A History of Christmas

 As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, it seems fitting to consider the centuries of traditions and beliefs that have shaped our holiday season.

In the simplest terms, Christmas—an abbreviated version of “Christ’s Mass”—emerged from the early Christian church as a commemoration of the birth of Christ. The earliest records of such a celebration date back to the 2^nd century, but the customs that shape our holiday today emerged over the course of several hundred years. The selection of December 25^th as the official day of celebration was the product of much debate and research, and wasn’t agreed upon in the church until the 4^th century. Prior to this, some regions celebrated on January 6^th to commemorate the baptism of Christ (by John the Baptist) rather than the birth. December 25^th was selected because it was exactly nine months after March 25^th, which was widely believed to be the date of Christ’s conception. This was based on the date of Gabriel’s appearance to Zechariah in the temple, which was believed to have been on Yom Kippur (September 24^th). Assuming, therefore, that this was the date of the conception of John the Baptist, and noting that Gabriel appeared to Mary in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (Luke 1:26), this puts the date of the conception of Jesus at approximately March 25^th. Scholars also note that December 25^th was directly after the rainy season, making it a likely season in which shepherds would take their flocks out to pasture.

Because December 25^th was also the date of the winter solstice in the Roman calendar, Christmas became associated with many traditional winter celebrations. The Germanic peoples, for instance, held a winter festival called Yule, which was in no way connected to the birth of Christ, but ushered in many traditions that came to be associated with Christmas. In general, while the inception of Christmas itself was a product of early Christians’ desire to commemorate the birth of Christ, many of the celebratory traditions associated with Christmas today originated from pre-Christian or pagan winter festivals. Some of these cultures, following Christianization, began to celebrate Christmas rather than the winter solstice, but still incorporated their own winter festival traditions. Thus, we gained the Christmas tree, the Yule log, the hanging of evergreens, and so forth. Santa Claus was simply the product of a conglomeration of different cultural tales of a seasonal gift-bringer (in part inspired by the gifts of the Magi to Jesus Christ). Although the legend emerged primarily as a secular tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas, some religious groups later attempted to bring a religious emphasis to the tale. During the Protestant reformation in Europe, for instance, the gift-bringer was named the Christ Child, or Christkindl, which was later translated to Kris Kringle. Later tradition in some regions maintained that Santa Claus delivered gifts to Jesus, and Jesus delivered them to children around the world.

More recently, many of the modern feelings of the Christmas spirit, of generosity and merriment, and the Western traditions of Christmas celebration, were kindled by 19^th century writers such as Washington Irving and, more notably, Charles Dickens. The impact of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was tremendous, and the spirit of Christmas that he put forth is still defining our holiday season today.

Still, many of the traditions we maintain today emerged from the church itself. Many Christians observe the season of Advent (meaning “arrival”), a period of preparation for the Christmas celebration beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Advent is then followed by the Twelve Days of Christmas, a festive, celebratory season from December 25^th to January 5^th. The singing of Christmas carols also arose primarily from the church, with the Protestant reformer Martin Luther and, later, the Methodist minister Charles Wesley playing pivotal roles in their popularization.

It is interesting to see how the customs of our ancestors from hundreds of years ago are still impacting the way we live today, and it reminds us of the importance of traditions—even something as trivial as decorating a Christmas tree—in preserving history. In a world that is increasingly caught up with change and forward-movement, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of the here and now. Through the repetition of a celebration or of a symbolic act year after year and generation after generation, our ancestors preserved the ideas and events that were important to them. Today, religious and secular people alike appreciate the spirit of Christmas and wonder at its origins because of the traditions our ancestors erected as a symbol of what they believed in. We revel in the spirit of Christmas and we feel a kinship with humanity each year, because that same spirit and kinship was felt centuries ago, and was preserved in the hanging of a wreath, in the lighting of a candle, and in the singing of a hymn. There is no power in the action itself, but in the repetition of an action inspired, centuries ago, by a spirit and a belief we still feel today. In the same way that we hold on to objects or photographs to remember precious moments in our own lives, we maintain traditions to remember what was precious to our ancestors. And we find community in tradition, as even the non-religious person can feel the joy and zeal of the early church through the Christmas traditions.

Innovation and growth and the analysis of every custom to see if it rings true are ideals I have always adhered to and will continue to adhere to as long as I am sane. But there is something comforting in doing the same thing the same way year after year, in revisiting the same moment, and in remembering that the most important things in life never change.