The accusations fly constantly: Christmas trees are idols; the date is stolen from Sol Invictus; it’s all Babylonian sun worship. But does the historical evidence really back those claims up? Wes Huff has done the research and is here to answer every concern about whether Christmas is rooted in pagan tradition or not.
Following is an outline of the video for your convenience:
I. Introduction: Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?
My starting assumptions
I used to believe many Christmas traditions had pagan origins that Christians later “baptized.”
Assumed things like December 25 and Christmas trees came from paganism.
A research journey that flipped the script
Began reading more deeply, especially original sources and serious historical work.
Discovered that some practices I thought were pagan actually appear first in Christian contexts.
In some cases, pagans seem to have copied Christians, not the other way around.
The infographic and the backlash
Reposted an infographic showing lack of evidence for pagan origins of certain Christmas traditions.
Massive pushback: accusations of being a false teacher, “wolf,” “Satan lover,” etc.
Examples of extreme comments: Christmas trees as idols, links to Nimrod, Semiramis, Tammuz, Babylonian pedophilia, “high mass of Apollyon,” etc.
Purpose of this article
Not to focus on the extreme or mock anyone.
To correct misinformation and misunderstandings—including ones I used to believe.
To go back to actual sources and see what the evidence really says.
II. The Big Claim: “December 25 Is a Pagan Date”
Common accusation
Christians supposedly chose December 25 to “Christianize” existing pagan festivals.
The usual suspects:
Sol Invictus (“the unconquered sun”)
Saturnalia
Winter-solstice births of gods like Tammuz, Horus, Mithra, etc.
Initial concession
Even if Christians had chosen a pagan festival date to reorient it around Christ, that wouldn’t automatically be a problem in itself.
But the bigger question: Is that actually what happened?
III. Examining Sol Invictus and Saturnalia
Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun)
It’s not until the mid-4th century that Sol Invictus is firmly connected to December 25.
Earlier inscriptions place celebrations in August, October, early December, not necessarily December 25.
Historian Thomas Talley’s argument:
More likely that Emperor Aurelian placed Sol Invictus on December 25 to compete with an already-growing Christian festival.
By the 4th century, Roman temple worship was in decline while Christianity was rapidly growing.
Saturnalia
Roman festival honoring the god Saturn.
Primary evidence (e.g., Macrobius in the 5th century) places Saturnalia around December 17.
Roman calendar had two more days in December at that time, but even with that adjustment, it doesn’t land on December 25.
Bromelia, a multi-day festival tied to Saturn/Kronos, runs from late November to December 17—again, not December 25.
Other “solstice gods” (Tammuz, Horus, Mithra, Attis, Dionysus, etc.)
Claims that these deities share December 25 or winter-solstice birthdates appear much later, usually after Christians were already celebrating Christ’s birth on that date.
Many of these alleged parallels are poor history at best, fabricated at worst.
Conclusion for this section
There is no solid evidence that December 25 was chosen to replace a pagan holiday.
The line from pagan festival → Christian Christmas is not supported by primary sources.
IV. How Did Christians Get to December 25?
Early Christian calculations
Christian writer Sextus Julius Africanus (late 2nd / early 3rd century) concludes Jesus was born on December 25.
Evidence of Christians recognizing December 25 as Jesus’ birth date decades before Sol Invictus is tied to that date.
Early Christian witnesses
John Chrysostom (AD 386): mentions Christmas on December 25 as a long-standing tradition.
Philocalian Calendar (AD 354): lists Christmas on December 25.
By the early fourth century, December 25 is already well-established in Christian practice.
The “conception and death on the same day” idea
Early Christians believed very holy people died on the date they were conceived.
They calculated the date of Jesus’ death (using Gospel clues) and placed His crucifixion in March.
Add nine months from March → December 25 for His birth.
While we may not adopt that method today, it shows their reasoning wasn’t, “Hey, what pagan festival can we copy?”
Symbolic beauty
Even if the exact historical date is unknown, the idea of “light of the world” coming in the darkest time of the year has powerful poetic resonance.
V. What About Christmas Trees and Other Decorations?
Accusations about the tree
Claims: the tree is an idol; we “bring sacrifices” (gifts), “circle around it,” and “bow down” to it.
Some use Jeremiah 10 to say Christmas trees are directly forbidden.
Historical possibilities for the Christmas tree’s origin
St. Boniface (8th century)
He cuts down a sacred oak dedicated to Thor.
When he isn’t struck by lightning, he points to a nearby fir tree and dedicates it to Christ.
Some see this as an early seed of the “Christian tree” tradition.
Paradise tree plays (1500s)
Medieval “Paradise plays” about Adam and Eve performed on December 24.
An evergreen tree decorated with fruit symbolized the Tree of Life in Eden.
After the play, the tree remained and was redecorated for Christmas day.
Martin Luther’s starry night (traditional story)
Luther, struck by the beauty of starlight over evergreen forests, brings a tree indoors and decorates it with candles to imitate the night sky.
Spread through Europe and beyond
Popular in Germany before Britain.
Brought to Britain with Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert.
