Do We Celebrate Christmas and Easter?

Christmas and Easter are traditions created by the Church in the centuries between the time of Paul in Rome and the present day. They are not biblical commands but rather ecclesiastical developments that emerged as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire and beyond.

Christmas Origins

The celebration of Christmas on December 25th was not established until centuries after Christ's birth. The date was likely chosen to coincide with existing winter solstice festivals in the Roman world. The concept of Santa Claus was popularized in the United States from European traditions — particularly Dutch Sinterklaas and British Father Christmas — evolving into the modern figure we recognize today.

“This is what the LORD says: 'Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, for the customs of the peoples are worthless. Someone cuts down a tree from the forest; it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won't totter.'”

Some point to Jeremiah 10 as a warning against cutting down trees and decorating them. While the context refers to idolatrous practices of ancient nations, some believers choose to avoid Christmas trees based on this passage.

Easter Origins

Easter is related to ancient fertility rituals of pagan religions that celebrated rebirth and renewal in the spring. The name “Easter” itself may derive from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring and fertility. These pagan spring festivals were eventually merged with Christian commemoration of Christ's resurrection as the Church sought to contextualize the faith within existing cultural frameworks.

The biblical Passover (Exodus 12), which Jesus celebrated, is the foundation for understanding his death and resurrection. The early church observed Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, not Easter as we know it today.

Faith is between you and God. We are answerable to God alone, not to other believers on matters of personal conviction.

“Who are you to judge another's household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand... But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

“There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

Whether one celebrates Christmas and Easter or abstains from them, each person should be fully convinced in their own mind and act in accordance with their conscience before God. The danger lies not in different practices, but in judging fellow believers who hold different convictions on these matters.