📚 Reading: Why Christians Can Celebrate Christmas: An Academic Reflection

Why Christians Can Celebrate Christmas: An Academic Reflection

Introduction

Christmas remains one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, encompassing both religious and cultural dimensions that often overlap yet diverge in meaning. For many societies, it functions as a cultural event defined by symbols such as decorated trees, gift exchanges, and family gatherings. For Christians, however, it carries a more profound significance: the commemoration of the Incarnation, when the eternal Word of God took on human flesh in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Yet even within Christian communities, the celebration of Christmas has not been universally accepted. The question of whether believers ought to observe this feast has been a matter of debate for centuries.

From the early church to the present day, Christian traditions have differed in their approach. Some branches of the church, especially within Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and much of Protestantism, embrace Christmas as one of the central feasts of the liturgical year. For them, it is a time of worship, reflection, and proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation, marking the beginning of God’s redemptive work in Christ. By contrast, other traditions have expressed reservations or outright rejection. Puritans in seventeenth-century England banned Christmas observances for a time, regarding them as unbiblical innovations intertwined with pagan solstice festivals. Similarly, certain modern groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to abstain from Christmas, arguing that its origins in cultural syncretism and its lack of explicit biblical mandate render it an illegitimate practice for followers of Christ.

These differing perspectives reveal a deeper tension between faith and culture: to what extent can Christians participate in practices that have developed through historical layers of folklore, tradition, and commerce? Is Christmas an authentic act of Christian worship or a compromise with cultural forces? This paper seeks to engage that question critically. It will explore the historical and theological reasons why some faith traditions resist Christmas, offering an honest account of their concerns. It will then argue that Christians can, and indeed should, celebrate Christmas—not as an indulgence in cultural sentimentality or commercial excess, but as a proclamation of the gospel message. Properly understood, Christmas is not merely about seasonal festivity but about confessing that God has drawn near in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, whose coming brings salvation and joy “to all the people” (Luke 2:10).

Objections to Celebrating Christmas

Historical Concerns of Pagan Origins

One of the central reasons some Christian groups refrain from Christmas observance is its association with pre-Christian festivals. The choice of December 25 for Christ’s Nativity was not dictated by Scripture but emerged in the fourth century, when the church sought to establish a universal feast commemorating the Incarnation. This date coincided with several significant Roman festivals, most notably Saturnalia (a week-long festival of feasting, gift-giving, and social role reversals honoring the god Saturn) and the celebration of Sol Invictus (“the Unconquered Sun”), instituted in the late third century under Emperor Aurelian. Both festivals were linked to the winter solstice, the turning point of the year when light begins to overcome darkness—a theme Christians reinterpreted Christologically, presenting Jesus as the true Light of the World (John 8:12).

While the church’s intent was to reframe these cultural symbols in light of Christ’s coming, not all Christians across history have been comfortable with this overlap. For traditions such as Jehovah’s Witnesses in the modern era or certain Reformed and Puritan communities in the seventeenth century, this connection to pagan origins disqualifies Christmas as a legitimate Christian practice. Puritans in England and colonial New England, for example, went so far as to outlaw Christmas observances, viewing them as “popish” corruptions and thinly veiled continuations of pagan revelry rather than biblically grounded worship. In their eyes, feasts marked by excessive drinking, disorder, and superstition could not be reconciled with the call to holiness.

The theological concern underlying these objections is rooted in the fear of syncretism—the blending of biblical faith with cultural or pagan practices. For such groups, adopting the trappings of Saturnalia or Sol Invictus blurred the line between worship of the true God and accommodation to the world. To sanctify a date once dedicated to false gods seemed to compromise the purity of Christian witness. As some critics argued, “the devil does not cease to be the devil when his days are baptized.” This caution reflects a long-standing biblical concern about Israel’s tendency to assimilate pagan practices (e.g., Deuteronomy 12:29–31, Jeremiah 10:2–4).

Thus, the rejection of Christmas by certain traditions cannot be reduced simply to asceticism or sectarianism. It represents a principled stance rooted in both biblical literalism and historical suspicion: if the origins of a practice are bound to idolatry, then participation in that practice risks legitimizing idolatry itself. Even today, this objection remains influential in movements that emphasize a strict separation between the church and cultural traditions.

