Christian who only celebrates Jesus once a year in winter because it's trendy.

Given Christmas isn't objectively wrong to celebrate, perhaps a better question is, "how should we celebrate Christmas?" We live in a day and age where the secular world has hijacked this holiday, attempting to remove the Christ out of Christmas by shoving Santa in its place. As Christians, we should maintain a counter-cultural approach to how we celebrate Christmas, keeping Christ as the reason for the season. 

Whether it's through singing songs of praise, spreading love, or adopting a posture of giving to those less fortunate, however you decide to celebrate Christmas, let it be onto the glory of the Lord.

With that being said, have a wonderful, heartfelt Christmas from me to you.