Christmas is not a pagan holiday when it is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. While some traditions and symbols may have worldly emphases or even pagan roots, this is not a reason to completely write off the holiday. God’s people have long set apart days to remember His saving acts and teach future generations. The New Testament affirms that believers can honor the Lord through special days, as long as their focus is on Christ, not on worldly customs or idolatry. The gospel has the power to redeem cultural practices and reshape them to glorify God—just as the early church transformed Greco-Roman customs to reflect Christ’s truth. When we celebrate Christmas to honor the miracle of Jesus’ birth and God’s love for the world (John 3:16–18), it is not pagan—it is profoundly Christian.
The gospel transforms culture. The early church often engaged with Greco-Roman culture to redeem and reshape it through the lens of Christ. Similarly, even if December 25 had prior pagan associations or is not the actual date of Jesus’ birth,, it can be reclaimed and reshaped to glorify Jesus. Through the years, many cultures have added traditions and myths to the holiday that have nothing to do with the celebration of Jesus' virgin birth. For instance, the use of Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas originated in the Renaissance era based on the real life of a pious, kind Christian by that name. Myth upon myth was heaped on his life and history. It was in the late 1700s and early 1800s that he was introduced to the United States and took on a life of its own.
Another example of a cultural addition to Christmas is the use of the Christmas tree. This tradition has its roots in medieval Germany as a symbolic celebration of Christmas with the evergreen for eternal life and candles for Jesus as the light of the world (John 8:12). Originally, wafers were tied to the branches as a symbol of God's provision. Again, this tradition took off in many directions, coming to America in the 1800s. Historically, pagan religions also used trees and evergreens for symbolic purposes, and some have feared the use of a Christmas tree was too closely tied to these. Though there might be some similarities in the use of evergreens and/or trees, the original use by the Germans was rooted in biblical understandings of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection.
A more modern issue associated with Christmas is the consumerism that surrounds this holiday. The giving of gifts is also associated with Saint Nicholas, who was an incredibly generous man who used his personal wealth and inheritance to help the poor as a reflection of his faith in Jesus Christ. Time, culture, advertising, and unprecedented wealth have contrived to take a once simple tradition and turn it into a driving economic force in the United States, taking the focus off of Jesus and putting it onto greed, possessions and consumerism.
Others are concerned that Christmas originated as a replacement for pagan holidays such as Saturnalia or other observances of the winter solstice. But those celebrations never seem to have fallen on December 25th. Even if that were the case, the current celebration of Christmas has nothing to do with any such pagan practices. Christmas is no more pagan than are the names of the days of the week an act of worship toward the pagan gods for which they were named.
Christmas is a celebration of the miraculous love of God for the whole world (John 3:16–18). Jesus physically embodied that love, choosing a humble birth that led to His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. No tradition, myth, or misuse can undo what God has accomplished. While cultural elements have shaped how Christmas is celebrated, they do not define its true meaning. When we center our hearts on Christ, Christmas becomes a powerful reminder of God's grace breaking into our world—light overcoming darkness, truth dispelling myth, and redemption reclaiming what was lost.
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