Liberal Arguments Against the Holidays Are Actually a Steaming Pile of Reindeer Feces

The holidays are upon us and we all know what that means: forced socialization with family that we spend the rest of the year actively trying to avoid! The conversations which happen around Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners should be a combination of fond reminiscing and a sharing of hopes for the future. Instead, it is often navigating a field of verbal landmines which include your social justice warrior niece in her third year of community college arguing economics with your slightly inebriated cousin who wouldn’t leave his MAGA hat in his ’95 Dodge Ram with the lift kit. Maybe I’m exaggerating a little… but only a little.

As a Christian who has family members on all ends of the political and religious spectrum, I find myself fielding questions with increasing frequency this time of year. Especially as the internet has become a storehouse of outrageous religious and historical conspiracy theories which people love to throw out as absolute fact (did you know that Constantine had a secret meeting with the Virgin Mary to create the myth of the nativity??? Wild, right!?).

So I have compiled a list of common arguments, myths, and conspiracy theories about the holidays and put together some answers that might help you have productive conversations — or at least maybe have some fun with your brother-in-law Reuben who unironically wears a Che Guevara t-shirt to all family functions.

PART 1: Thanksgiving

I remember being in public school in the 80s and every November hearing the story about the pilgrims and the Indians (ahem, indigenous) coming together in the fall of 1621 to celebrate a successful harvest after a devastating winter. Many times, we would celebrate the story by having students reenact the event with some dressed in pilgrim hats and bonnets while others wore feathered headbands. But before anyone could say ‘cultural appropriation’, things started to change. Many people began to argue that we shouldn’t be celebrating Thanksgiving because of its relation to the colonization of North America. As a result, some choose to sit this holiday out or attend family gatherings with a chip on their shoulder ready and willing to apply a nice coating of white guilt to the first person who tells them “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Now, there should be no excuse offered for legitimate atrocities committed by our ancestors. But we also do not need to agree with the false narratives put forth by those who allow the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction. Civilizations clash and have since the fall. The settlers did not introduce the concept of war to a pacifistic indigenous people. Native tribes in North America were at war with one another for land and power long before any settlers made their way across the pond. Anytime two people (or groups) want what they both cannot possess at the same time, and neither side is willing to yield, the inevitable result will be that they become enemies and conflict will occur. The reality is that not all settlers came to this land with cutlasses in their teeth looking to rip the land from the hands of natives, and neither did every native live a life of tranquility painting with all the colors of the wind. It is a messy story with complicated history. In fact, there was a very real attempt by many settlers to bring the Christian message to the new world and evangelize those who had not yet received the light of the Gospel.

Now, celebrating the American holiday of Thanksgiving is not commanded in scripture and certainly Christians have liberty in whether they will or won’t celebrate particular days (Romans 14). But it is interesting to consider that Thanksgiving Day is where we do things which most remind us of the biblical holidays given to Israel. In those holidays, there was almost always a time of feasting accompanied by a time of remembrance of God’s blessings and a giving of thanks. Christmas and Easter are days which commemorate important moments in our faith (the birth and resurrection of Christ), but Thanksgiving is a day where we simply stop our normal lives to give thanks to God.

As Christians, our expressions of Thanksgiving and gratitude should be a consistent part of who we are. Charles Dickens once told an audience that instead of having one Thanksgiving Day each year, we should have 364. He said, “Use that one day just for complaining and griping… Use the other 364 days to thank God each day for the many blessings He has showered upon you.” Dickens makes a good point regarding gratitude. We all have things to be grateful for, and if we truly recognized all of our blessings, we would give thanks much more often than we would complain. The events of our nation’s history can and should be debated. But what shouldn’t be in question is that Christians have a reason — every single day — to give thanks.

PART 2: Christmas

Every year around Christmas, it's common to hear people claim that the traditions and symbols of the season stem from ancient pagan festivals and rituals. This idea has become so widespread that it has been featured in films like Zeitgeist and Religulous with Bill Maher, as well as in popular TV shows like The Big Bang Theory. Sadly, even some Christians have accepted the assumption that Christmas celebrations are rooted in paganism. But is this actually true? The answer is a resounding no! Many of the claims about Christmas having pagan origins are either factually incorrect or grossly exaggerated, yet they continue to be repeated year after year. Here are some key examples:

The Virgin Birth 

A common myth which is bantered about during the holidays is that the pagan god Mithras was born of a virgin and that the story of Jesus is rebranded Mithraism. 

However, this is not true. Mithraism taught that the god Mithras was not born of a woman at all, but rather that he was birthed out of a rock. Furthermore, Edwin Yamauchi, a scholar who specializes in the mysterious religions of the ancient world and one of the foremost authorities on Mithraism, has stated, “There is no evidence that Mithraism influenced first-century Christianity. Far from assimilating Mithraism, the church fathers - from Justin Martyr to Tertullian, denounced Mithraism as a satanic imitation.”

