Do I have to write about Christmas?

This is my last post before Christmas. If you are looking for sentimental expressions of the emotional uplift that this holiday provides, you have come to the wrong blog.

As a child, I liked Christmas just as much as every other spoiled US kid who expected to find 10 new toys under the tree. In adulthood, my attitude changed.

I think my first source of cynicism was the discovery that Jesus was almost certainly not born in December. There is no evidence of the early church celebrating his birth on that day. It’s unlikely that shepherds were tending their flocks outside at night in winter.

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Instead, I was taught, Christmas landed on December 25 because the church was accommodating the desire among gentile Christians to have a holiday in place of the winter solstice that they used to celebrate.

Yale scholar Andrew McGowan suggests a more spiritually wholesome explanation, noting that some early Christians thought Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day.

But even so, in Roman times, trees were probably more associated with a pagan festival than with a Christian one.

I shuddered whenever I saw mangers depicting a wintry scene, when I knew that Jesus wasn’t born in the winter (and that Bethlehem receives almost no snow).

The commercialization of Christmas added to my frustrations. In the US, retailers earn nearly 20% of their annual revenue during the Christmas season.

When visiting Indonesia (which is 88% Muslim) in November 2019, I was amazed to discover an upscale Jakarta mall sparkling with Christmas decorations. I guess even Muslims’ spending habits are affected by wreaths and red ribbons.

The modern treatment of Christmas portrays the event in a lighthearted way, suitable for parties and giving gifts to each other. When my home church celebrated communion this Suday, the pastor remarked that it might seem incongruous to recall Jesus’ death on Christmas Sunday, because “Christmas is fun and Good Friday is sad.”

But the first Christmas was not fun.

Mary, undoubtedly sore from a long donkey ride while pregnant, gave birth in unpleasant conditions.

Joseph could look forward to a lifetime of trying to explain why his wife was pregnant before they married.

Shortly after Jesus’ birth, they were compelled to take an unplanned, no-expenses-paid vacation in Egypt (Matthew 2:13).

Despite the divine promises they had received, this must have been a disorienting set of experiences. Yet they responded with trust and dignity.

Mary broke into a song of God’s victory on behalf of the downtrodden (Luke 1:46–55). Joseph resolved to treat Mary with respect even before he learned that her pregnancy was not the result of sexual indiscretion (Matthew 1:19).

We should celebrate Christmas with joy, but we should not overlook its seriousness. Rather, the original Christmas story should prepare us to undergo this world’s hardships with similar resolve, knowing that although we too will face adversity and even persecution, Mary’s son has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Have a joyful Christmas week!

Bruce Barron, author or coauthor of seven books on religion and politics and a former US congressional aide, was editor of the World Evangelical Alliance’s theology journal from 2018 to 2024. Subscribe to his blog at brucebarron.substack.com.