Lack of Scriptural Mandate

Another common objection is that Scripture nowhere commands believers to celebrate the birth of Christ. Unlike the Lord’s Supper and baptism, which were instituted directly by Jesus and carry explicit biblical mandates (Matthew 26:26–29; 28:19–20), the observance of Christmas is a later development in the life of the church. The New Testament contains no record of the early church setting aside a day to remember Christ’s nativity; instead, the earliest Christian communities focused their worship around the resurrection, gathering weekly on the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10) and annually on Passover and Easter to proclaim the paschal mystery. It was not until the fourth century that December 25 became widely recognized as a liturgical feast marking the birth of Jesus Christ.^3^

For some Christian traditions, this absence of explicit biblical warrant is decisive. The Puritans in seventeenth-century England, and later in colonial New England, rejected Christmas as a “human invention” that distracted from the simplicity and purity of biblical worship. Parliament in England even banned Christmas observances between 1647 and 1660, regarding them as “popish” innovations with no basis in Scripture. Puritan ministers in America preached against Christmas festivities, arguing that they encouraged idleness, drunkenness, and superstition rather than godliness. Their commitment reflected a broader theological principle: worship should be regulated only by what God commands in Scripture, not by human tradition.

This principle—later termed the “regulative principle of worship”—has continued to shape some strands of Reformed theology. According to this view, the church may only include in its worship those elements that are expressly prescribed in Scripture. Practices not explicitly authorized are considered forbidden, since to introduce them would be to add human inventions to divine worship (cf. Deuteronomy 12:32; Mark 7:8–9). From this perspective, Christmas is problematic precisely because it lacks apostolic origin and scriptural mandate.

Even in contemporary Protestant denominations, this objection persists. Certain conservative Reformed groups, some Baptists, and churches influenced by the Scottish Presbyterian tradition remain wary of celebrating Christmas, fearing that it places cultural sentiment above biblical command. Their concern is that special festivals not instituted by God risk overshadowing the ordinary means of grace—preaching, sacraments, prayer, and fellowship—through which the church is called to worship.

Thus, the rejection of Christmas on these grounds arises not merely from suspicion of pagan origins, but from a rigorous commitment to biblical authority in worship. For these traditions, celebrating Christ’s birth in a liturgical sense may seem like honoring God, but in reality, they argue, it risks becoming an act of disobedience if God Himself never commanded it.

Critique of Worldly Excess

Finally, certain traditions reject Christmas because of its perceived worldliness. The holiday, though clothed in Christian language and symbols, has often been associated with commercialism, indulgence, and secularized celebration. From the early modern period onward, critics noted how Christmas festivities in Europe frequently degenerated into unruly behavior. In England prior to the Puritan reforms, the “Twelve Days of Christmas” were notorious for revelry, excessive drinking, gambling, and the inversion of social order. The early Baptists and Anabaptists objected to such practices, arguing that they contradicted the spirit of Christian holiness and blurred the lines between sacred worship and pagan carnival.^5^ To them, Christmas was less a commemoration of the Incarnation than an excuse for disorderly merrymaking, and thus an occasion to be avoided rather than sanctified.

This suspicion of Christmas as a worldly festival carried into later Protestant traditions. The Puritans of seventeenth-century England and New England opposed Christmas celebrations not only because of their unbiblical origin, but also because of their association with idleness, drunkenness, and economic waste. They argued that while Scripture calls believers to sober-mindedness, self-control, and diligence (1 Peter 5:8; Titus 2:11–12), the Christmas season encouraged the very opposite virtues. Such critiques highlighted the tension between the call to holiness and the cultural tendency to turn holy days into excuses for excess.

In more recent centuries, objections have shifted from public revelry to consumerism. With the rise of industrial capitalism and mass production in the nineteenth century, Christmas became increasingly tied to the buying and exchanging of gifts. Department stores, advertising campaigns, and later global marketing industries transformed the holiday into the peak of the retail calendar. Some conservative evangelical communities have therefore critiqued Christmas for perpetuating a spirit of materialism that distracts from Christ. In their view, the replacement of the manger with the marketplace compromises the gospel, equating love with consumption rather than with sacrificial service.

Perhaps the most striking symbol of this shift is the rise of Santa Claus as the cultural center of the holiday. What began as the story of Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop renowned for generosity, gradually morphed into a secularized, commercial icon. By the twentieth century, Santa had become the face of Christmas advertising, often eclipsing the figure of Christ in the popular imagination. To many Christians, this substitution represents the final stage of secularization: the holy feast of the Incarnation displaced by a mythological figure whose primary role is to sustain consumer demand.

