Should we Celebrate Christmas?

There are certain branches of Protestantism that have disdained the celebration of Christmas. Indeed, the Puritan parliaments of the 1640s and 50s banned it no less than three times, though without lasting success. Their heirs today look askance at those fellow evangelicals who enthusiastically embrace the current season. I outline below some of the major objections and my brief thoughts thereon.

It is a relic of paganism

Doubtless, Christ was never born on 25^th December, and the feast of Christmas merely replaced a pagan winter solstice festival. Decking houses with greenery and installing trees in our parlours may well be a further expression of this. Paganism has crept into our homes unawares, and the sooner we end all pretence that 25^th December is a Christians festival, the better.

How consistent and sincere is our rejection of all things pagan (by which we might mean pre-Christian)? Are people who ban trees still able, in good conscience, to refer to Saturday the 1^st of January, invoking the names of not one, but two pagan Roman gods (Saturn and Janus respectively)? Pre-Christian culture had a lasting impact even when we outgrew its spirituality. That it affects our calendar and month names need not, in my view, be any cause for concern. The pagan gods were not real, and any associated with the pre-Christian capers held on the 25^th December were not real either. If we choose to celebrate the true God’s incarnation on their special day, it bespeaks more of His triumph than their survival.

It is a relic of Roman Catholicism

Roman spirituality divided up the year into liturgical seasons such as Advent, Easter and Christmas. Christmas is a Romish tradition which we Protestants must reject. The early church did not celebrate Christ’s incarnation; only centuries after his ascension was an annual celebration and feast held to mark His birth.

Though we are indeed not bound by papal decrees and customs, we are free to ignore or adapt any we see fit, according to God’s word. We may therefore celebrate the incarnation at any time of year, though I notice that few of the opponents of Christmas obviously do so. Just because something has been endorsed by Rome does not mean it is intrinsically corrupted. So called Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that the doctrine of the Trinity is a Roman Catholic superstition- after all, the Pope teaches it. This does not make it erroneous.

It is just a consumerist gimmick

Companies and corporations certainly love the season, for during that time their profits swell as people rush to buy items they probably do not need, nor their friends and relatives. Excess stock is liquidated in Boxing Day and New Year sales, nicely oiling the wheels of ugly capitalism. The rich make a good living on Christmas’ back, while the poor amass credit card debt which they spend the following year attempting to repay.

This is indeed lamentable, but the Christian celebration of Christmas is clean opposed to consumerist greed. One might note that Sunday itself has become a major shopping time for many, though switching our day of worship to another to draw a distinction will hardly solve the problem. If anything, drawing attention to the family in the stable is an antidote to cheap baubles of mass production and luxurious living.

Final thoughts

Christmas is a time when people are more likely to receive invitations to church services and literature than any other. Our own carol service had more visitors and unchurched folk attending than any of our other Sunday services. For their sake, not my own, will I continue to mark the incarnation. I have sympathy for all the arguments above, and I once spurned the season myself. However, in an age of increasing secularism and aggressive attempts to usher the public expression of Christian faith into quiet, private corners, our proclamation of the incarnate God reminds a godless world of gospel truth. If the world today banned Christmas, the puritans of old would like it not. There would still be all the sparkle, glitter and merriment, but with no spiritual kernel. During this dark, drab and cold time of year, we need some light in the gloom. I would rather this was the nativity of Christ rather than just another national binge, which a ‘Winterval’ or ‘Winter Holiday’ type event would surely be. 

This morning, I shall be leading public worship at our chapel, even though it be no Sunday. Though Christmas was not marked by the apostolic church, the very first 'Christmas' was by the angels themselves:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

Image by K R from Pixabay