Of Christmas and Men!
- A Crazy Little Bird Told Me
- Dec 27, 2025
- 10 min read
As I went for a stroll, to wonder over the beautiful Christmas decorations people had put up in my neighbourhood, I started thinking (dangerous thing, I know)!
Why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th? How did it all start? What is Christmas really? Was it always about presents? When did we start having Christmas tree, or Nativity scene? How does Santa Claus fit in? Is Santa the same as Father Christmas?
So many questions, and so little time!
Where does the word Christmas come from?
In English, Christmas is a shortened form for “Christ’s Mass” or Cristenmasse (Middle English), which I feel is self explanatory really.
The word is recorded for the first time as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131.
Before you ask, I will not start researching the origin of the word in different languages (I might be here till next Christmas if I get into that!). Alright, alright I got curious and checked the French form for it. I am sorry, I am a little biased and terribly curious. Noel has been documented since the 12th century and is derived from the Latin “natalis dies” which means the day of birth.
So, to summarise, Christmas is all about the birth of Christ, which makes that a Christian celebration. So far, so good. But, why on that date?
Why are we celebrating the birth of Christ on the 25th of December?
Let’s address the elephant in the room first: was Jesus of Nazareth really born on that date? The short answer is maybe, but it might also have been any other day, because truth be told, the actual date of his birth is not documented in any gospels or secular text. Experts managed to make an approximation, based on the death of Herod and other historical references, placing the Christ birth between the year 6 and 4 BC, but any further definitive date eludes us.
The earliest church records, dating from the 2nd century indicates that while Christians were already celebrating the birth of Christ, there was no set date at which this was done. Also, not all Christians celebrated its birth, and for example, in the Eastern Roman Empire, Christ was celebrated with the Epiphany on January 6, reflecting his baptism rather than his birth.
The earliest record indicating that Christ was born on the 25th of December is found in the Chronograph of 354, a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus by the calligrapher and illustrator Furius Dionysius Filocalus.
Isn’t the name Furius glorious? Very Mad-Max-like I think!
Now for a little intriguing coincidence, in the Roman Empire where most Christians lived at the time, the 25th of December was also the date of the festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the “Invincible Sun”), or winter solstice, and had been so since 274 AD.
Very practical, isn’t it, to use existing celebrations? One stone, two birds and all.
The early Church Fathers John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome attested to December 25 as the date of Christmas toward the end of the 4th century, preaching that it was fitting to celebrate Christ's birth at the winter solstice, because it marked the point when the hours of daylight begin to grow. The early Church also linked Jesus to the Sun and referred to him as the 'true Sun' or 'Sun of Righteousness'.
Once again, no need to bother organising a new event, sending invites, or working a brand new logistic when everybody was already partying on that date anyway. It was all about marketing, even then!
So, here, you have it. The date was officially and somewhat arbitrarily decided by men of the church few centuries after the birth and death of Christ.
But what about other festivals taking place at the same time?
What of Yule and Mōdraniht?
Bede, an English monk, author and scholar who lived 672 to 735, wrote that the pagan Anglo-Saxons celebrated the festival Mōdraniht (Mothers' Night) at the winter solstice, which marked the start of the Anglo-Saxon year. I guess that when it is so dark and cold, you need celebrations to get through it!
The pre-Christian Germanic and Norse peoples celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period.
One of the tradition refers to a ghostly procession being lead through the sky (the Wild Hunt), by god Odin, who is referred to as "the Yule one" and "Yule father" in Old Norse texts, while other gods are referred to as "Yule beings".
In the Doom book of Alfred the Great, written c.890, Christmas is called Ġehhol (Yule). It is suggested that the Vikings who settled in England introduced or popularized 'Yule' as a name for Christmas among the Anglo-Saxons. Isn’t history (and all its “maybe”) fascinating?
In most of England the archaic word 'Yule' had been replaced by 'Christmas' by the 11th century, but in some places 'Yule' survived as the normal dialect term for the celebration.
