Christmas: The Mythical Narrative Between Historical Fabrication and Religious Contradiction

Behind the cheerful façade of celebration and gift-giving on December 24 lies a deeply contested historical and theological reality. The celebration of the birth of Christ—peace be upon him—on this date is not merely a calendrical disagreement; rather, it stands as a stark example of the extent to which Christianity has drifted into textual manipulation, submission to pagan influences, and separation from its original essence. This raises profound questions about the internal coherence and consistency of the religion as it exists today.

First: The Historical Fabrication of the Date

The agreement on December 25 (the night of the 24th) as the date of Christ’s birth is historically untenable and geographically implausible. The Gospels themselves—the primary source for the Nativity narrative—state that shepherds were “living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night” (Luke 2:8). It is historically and geographically well known that winter in Palestine is cold and rainy, a season in which shepherds do not remain outdoors at night and travel along rugged roads becomes difficult. This makes a December birth highly unlikely.

The uncomfortable truth acknowledged by church historians is that this date was not chosen based on historical evidence. Rather, it was borrowed wholesale from Roman paganism, where December 25 marked the festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Sun” (Sol Invictus) associated with the winter solstice. As paganism seeped into Christianity, clergy adopted the same date to attract pagans to the new faith. Thus, the birth of the “sun” was rebranded as the birth of “Christ” in a clear act of religious appropriation and distortion.

Second: Borrowed Symbols and Hidden Paganism

The fabrication does not stop at the date; it extends to the rituals and symbols of the celebration, which have no basis in early Christianity and are instead explicit imitations of ancient pagan practices:

The Christmas Tree: The custom of decorating a fir tree inside homes is purely pagan in origin, inherited from Northern Europe, where trees were worshipped and adorned during winter festivals honoring the sun god. Strikingly, the biblical text itself condemns this practice. In Jeremiah 10:1–4, those who “cut a tree from the forest… and decorate it with silver and gold” are rebuked, and the practice is described as a pagan custom. How, then, has this act become a central pillar of Christian celebration?

Decorations and Mistletoe: The use of mistletoe and ornamental wreaths originates in Celtic and Norse pagan mythology, where such plants were believed to possess magical powers related to healing and fertility.

Third: Santa Claus — The Embodiment of Religious Incoherence

Perhaps the most blatant and absurd manifestation of modern Christian contradiction is Santa Claus. This mythical figure, shaped over centuries by merging the historical figure of Saint Nicholas with legends of the Norse god Odin—who was believed to fly through the sky on his horse—has come to dominate Christmas celebrations.

Here lies the core inconsistency:

How can a religion that claims to be “the true faith” and “the straight path” tolerate the largest organized falsehood in its history? Parents—the very foundation of Christian society—mislead their children for years, convincing them that a jovial man flies through the sky on a sleigh pulled by reindeer and squeezes through chimneys to deliver gifts. This institutionalized lie is taught to children in churches and schools under the banner of “joy.”

If the religion permits outright falsehood and extravagant fantasy in celebrating Christ, where is the truthfulness of the message?

And if the focus of the celebration has shifted from “Christ the Savior” to “Santa the gift-giver,” this is conclusive evidence that the religion has lost its compass. Truth has blended with myth, and the faith has become pliable before dominant culture and consumerist capitalism.
The celebration of December 25 is not a celebration of Christ Jesus, son of Mary, but rather a celebration of pagan heritage and popular mythology. It stands as a clear proof that Christianity, as practiced today, is internally inconsistent: it calls for piety and truthfulness while practicing rituals founded on falsehood (Santa Claus) and commemorating days (the birth of the sun) unrelated to divine revelation. This fragmentation in belief and ritual plainly reveals that the religion in its current form is a hybrid human construct—far removed from the pure divine guidance with which Christ originally came.