Reformed Christians Should Celebrate Christmas
Being Historically Honest About the Holiday's Roots
We don’t do Santa in our house simply because we don’t want to lie to our kids, but I cringe when I meet Reformed Protestants that don’t celebrate Christmas, but may even hold in high esteem the Early Church Fathers. Though the date lines up closely with some European pagan holidays, it absolutely was not a Christian whitewashing of Pagan holidays. The only holiday prescribed in scripture is the Christian Sabbath, the first day of the week, Sunday (See, Matthew 28:1, also Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2). Obviously there’s no “thou shalt celebrate Christmas” verse in scripture, but celebrating Christmas doesn’t go against the Regulative Principal of Worship either.
The writers of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (also known as the Second London Confession) generally did not celebrate Christmas or other religious holidays. They were part of a broader Puritan and Reformed movement that often rejected the celebration of Christmas because they believed it was not prescribed in Scripture (the "Regulative Principle of Worship").
For the Puritans and many early Baptists, if a practice like Christmas was not clearly commanded in the Bible, it should not be observed as part of Christian worship. They viewed Christmas as a human tradition with roots in Roman Catholicism and sought to return to the pure practices outlined in the New Testament. Therefore, Christmas was often ignored or even opposed by those who adhered to the 1689 Confession.
However, over time, attitudes toward Christmas within Reformed and Baptist circles have varied. Some later groups began to embrace it more as a cultural or family tradition, but the early writers of the 1689 Confession would not have participated in its celebration.
Historically, we’re not sure exactly when Christmas was first celebrated, but they think it was sometime in the 300’s A.D. In this article, I will make the case as to why Reformed Christians should absolutely celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus.
The Reason for the Season
Reformed Christians should celebrate Christmas because it commemorates the Incarnation, the miraculous event of God taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, central to Christian faith. While some argue that Christmas has pagan origins, historical evidence shows that early Christians chose December 25th not to adopt pagan festivals but to mark the date of Christ’s birth based on theological reasoning. The date aligns with early Jewish thought that prophets died on the same day they were conceived, placing the conception of Christ at March 25th (the Annunciation) and his birth nine months later. The idea that this date is a repackaging of a pagan holiday (such as Saturnalia) would’ve been appalling to the early church.
"By us, who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia are now frequented—gifts are carried to and fro, New Year's Day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar... Oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians." (Tertullian (c. 155–240 AD) On Idolatry, Chapter 14)
This quote reflects the early church's strong opposition to the incorporation of pagan festivals into Christian practices. For the early church, such repackaging would have been appalling because it compromised the distinctiveness of Christian worship and opened the door to idolatry. This mindset highlights how early Christians would have resisted the idea of blending pagan rituals with the celebration of Christ's birth, reinforcing that the origins of Christmas were driven by theological, not pagan, reasoning.
This is why Reformed Christians need to be historically honest about Christmas because dismissing it as merely a pagan holiday repackaged for Christianity misrepresents both church history and the theological significance of the Incarnation. Early Christians were intentional in distinguishing their faith from pagan practices, and the selection of December 25th was based on theological reasoning, not an attempt to assimilate pagan festivals. By acknowledging this, Reformed Christians can uphold the integrity of the gospel message and avoid oversimplified narratives that distract from the profound celebration of Christ’s birth. Historical accuracy helps ground the faith in truth, allowing Christians to engage in meaningful reflection on Christ’s redemptive work.
Celebrating Christmas is an opportunity for Reformed Christians to focus on Christ's redemptive work, grounding it in biblical truths and Christian tradition rather than syncretism with paganism.
But Aren’t Christmas Trees Idols Like in Jeremiah 10?
Short answer: No. That would be eisegesis (the practice of interpreting a text by inserting one's own ideas, biases, or agendas into it).
Long answer: The trees in Jeremiah 10 do not equate to Christmas trees today because the context of Jeremiah 10 refers to the making of idols, not festive decorations. In Jeremiah 10:3-4, the passage describes how people cut down trees, shape the wood into an image, and then decorate and worship it as an idol. This is a clear condemnation of idolatry, where the tree becomes a god-like figure. In contrast, Christmas trees today are not worshiped or fashioned into idols; they are simply decorative traditions with no intrinsic meaning. Modern Christmas decorations didn’t permeate the European landscape until after the publication of Charle’s Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was released in England when Queen Victoria borrowed the Christmas Tree tradition from Yule. Some traditions like this were borrowed from Scandinavian winter solstice (Yule or Jul) traditions. Though the winter solstice was a time northern pagans celebrated, there was hardly a pagan spiritual reason to celebrate the end of the year. As it regards Christmas trees, they have no inherent religious or idolatrous significance and are instead part of a cultural tradition, distinct from the idol worship criticized in Jeremiah 10.
God ordained the Nations. Each nation has unique cultural traditions that are beautiful. This beauty in our differences glorifies God, especially when these traditions are used to reflect on various events presented in the Christian timeline (i.e. The Incarnation, and The Resurrection). God blesses this beauty. Christians are to celebrate the beauty God’s blessed us with.
Of Christian Liberty…
Both the celebration of Christmas and the use of Christmas trees can be tied to the concept of Christian liberty within the framework of the regulative principle of worship. The regulative principle teaches that worship should be governed by what Scripture explicitly commands, but it also allows for freedom in areas where Scripture is silent, provided that such practices do not contradict biblical teachings. Celebrating Christmas, focused on the Incarnation of Christ, does not violate Scripture but rather enhances believers' understanding of God’s redemptive work, which is central to Christian doctrine. Similarly, since Christmas trees are not objects of worship or idolatry but cultural symbols, their use falls under Christian liberty.
A notable quote from the 1689 London Baptist Confession regarding Christian liberty comes from Chapter 21, Section 2:
"God alone is Lord of the conscience, and has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to His word, or not contained in it."
This statement emphasizes that Christian liberty is rooted in freedom from human-imposed traditions or regulations that go beyond or contradict Scripture. Relating this to the celebration of Christmas and the use of Christmas trees, believers are not bound by man-made rules prohibiting such practices unless they are contrary to Scripture. As long as these traditions do not violate God's Word, Christians are free to observe them as matters of conscience, in accordance with the regulative principle of worship, which allows for liberty where Scripture is silent.
Reformed Christians, guided by Scripture, are free to incorporate such traditions as long as they are not imposed as necessary for worship or salvation and remain subordinate to the primary goal of glorifying Christ. Both practices, when observed in this manner, align with the regulative principle by maintaining the focus on God’s glory while exercising the freedom Scripture affords in areas of personal conviction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the celebration of Christmas and the use of Christmas trees can be embraced by Reformed Christians within the bounds of Christian liberty, as understood in the regulative principle of worship. The commemoration of Christ’s Incarnation on December 25th has strong theological roots, and the claim that Christmas is a repackaged pagan holiday lacks historical support. Likewise, the trees in Jeremiah 10 refer to idolatrous practices, not the cultural tradition of Christmas trees, which carry no inherent religious meaning or idolatry today. According to the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Christian liberty frees believers from human-imposed regulations that are not grounded in Scripture. As long as these practices point to Christ and do not contradict biblical commands, Reformed Christians are free to incorporate them, keeping their conscience captive to God’s Word while focusing on glorifying Christ.