Thus, the rejection of Christmas by certain traditions is rooted not only in suspicion of its pagan origins or lack of biblical mandate, but also in a conviction that the holiday as commonly practiced fosters worldly indulgence rather than godly devotion. For such groups, the dangers of distraction, materialism, and secularization outweigh any potential spiritual benefit of observing the day.

Why Christians Can Celebrate Christmas

The Incarnation as Central to the Gospel

Despite these objections, there are compelling theological reasons why Christians may celebrate Christmas. At the heart of the feast lies the doctrine of the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh, and lived among us” (John 1:14, WEB). Far from being a marginal detail in the gospel narrative, the birth of Christ is the indispensable foundation of salvation history. Without the Incarnation, there could be no cross or resurrection, for redemption requires not simply divine decree but divine participation—God entering fully into human nature in order to heal, redeem, and restore it.

The Incarnation testifies to the radical truth that salvation is not accomplished from afar. God does not remain distant or merely send prophets, but Himself takes on human flesh, experiencing the vulnerabilities of birth, growth, suffering, and death. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “He had to be made like his brothers in all things, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest” (Hebrews 2:17). The very possibility of atonement rests upon this reality: that the eternal Son was born of Mary, uniting divinity and humanity in one person.

The early church fathers consistently emphasized this point. Athanasius, writing in the fourth century against Arian denials of Christ’s full divinity, articulated the Incarnation as the hinge of Christian faith: “He became what we are that He might make us what He is.”^6^ Gregory of Nazianzus added that “what is not assumed is not healed,” underscoring that Christ had to take on the fullness of human nature—body, mind, and soul—in order to redeem it. Augustine, in his Sermons on the Nativity, likewise insisted that in the humility of the manger, God was beginning the great reversal by which humanity would be lifted from sin to glory.

To commemorate Christmas, then, is not to add a sentimental festival to the Christian calendar but to affirm one of the central mysteries of the faith: the self-emptying of God in Christ (Philippians 2:6–8). The manger points forward to the cross, and the cross to the resurrection. Each moment is bound together in the single economy of salvation. If Easter proclaims victory over sin and death, Christmas proclaims the foundation of that victory: the God who is with us, Immanuel (Matthew 1:23).

Thus, to celebrate Christmas is to confess with the universal church that in Jesus Christ, the eternal has entered the temporal, the Creator has entered creation, and the infinite has embraced the finite for the sake of reconciliation. The feast of the Nativity provides not merely an occasion for cultural festivity, but a theological witness to the central claim of Christianity: that God so loved the world that He gave His Son (John 3:16)—a Son who first came not as a warrior or ruler, but as a child, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

Redemption of Time and Culture

Secondly, the church has historically practiced what theologians call the “redemption of time.” Human beings naturally mark time through festivals, seasons, and rituals. In the Old Testament, Israel celebrated the mighty acts of God through feasts such as Passover, the Feast of Booths, and the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23). These rhythms not only structured the calendar but also sanctified time by linking it to God’s saving work. In the same way, the early church, recognizing the formative power of the calendar, sought to order the year around the life of Christ.

The choice of December 25 as the date of Christ’s Nativity is best understood within this framework. While it is true that the date intersected with Roman festivals such as Sol Invictus and Saturnalia, the church’s appropriation of the day was not mere syncretism but an intentional act of reinterpretation. By proclaiming Christ’s birth on the day pagans once celebrated the rebirth of the sun, the church declared Jesus as the true “Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:2) who rises with healing in His wings. In this way, Christian leaders subverted the cultural symbolism of light conquering darkness, redirecting it toward Christ as the Light of the World (John 8:12). The calendar itself became a theological proclamation: what was once devoted to false gods was now sanctified for the worship of the true God.

The patristic tradition often defended this kind of cultural transformation. Augustine, in On Christian Doctrine, invoked the principle of “spoiling the Egyptians,” drawn from Exodus 12:36, where Israel took Egyptian gold and silver and repurposed them for the worship of Yahweh. For Augustine, Christians could likewise take the intellectual and cultural resources of the surrounding world and redirect them toward God’s purposes.^7^ Festivals and symbols, once emptied of their pagan meaning, could be filled with Christ-centered significance.

John Chrysostom, preaching in the late fourth century, further defended the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25. He argued that far from being a human invention, it was rooted in the logic of salvation history and corresponded with Jewish calculations of priestly service in Luke 1. But even more importantly, Chrysostom saw the festival as an opportunity to bear witness: in a culture still steeped in pagan rituals, Christians gathered not to honor the sun, but the Son.