Celebration of Yule have survived in Scotland until the 19th century, despite the Presbyterian church best efforts, and in Orkney and Shetland, said celebrations lasted for 24 days. You got to admit, the Scots sure know how to party!
But, actually, what was Christmas celebration all about?
Was Christmas always celebrated as it is today in 2025?
The short answer is no.
The custom of merrymaking and feasting at Christmastide first appears in the historical record during the High Middle Ages (c 1100–1300).
The type of celebrations associated with Christmas have been evolving from the onset, from a sometimes raucous, drunken, carnival-like state in the Middle Ages (definitely doesn’t seem PG13!), to a tamer family-oriented and children-centred theme introduced in a 19th-century.
Local and regional traditions were also incorporated resulting in a diversity of celebrations around the world, such as the use of the Celtic tradition use of mistletoe and ivy, and the custom of kissing under a mistletoe, that are common in modern Christmas celebrations in the English-speaking countries. Spain celebrates a day of pranks on 28th December, called Día de los Santos Inocentes (the Day of the Innocent Saints), and in the Basque Country, children may receive gifts from the magical man called Olentzero, a cheerful, rural figure tied to older winter legends.
What about nativity scenes or Christmas tree?
The first Nativity scenes have been known from 10th-century Rome, and popularised by Saint Francis of Assisi from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe. The first commercially produced scenes appeared in Germany in the 1860s.
The first recorded Christmas tree was used by German Lutherans in the 16th century in the Cathedral of Strasburg in 1539. Interestingly, it seems the Christmas tree, being evergreen, was (and still is) symbolic of Christ offering eternal life.
Of course, keeping in mind that there are as many opinions as there are people, some considered the use of a Christmas Tree as a Christianisation of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship. You can never please everybody!
According to eighth-century biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface (634–709), a missionary in Germany, took an ax to an oak tree dedicated to Thor and pointed out a fir tree, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to heaven and it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the Trinity.
From where I stand a tree is a tree and should be hugged, but what do I know!
Instead, here we are in the 21st century, cutting thousands of fir or trees of the same family, every year, to watch them dry out in our living rooms, covered with tinsels and bauble. Not judging, just saying!
The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835, an importation from the German language. I am not sure how the tree was called before that ... even though I understand that Christmas had fallen out of fashion in England until a Victorian revival.
As another interesting little fun fact, the Catholic Church erected their first Christmas Tree in 1982, under Pope John Paul II, as the first Vatican Christmas Tree. Again, I am not one to judge but they kind of took their sweet time getting on with the program, which makes me wonder why (a topic for another day!).
Of course, you can’t talk about Christmas Tree without talking about the rules: when do you set it up and take it down? In Western Christian tradition, these are no laughing matters. We take those very, very, seriously!
Depending on where you’re from, you can erect your tree on the first day of Advent, also called First Sunday of Advent. To make it not so simple, that date change every year… obviously… as it is always the 4th Sunday before Christmas! This year it was the 30th of November. You can also erect your tree as late as Christmas Eve. Personally, I was raised with a very strong belief that no tree or Christmas decoration should go up before the 1st December. I couldn’t tell you where that tradition came from, but I find it hard to shake! One of those things that have been anchored in one’s mind forever… just like fries/chips in buttered toasts are an abomination… go figure!
My apologies, back to Christmas trees.
Some countries also hold faith that it is unlucky to remove Christmas decorations, such as the Christmas tree, after the Twelfth Night of Christmas. Similarly, some believe that decorations shouldn’t be taken down before Twelfth Night and, if they are not taken down on that day, it is appropriate to do so on Candlemas.
To summarise, there are as many beliefs as there are cultures, regions, people etc. Just pick one that works for you, but please, don’t you go erect a Christmas tree in July, because that is plain wrong (yes, I will be judging you for it)!!