The Date of Jesus Birth 

Another common claim about the birth of Jesus is that Christmas is on December 25 to match the birthday of other pagan deities including Horus the Egyptian sun god, or Mithras. But the truth is that early Christians based the dating of Christ’s birth on the annunciation. The annunciation is the announcement of the miraculous conception of Jesus to Mary. Irenaeus determined March 25 as the date of the Annunciation before the end of the second century. This was based on Luke’s Gospel which tells us this happened in the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John (Luke 1:24-27). But how do they determine the time when John was conceived? This is also from the Gospel of Luke, which tells us that his father Zechariah was offering incense (Luke 1:8-10). They calculate this time, based on the type of service being rendered, to late September, which would then make the date of the annunciation in later March. This would cause one to arrive at a later date in December for the birth of Christ. 

By the early 3rd century, at least three Christian writers had independently calculated the birth of Jesus on or around December 25: Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Sextus Julius Africanus. Were they right? We don’t know. But they were not stealing their information from Pagan sources. They were attempting to determine a date based on available evidence. 

And just in case you do believe that December 25th was chosen because this was the actual birthday of Horus, the Egyptian false god, please note that this is actually a fabrication. There is no historical evidence linking the celebration of the birth of Horus to December 25th. Horus was supposedly born during the month of Khoiak (Oct/Nov), and not on December 25th. Other false gods have also been proposed, but all equally debunked.

Christmas Trees 

Every year when the subject of Christmas trees comes up, someone inevitably goes to the Old Testament and quotes Jeremiah 10 and claim it forbids Christmas trees.

“Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” Jeremiah 10:1–5 ESV

Is this a Christmas tree? It sure sounds like one when we read it for the first time. The problem is that our reading of this text is anachronistic. The people Jeremiah was speaking against were not putting up Christmas trees. They were fashioning idols out of wood and covering them with precious metals. The text has nothing to do with the modern Christmas tree. 

So, where did Christmas trees come from/originate? This is complicated because there is no official record. Protestants often attribute Luther with the first evergreen adorned with candles (fire hazard, don’t do this!). But in the 12th century, Dec 24th had become the feast of Adam and Eve, and included the paradise play, which had as the one consistent prop The Paradise Tree (an evergreen fir adorned with red apples). While trees have been a part of pagan festivals, there is nothing uniquely pagan about them.

Santa Claus 

This one is tough because it gets into the more traditional and commercial aspects of Christmas. There is certainly debate over whether Christian parents should convince their children of a generously proportioned elf who delivers presents all over the world in one night. Also, the issue of “naughty and nice” has implications for how we understand things like forgiveness and righteousness. While I think a certain level of “pretend play” is acceptable, it is an important discussion that Christian parents need to have. 

You might hear a relative claim that the Santa story is based on the Norse god Odin, who had a long white beard and flew the skies in wintertime and rewarded children with presents. But this is one of those times when connections are exaggerated or simply fabricated. In fact, Jackson Crawford, who has a PhD in Old Norse studies, spent many years teaching the subject at various universities, and is now a professional public educator on the subject, posted a video on his YouTube channel explaining why Odin is not Santa Claus (Lookup “Odin isn't Santa Claus” by Jackson Crawford).

St. Nicolaus of Myra was a real person, and while a lot of magical claims are connected with our modern understanding of Santa Claus, this does not prove they are of pagan origin. Moreover, Santa Claus is not an essential part of the Christian Christmas celebration, and therefore is basically irrelevant in many homes. 

If I could say one thing however, church history is valuable, so teaching your children about early church leaders like St. Nicolaus can be a great way to remind them of their heritage. Especially tell them about his mean right hook which he allegedly delivered to the heretic Arius at the Council of Nicaea (And yes, I know this story is likely apocryphal, but I still like to wish it was true!).

Gift Giving 

Is gift giving pagan? Yes. Because every culture in the world gives gifts. Likewise, Christians have always given gifts. Jesus said that fathers “know how to give good gifts to your children” (Matthew 7:11). Modern expressions of Christmas can be times where we need to check our hearts regarding greed and avarice, but we shouldn’t think that giving someone a gift is a uniquely pagan behavior. The greatest gift ever given in history came from our Father in heaven who gave His only begotten Son, so that every person who believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That act of sacrificial love and gift giving is the model for all Christian gift giving for all time.

I want to end with an important thought from Spencer McDaniel: 

“Although there was a time when Christmas did indeed incorporate some pre-Christian traditions, virtually none of the traditions associated with Christmas in the United States today are actually of ancient pre-Christian origin. In fact, virtually all of the Christmas traditions that you usually hear people going around claiming are ‘pagan’ are actually traditions that only arose within the past two hundred years or so, within a Christian cultural context.” (Read more about this in McDaniel’s article found here.)

So before you have your next go-around with Aunt Becky who brought her poli-sci major boyfriend home for Christmas, just sit back, take a breath, and realize that most of what he is saying about Jesus and Christmas is a steaming pile of reindeer feces. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. 

Tell all your relatives Pastor Keith says Hi!