Every year, somebody gets online and claims Christmas is “pagan.” But when you look at real historical and theological sources, the picture is very different—and far more Christian than people realize.

✨ 1. The Celebration Began With the Incarnation

From the earliest days of the Church, the birth of Jesus was treated as essential Christian doctrine. Early believers focused more on resurrection than birthdays, but the Nativity was always central to the faith.

📅 2. Why December 25?

Here’s the part nobody ever mentions:
One of the earliest explanations for the date is theological, not pagan. Early Christian writers believed there was a sacred symmetry to Jesus’s life—that the day He died was also the day He was conceived. Many Church Fathers calculated the Crucifixion to March 25. So what did they do?
They added nine months.

➡️ December 25 as the birth of Christ.

This “calculation tradition” shows up in writers like Hippolytus and Julius Africanus before later Roman sun-god festivals ever used that date.
Does this mean Jesus was absolutely born on December 25? No. But it does mean the Christian reasoning behind the date is far older and far stronger than the “pagan” claims floating around the internet.

🌲 3. Is the Christmas Tree Pagan?

Short answer: No. Not historically. Not biblically. Not even close. There is zero evidence that ancient pagans used decorated evergreen trees for worship the way modern Christmas trees are used. That idea is an internet myth. The actual origin?

Medieval Christians in Germany used a “Paradise Tree” in biblical plays about Adam, Eve, and Christ. They hung apples on it to represent Eden and wafers to represent redemption. Eventually Christians brought these trees into their homes on December 24—the Feast of Adam & Eve—and added lights to symbolize Christ, the Light of the World.

And Jeremiah 10? That’s talking about *carved* idols covered in gold and silver that people would literally pray to and worship, not evergreen decorations.

🎅 4. Is Santa Pagan?

No. The real “Santa” was a Christian bishop. St. Nicholas of Myra (AD 270–343) was known for generosity, defending persecuted Christians, and secretly giving gifts to the poor. His story spread through Christian Europe, eventually becoming “Sinterklaas,” and later the American “Santa Claus.” Could later folklore mix in other cultural imagery? Sure. But the root is unmistakably Christian: a man who gave generously because he followed Jesus.

🎁 The Truth: Christmas Is a Christian Holiday
Is everything about Christmas found in Scripture? No. But the *heart* of it—the Incarnation—is the foundation of the gospel itself.

The tree points to Eden lost and Christ restored.
The lights point to Jesus, the Light of the World.
The giving points to the Father who gave His Son.
And the joy points to the Savior who stepped into time to redeem mankind.

Over time, unbelievers may have tried to make it their own and end up turning it into a commercialized season of selfishness for themselves, but even most unbelievers are drawn to church that day because their spirit knows that the true spirit of Christmas actually comes from Jesus.

Christmas itself is not pagan.
Christmas is Christian. Let’s keep it that way! Celebrate the birth of Jesus BOLDLY this year!