Thus, the practice of Christmas does not represent compromise but rather the church’s mission of reorienting culture to the gospel. What some view as contamination, the church has historically viewed as redemptive transformation. Celebrating Christmas on December 25 does not mean endorsing paganism, consumerism, or secularism. It means proclaiming Christ as the Lord of history, the light shining in the darkness (John 1:5), and the ultimate fulfillment of humanity’s deepest longings for renewal, joy, and hope.

Biblical Precedent for Commemoration

Although Scripture does not explicitly command the observance of Christmas, it does portray the birth of Christ as an event accompanied by worship, proclamation, and communal joy. The Gospel narratives of Matthew and Luke do not present the nativity as a private or ordinary birth, but as a cosmic moment of divine intervention, publicly heralded and joyfully celebrated.

In Luke 2, the angelic messenger declares to the shepherds: “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people” (Luke 2:10, WEB). The angelic announcement is immediately followed by a heavenly choir breaking into song: “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). This passage emphasizes that the correct human and cosmic response to the Incarnation is praise and proclamation. The shepherds then hasten to Bethlehem, becoming witnesses of the event, and return “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Their example models a rhythm of remembrance and worship: encountering Christ leads naturally to testimony and praise.

Similarly, in Matthew’s Gospel, the visit of the magi underscores the global and worshipful significance of the event. Guided by a star, these figures from the East arrive not as passive observers but as worshippers: “They fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11). Their presentation of gold, frankincense, and myrrh has been interpreted since the early church as symbolic acts of confession—acknowledging Jesus as king (gold), God (frankincense), and sacrificial savior (myrrh). The magi therefore establish a pattern of liturgical response: to recognize in the child of Bethlehem the fulfillment of divine promise and to respond with adoration and offering.

These biblical accounts provide a theological precedent for commemorating the birth of Christ. While not instituted as a sacrament in the way that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are, Christmas aligns with the biblical pattern of remembering God’s mighty acts in history. Just as Israel was commanded to recall the Exodus through Passover (Exodus 12) or the wilderness journey through the Feast of Booths (Leviticus 23:33–43), so the church finds reason to recall and celebrate the Incarnation—the decisive moment when God entered creation to redeem it. Remembering God’s saving deeds is itself an act of worship, and the nativity narratives show that the birth of Christ was met with precisely such remembrance: angelic choirs, shepherds’ testimony, and magi’s worship.

The early church fathers also recognized this biblical logic. John Chrysostom, in a Christmas homily, insisted that the nativity was a “festival above all others,” precisely because it inaugurated salvation history. He urged Christians to celebrate not with worldly indulgence but with worship and charity. Likewise, Augustine preached that Christ’s birth was worthy of commemoration because it marked the moment when eternity entered time, forever sanctifying the human story.

Thus, the absence of an explicit biblical command does not render Christmas illegitimate. On the contrary, the witness of Scripture itself provides warrant for commemoration: the Incarnation was greeted with worship, proclamation, and joy. To follow this pattern today is to situate Christmas within the broader biblical rhythm of remembering God’s saving acts and celebrating them as occasions of faith, hope, and praise.

Guarding the Message Amid Cultural Expressions

Finally, Christians can celebrate Christmas by discerning between cultural accretions and theological essentials. Throughout church history, Christian communities have had to navigate the tension between cultural expressions of festivity and the central message of the gospel. While commercialization, sentimentality, and secular universalism can obscure the meaning of Christmas, they do not in themselves invalidate the feast. Instead, these cultural distortions present the church with an opportunity: to recover the essence of Christmas as an act of worship and witness, redirecting attention away from the marketplace and back to the manger.

Theological discernment requires separating what is incidental to culture from what is essential to faith. Santa Claus, shopping frenzies, and consumer rituals belong to the realm of cultural accretion; they may have symbolic value in certain contexts but are not intrinsic to the Christian celebration of the Incarnation. By contrast, the essentials of Christmas—the worship of Christ, the humility of His coming, the joy of salvation, and the universal witness of the gospel—belong to the very heart of Christian confession. To confuse these categories is to risk either abandoning Christmas altogether (out of fear of cultural corruption) or embracing it uncritically (and thus succumbing to secularization).

This task of discernment is not new. The early church itself reinterpreted existing cultural forms in order to proclaim Christ. The December 25 date, once associated with pagan solstice rituals, was repurposed to bear witness to Jesus as the true “Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). Likewise, the church has historically adopted hymns, art, and architecture from surrounding cultures, transforming them into instruments of Christian worship. As Augustine observed in On Christian Doctrine, Christians may “spoil the Egyptians” by taking what is good from the world and consecrating it for God’s purposes. The principle is not rejection but redemption.