Associated with royalty and then adopted by middle-class families.
Comes to North America via German soldiers and immigrants who decorate fir trees with candles and fruit.
Pagan trees vs. Christmas trees
Yes, ancient pagans used various trees in rituals.
But:
Their practices don’t match our modern Christmas tree custom.
They aren’t clearly tied to fir/pine in the same way.
When Christmas trees became common, most of those pagan practices were long dead.
Correlation ≠ causation
Just because pagans used trees, songs, offerings, and even cross and fish shapes doesn’t mean our use of similar things was stolen from them.
If that logic holds, we’d have to ditch buildings, music, almsgiving, prayers, crosses, fish, etc.
To claim a pagan root, you need a clear historical line, not just “they used a tree, we use a tree.”
Extending this principle
Same logic applies to:
Wreaths
Mistletoe
Santa Claus
You might object to commercialization, and fair enough—but that’s different from shouting “pagan!”
VI. Does Jeremiah 10 Condemn Christmas Trees?
The proof-text
Jeremiah 10:2–4: describes cutting a tree, shaping it, adorning it with silver and gold, fastening it so it won’t topple.
Context of Jeremiah 10
Jeremiah isn’t talking about a decorative tree in a living room.
He’s describing a craftsman carving an idol from wood.
The next verses compare it to a scarecrow—a motionless, lifeless object that looks vaguely human but can’t speak or walk.
That only makes sense if the final object looks like a figure (with mouth and feet), not a tree.
Historical context
God is warning Israel against actual idol-making and worship, not a holiday tradition that didn’t exist for another 1500+ years.
It would be meaningless to Jeremiah’s original audience if this were secretly about Victorian-era Christmas trees.
Conclusion
Jeremiah 10 is a strong condemnation of idols, not a generic ban on wood décor or evergreen decorations.
VII. “The Bible Never Tells Us to Celebrate Jesus’ Birthday”
The objection
“Since Scripture never commands us to celebrate Jesus’ birth, it’s wrong to do so.”
Jesus and Hanukkah
John 10: Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah).
Hanukkah commemorates events from the Maccabean period (between Old and New Testaments).
It is not commanded in the Old Testament.
Yet Jesus freely participates in this celebration of God’s saving work.
Principle drawn
God’s people can create celebrations that honor His work in history, even if those feasts are not explicitly commanded in Scripture.
The key question: Does the practice align with biblical truth and honor God?
Applying this to Christmas
The incarnation and birth of Christ—along with His death and resurrection—are the central events of human history.
Why wouldn’t we set aside time to celebrate God taking on flesh for our salvation?
Advent and Christmas can be a focused season of remembering and rejoicing in the gospel.
VIII. The Problem With “Pagan Parallels” and Jesus Myth Claims
No “straight line” from paganism to Christmas
You can find surface-level parallels between almost anything.
But serious history requires direct influence, not vague similarity.
Same methods used by Jesus mythicists
Skeptics often argue that Jesus is a myth based on supposed parallels with ancient deities (e.g., Horus, Mithra).
Careful study shows these parallels are often:
Exaggerated
Misrepresented
Or completely invented.
Applied to Christmas traditions
Claims that Christmas, or Jesus’ story itself, comes from Nimrod, Tammuz, Horus, etc. fall apart under scrutiny.
At best: cute, fuzzy comparisons.
At worst: fiction dressed up as history.
IX. Christian Liberty, Conscience, and Redeemed Creation
Paul on meat sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 8; 10)
An idol is “nothing” in itself.
Food is just food—what matters is how it’s used and whether it causes others to stumble.
God is the Creator of all things; pagans don’t get to own His creation.
Applying the principle to Christmas practices
Pine trees, lights, songs, gifts: all created realities or human cultural artifacts.
Pagans may assign meanings to them, but that doesn’t define God’s view of them.
Christians are free to use created things to honor Christ.
Respecting individual conscience
If your conscience is troubled by Christmas or certain customs, you don’t have to practice them.
No Christian should be pressured to go against conscience on disputable matters.
Guarding against judgmentalism (Colossians 2:16)
“Do not let anyone judge you… with regard to a religious festival…”
Some Christians will celebrate Christmas; others won’t.
The dividing line should not be “real Christians don’t celebrate Christmas” versus “pagan compromisers.”
X. Conclusion: Truth, Charity, and the Joy of the Incarnation
Summing up the evidence
December 25 was not chosen as a pagan festival replacement.
Christmas trees and other common decorations have Christian or neutral historical roots, not clear pagan lines.
Jeremiah 10 condemns idols, not living-room fir trees.
The Bible doesn’t command Christmas—but Jesus Himself took part in non-commanded feasts that honored God’s work.
The heart of Christmas
The incarnation: God the Son taking on flesh is one of the most incredible events in all history.
Christmas and Advent give us a regular, intentional way to remember and celebrate that grace.
A call to balance
Be people of truth: check sources, avoid conspiracy-style history, and refuse to pass along myths.
Be people of charity: leave room for different consciences and don’t condemn brothers and sisters over disputable matters.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, honor Christ in all you do.
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