Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?
The evergreen tree was a longstanding symbol of life during winter. Romans decorated their homes with evergreen branches for the New Year, and early inhabitants of northern Europe cut evergreen trees and placed them inside their homes during winter. Many early Christians opposed such customs. The second-century theologian Tertullian condemned Christians who celebrated winter festivals or decorated their houses with laurel boughs in honor of the emperor.
Let those who are about to face hell’s fires attach laurels to their houses—laurels destined to burn—so that the signs of darkness and their impending punishments are clear. You are the light of the world, not an evergreen tree. If you have abandoned temples, do not turn your own gates into a temple.
But by the early Middle Ages, a legend had spread that when Christ was born in the dead of winter, every tree worldwide miraculously shook off its ice and snow and sprouted new green shoots. Meanwhile, Christian missionaries preaching to Germanic and Slavic peoples were adopting a more lenient approach to cultural practices—such as evergreen trees. These missionaries believed that the Incarnation declared Christ’s lordship over pagan gods and the pagan culture itself.
According to legend, eighth-century missionary Boniface, after cutting down an oak tree sacred to the pagan god Thor (and used for human sacrifice), pointed to a nearby evergreen instead as a symbol of God’s love and mercy.
Clear records of trees used as Christmas symbols appear starting during the Renaissance, beginning in Latvia in 1510 and in Strasbourg in 1521. Many people credit the invention of the Christmas tree to the Protestant reformer Martin Luther.
In the 16th century, evergreen branches used in homes were called “paradises.” They were often hung on walls surrounding pastry wafers symbolizing the Eucharist, which developed into the cookie ornaments decorating German Christmas trees today.
The custom gained popularity throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, despite protests from some clergy. Lutheran minister Johann von Dannhauer, for example, complained (as Tertullian did) that the symbol distracted people from the true evergreen tree, Jesus Christ. However, this did not stop many churches from setting up Christmas trees inside the church sanctuary. Alongside the tree, there often stood wooden “pyramids”—stacks of shelves bearing candles, sometimes one for each family member. Eventually, these pyramids of candles were placed on the tree, becoming the ancestors of our modern Christmas lights ornaments.
It also took a long time for trees to become associated with presents. History links the practice of gift-giving at Christmas to the gifts the Magi brought to Jesus. Trading gifts during the winter solstice was also a Roman tradition. Over time, Christmas replaced the winter solstice celebration with gift-giving, just as the Magi did on that first Christmas day.
Gifts were also linked to St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra (modern-day Turkey), who gained fame for giving gifts to poor children. His feast day (December 6) became another occasion for exchanging gifts.
Evergreen trees gradually made their way inside homes around the time of Luther, as the custom of giving presents to friends and family developed in Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. Victorian Christmas
In the English-speaking world, the tradition of gifts, trees, and Christmas was shaped by Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, who was from Saxony (now part of Germany). German immigrants introduced the custom of Christmas trees in the early 1800s, but it gained popularity after Victoria and Albert decorated a large tree for their children at Windsor Castle in 1841. At that time, Christmas presents were typically hung directly on the tree.
As many of us decorate trees and wrap gifts as part of our Christmas tradition, let us remember that these are only symbols of God’s greatest gift to the world—his son, Jesus Christ. He gave Himself to unite a holy God with sinful man, so that we may live with him forevermore.
As the Christmas carol says, “And man shall live forevermore because of Christmas Day!”
May this be your best Christmas ever as you receive God’s gift to the world, Jesus Christ, into your heart.
Dr. Robert Bryant