What about Christmastide, Advent, 40 days of Christmas or the 12 days of Christmas?
My head is spinning with all those terms! Let me see if I can get through all of those in chronological order.
Advent is the season of waiting and preparing for Christmastide, and for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. It runs from the fourth Sunday before Christmas, often referred to as Advent Sunday and ends by Christmas Eve on 24 December.
It is not known when that concept began, though it was certainly in existence from about 480.
Christmastide is the season of Christmas, as defined by liturgical year (which varies from church to church to make it more exciting) and is also known as Christmas time, Christmas season, or Christide, as put in place in 567, by the Council of Tours, proclaiming "the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred and festive season”, and established the duty of Advent fasting in preparation for the feast.
Christmastide is identical to Twelvetide (Twelve Days of Christmastide, also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas), the festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity, starting on Christmas day and finishing on the 5th of January.
Candlemas (“chandeleur” in France) is the feast day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Joseph and Mary, and usually takes place (at least in France and Belgium) on the 2nd of February. Now that one I remember, as it is the day where you can eat crepes till you burst!
And last but not least, the Forty Days of Christmas, simply encompass Christmastide/the Twelve Day of Christmas and Candlemas, therefore stretching from 25th of December to the 2nd of February, but excluding Advent.
Bottom line, if you celebrate Christmas as a Christian, you pretty much have over a month of festivities from late November/early December all the way to the 5/6th January, and you have one more little stop on the 2nd of February. That is one long celebration!
What do Santa Clause and Father Christmas have to do with it all?
Well, it all started with a man called Saint Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker (the man was literally a miracle worker it seems!), who lived a long, long time ago (circa 270-343) and was an early Christian bishop in the Roman Empire.
For some reason, he is the patron saint to many (and I mean maaany!) people, such sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, toymakers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. He sure looks over a wide array of folks!
He is usually celebrated on the 6th of December, and this tradition is still very much alive in the East of France and Germany to cite only a few.
His reputation evolved and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving (such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him) gave rise to the folklore of Santa Claus ("Saint Nick") through Sinterklaas.
Saint Nicholas became renowned for his reported generosity and secret gift-giving. During the Middle Ages, often on the evening before his name day of 6 December, children were bestowed gifts in his honour.
The image of Santa Claus shares similarities with the English figure of Father Christmas, and both figures slowly merged into one.
The English personifications of Christmas, were first recorded in the 15th century, with Father Christmas himself first appearing in the 16th century during Henry VIII reign, pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur, and in the 17th century in the aftermath of the English Civil War. The Puritan-controlled English government had legislated to abolish Christmas, considering it popish, and had outlawed its traditional customs. Royalist political pamphleteers, linking the old traditions with their cause, adopted Old Father Christmas as the symbol of 'the good old days' of feasting and good cheer. Following the Restoration in 1660, Father Christmas's profile declined.
His character was maintained during the late 18th and into the 19th century by the Christmas folk plays later known as mummers' plays.
As England no longer kept the feast day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December, the Father Christmas celebration was moved to 25 December to coincide with Christmas Day.
Until Victorian times, Father Christmas was concerned with adult feasting and merry-making. He had no particular connection with children, nor with the giving of presents, nocturnal visits, stockings, chimneys or reindeer. But as later Victorian Christmases developed into child-centric family festivals, Father Christmas became a bringer of gifts.
Bottom line, I suppose there isn’t a straightforward link between Santa and Christmas, even though Santa is now Father Christmas, but still isn’t associated with Christ, who technically is the whole reason behind Christmas celebration. If you wonder, yes, my head is still spinning.
Interestingly enough though, that whole affair means we are all getting excited about Christmas every year, but I doubt many of us remember the original meaning of the festival. Instead we focus on going bigger and better each year, whether it be with presents, decorations or food. I can see how I am sounding mildly Grinch-like with that statement, but that doesn’t make it inaccurate!
Either way, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!
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