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Ten Christmas Traditions - Which Ones are Christian Traditions?

 

Everyone thinks of Christmas as a Christian holiday. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is recorded in the New Testament. It is the account that starts the documentation of His life. He, of course, is the central figure of Christianity. Unlike the biblical feasts of Israel, however, there is no biblical mandate for the birth of Jesus to be celebrated. Many of the traditions we now incorporate in our celebrations did not start until much later in history. Most of them are not even rooted in Christianity. Here are ten popular American Christmas traditions, how they came to be celebrated and whether they correlate to anything related to the Christian faith.

ONE: The Christmas Tree

The first identification of the Christmas tree as an American Christmas tradition was in 1832 when Harriet Martineau popularized it in New England[1]. It took until the 1850’s, after several waves of German immigration, for the Christmas tree to become a widespread tradition. The idea of the tree, itself, was a pagan tradition. Nothing about a Christmas tree connects to Christianity although some attempt has been made to associate the idea of an evergreen tree with the eternal life that is made possible, according to the Christian message, for every person who believes in Jesus Christ.

 TWO: Christmas Presents

Americans did not start giving Christmas presents until the 1870’s. Today, according to Penne Restad, buying gifts for Christmas is “the single most important sector of the consumer economy”[2]. There is nothing specifically Christian about this tradition. However, many Christians enjoy connecting their giving with the belief that God’s greatest gift to mankind was that He sent His only begotten son to be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, die on a Roman cross and rise again from the dead so that the people who believe this will be forgiven of their sins, be reconciled to God and live forever.

THREE: Xmas

Many American Christians resent the abbreviation of Christmas as Xmas. They think that the X takes the name of Christ out of the holiday they use to celebrate His birth. The X is actually the Greek letter, chi, the first letter in the Greek word, cristos, which means Christ. The abbreviation was used as early as 1021 AD[3]. This abbreviation is historically associated with Christians.

FOUR: Nativity Scenes

Nativity scenes are a staple of Christmas decorations. Large ones, including ones with live people and animals, are often found outdoors. Smaller ones are used as indoor decorations. These 3-D displays replicate the biblical story of when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Because there was no room in any inn for the couple to stay after they arrived in obedience to Caesar Augustus’ requirement for everyone to return to their ancestral homes to register to be taxed, according to the New Testament, the young family was sent to stay in the barn. The baby was born and laid in the food trough. The first nativity scene was set up by Francis Assisi in Grecio, Italy, in 1223 AD, with the permission of Pope Honorius III[4]. This display is a reenactment of the Christian story of the birth of Jesus Christ. This is why there has been controversy when a nativity scene has been included in the Christmas décor on U.S. government property.

FIVE: December 25

In the fourth century AD, December 25th began to be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. It was the date of the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a pagan holiday. Because of the pagan roots of this date, the Puritan leader, Increase Mather, influenced the Massachusetts Colony to outlaw the celebration of Christmas in 1687[5]. No actual date is documented for the day that Jesus was born. However, there are clues to when it would have been in the Bible. They have to do with the fact that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was six months pregnant with him when Mary went to visit her. She would have conceived after Zacharias returned from his annual rotation of priestly duties at the temple in Jerusalem. This date can be found because we know when his family’s turn to serve came in the Old Testament. Many biblical scholars think that Jesus may have been born during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles which is usually in late September or October. The date we now celebrate as Christmas does not have any biblical basis. It was, however, adopted by the early church just a few hundred years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SIX: Santa Claus

Clement Moore wrote the famous poem, “An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas” in 1822, which is more commonly known by its first line: "'Twas the night before Christmas". This became the template from which the stories derive about Santa Clause and his trips down chimneys after traveling by reindeer-pulled flying sleighs[6]. Another American, Thomas Nast, drew the first illustrations of Santa Claus in the 1850’s[7]. The bright red suit and hat we think of Santa Claus as wearing came after Coca Cola began using Santa in its Christmas advertising[8]. Santa Claus is an American invention, purely fantasy, somewhat based on Nicholas, the third century bishop of Myra[9].

SEVEN: Christmas Lights

At first, candles lit up the Christmas trees, causing many fires. Thomas Edison’s partner, Edward Johnson, was the first to introduce electric lights to decorate for Christmas in 1882. By 1895, President Grover Cleveland first used electric lights to decorate the White House for Christmas. It has become a favorite tradition to decorate houses and streets with brilliant light displays. People drive to enjoy them. The idea can be used to articulate religious Christmas messages as well as purely secular ones.

EIGHT: Reindeer

There were no reindeer in the stable at Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Reindeer became connected with Santa Claus thanks to Clement Moore’s 1822 poem[10]. Rudolph with his red nose did not come into the story until 1939 when Montgomery Ward charged their copy editor, Robert May, to create him. The story was published as a children's book in 1939[11]. That story became the inspiration for Gene Autry’s song in 1949.

NINE: Gingerbread

Gingerbread fairs are a medieval European tradition. They were held at Christmas as well as to honor visiting royalty. Gingerbread houses became part of the Christmas tradition in Germany in the 16th century[12]. They are popular secular American Christmas displays.

TEN: Angels

Many people put an angel ornament at the top of the Christmas tree. According to the Bible, an angel appeared to Mary to announce that God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus. Other angels appeared to the shepherds to proclaim his birth. While angels were important messengers in the Christmas story, the tradition of using an angel as an ornament is much newer. Even the way we imagine what angels look like is secular, inspired by Byzantine and European art. In 1848, an engraving showed the British Queen Victoria and her family decorating their Christmas tree with an angel on top. Wanting to be like royalty, people began emulating the queen and the tradition grew.

In the United States, since President Ulysses S. Grant’s 1870 proclamation, Christmas has been a federal holiday. Many of the popular traditions have little to do with the Christian story about the birth of Jesus Christ. However, without that historic event, we would not have the reason for the season nor would there be a Christian religion.

 

By Lesley Barker ©2020

 

 

 

 

 


[1] Penne Restad. “Christmas in Nineteenth Century America” in History Today, Vol. 45, Issue 12. December 1995.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Brandon Specktor. “Finally! Who Put the X in Christmas?” in Rd.com ONLINE at https://www.rd.com/article/reason-put-x-in-xmas/. ACCESSED 12/21/2020

[4] Rachel Newer. “The First Nativity Scene Was Created in 1223” in SmithsonianMag.com. December 14, 2012. ONLINE at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-nativity-scene-was-created-in-1223-161485505/. ACCESSED 12/21/2020

[5] Lawrence Kelemen. “The History of Christmas” in Judaism Online. ONLINE at SimpleToRemember.com. ACCESSED 12/17/2020

[6] Restad, 1995.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Kelemen, 2020.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Resad, 1995

[11] David Greene, host. “The History of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Morning Edition. 2015. National Public Radio. ONLINE at https://www.npr.org/2015/12/25/461005670/the-history-of-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer. ACCESSED 12/21/2020

[12] Tory Avey. “The History of Gingerbread”. The History Kitchen. ONLINE at https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-gingerbread/ ACCESSED 12/21/20

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