I am most despondent since Sunday when Tomorrow’s World pointed out that the Christmas season isn’t actually Christ’s birthday. I’ve heard for decades it might actually have be in April, but this has a greater depth of impact for me that it may have been in September or October. Also, to cover pagan holidays, the early church chose to subvert the pagan worship by celebrating Dec. 25th as Christ’s birth. How then worshipers of such aren’t laughing saying we’re inadvertently celebrating their gods. I find the whole matter at nearly 60 years of age and 55 of those as a Christmas and Christ loving man most upsetting. No wonder mankind’s journey as is as it has been! Clarify for God’s sake.

I understand how upsetting it is to hear this information about the pagan origins of Christmas especially when like me you’ve grown up celebrating it. I’ve researched it for years and in the beginning I rejected the pagan explanation for Christmas. To me it didn’t matter since I wasn’t personally celebrating pagan gods at Christmas, but rather Christ’s birth, so what could be wrong with that? However, I’m also a Bible believing man and we’re not told in the Bible to celebrate Christ’s birth. At the same time I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Christians celebrating it.

The problem comes with the pagan origins of many of our Christmas traditions and the accuracy of the date of Christ’s birth. Concerning the Christmas traditions, we are far from celebrating them like the pagans did. We use the wreath and Christmas tree for decorations rather than pagan worship. In all my years of living I’ve never seen a family worshiping a Christmas tree or other gods at Christmas. Nevertheless, they were traditions not rooted in Christianity. I personally dislike the explanations some Christians give such as saying the Christmas tree symbolizes the tree Jesus died on. To me this only serves to cover up the pagan origin. Martin Luther was apparently responsible for this explanation. However, it was the Catholic Church that chose the December 25th date of Christ’s birth to replace the Roman festival of Saturnalia. As a Bible teacher I’d much rather confirm the late December birth of Christ, but I can’t honestly do that. There is compelling evidence that Christ’s birth was much earlier. My first reaction was much like yours. I was disappointed and it took a little joy out of the Christmas I used to fully enjoy. However, I’m in the place now where it doesn’t matter so much. I have a different perspective on it today. For me, Christmas in December is a great time to tell others about why Christ came to this earth. It’s a great time to spread the gospel. When I look at all the people who come to a Christmas Eve service who don’t know that God loves them and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to give them life and I have the opportunity to tell them, I can’t help, but be thankful for Christmas. Not only that, Christ’s birth could very well have been in late December so I don’t worry about it. Anyone like the folks from Tomorrow’s World may wish to give people the impression they have a corner on God’s truth, but this issue is far from definitive. It’s still only speculation. In the end a person has to find the true meaning of Christmas which is knowing Christ personally.