In this light, celebrating Christmas biblically is less about preserving cultural customs than about re-centering on Christ’s gift of Himself. Commercial pressures urge believers to equate love with consumption, yet the gospel teaches that love is revealed in God’s self-giving through the Incarnation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16, WEB). Sentimentality may confine Christmas to nostalgia or private family warmth, but Scripture portrays it as a cosmic proclamation of joy for “all the people” (Luke 2:10). Secular universalism may attempt to strip Christmas of its theological claims, turning it into a generic “holiday season,” but the biblical feast insists that Christ is the definitive Light shining in the darkness (John 1:5).

Therefore, the faithful celebration of Christmas involves an intentional rejection of excess, idolatry, and distraction, coupled with a renewed embrace of worship, humility, joy, and witness. Worship recalls the adoration of angels, shepherds, and magi. Humility remembers that Christ entered the world not in splendor but in poverty, identifying with the lowly. Joy testifies that the good news is cause for celebration and gratitude, not merely cultural festivity. And witness proclaims to the world that the Incarnation is not a private comfort but the beginning of God’s redemptive mission for all nations.

In this way, Christians are not only permitted but called to celebrate Christmas—not as an indulgence in cultural sentimentality or commercial excess, but as a feast of theological truth. Properly understood, Christmas becomes an act of resistance against cultural distortion and a testimony to the gospel itself: that in Jesus Christ, God has entered history to redeem creation and restore humanity to Himself.

Contemporary Christian Practice: Celebrating Faithfully

If Christmas is to be embraced by Christians as a theological feast rather than merely a cultural brand, then it must be celebrated in ways that embody its gospel meaning. Several practices can help believers reclaim Christmas as a season of worship, witness, and joy:

1. Worship-Centered Gatherings
   Churches can emphasize worship services that focus on the Incarnation through Scripture readings, Advent liturgies, and carol singing that centers on Christ. Midnight services or candlelight vigils provide opportunities for reverent celebration that contrasts sharply with the frenzy of shopping malls.
2. Family Discipleship
   Families can anchor Christmas in biblical storytelling—reading Luke 2 together, incorporating Advent calendars with Scripture, or establishing traditions of prayer before opening gifts. These practices remind children that Christmas is about God’s gift, not merely human exchange.
3. Charitable Generosity
   Christians may intentionally direct their giving toward the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable, echoing Christ’s own humility in being born in a manger. This transforms gift-giving from consumerist pressure into a reflection of gospel generosity (2 Corinthians 9:7–9).
4. Witness to the World
   As the angelic announcement declared joy “for all people” (Luke 2:10), Christians can use the cultural visibility of Christmas as an opportunity for witness. Community concerts, hospitality events, and acts of service provide natural bridges to share the good news.
5. Resisting Consumerism
   Believers can model simplicity in their own celebrations—limiting debt, reducing excess, and prioritizing relationships over possessions. In doing so, they bear witness to the sufficiency of Christ over against the cultural narrative that equates love with consumption.

Conclusion

The Christian tradition has long wrestled with the question of Christmas, with some communities rejecting it for its pagan associations, lack of scriptural mandate, or worldly distortions. These objections deserve respect as reminders of the dangers of uncritical cultural conformity. Yet, the theological heart of Christmas—the Incarnation—remains indispensable to Christian faith. To celebrate Christmas is not to endorse every cultural custom but to proclaim that God has come near in Jesus Christ, fulfilling prophecy, embracing humility, and offering salvation to the world.

In this sense, Christmas celebration is not merely permissible but pastorally fruitful: it reorients believers to the mystery of the Word made flesh and provides an opportunity for joyful witness in a culture still hungry for light and hope. As Paul exhorted, “When the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son” (Galatians 4:4)—and that fullness is worthy of celebration.

References

1. Steven Hijmans, “Sol: The Sun in the Art and Religions of Rome,” Dutch Monographs on Ancient History and Archaeology, Vol. 12 (2009).
2. William H. Cooper, The Puritans and the Celebration of Christmas (Boston: Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1960).
3. Thomas J. Talley, The Origins of the Liturgical Year (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991).
4. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book IV, Chapter 10.
5. Bruce C. Daniels, Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995).
6. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, §54.
7. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, II.40.60.