Every year, like clockwork, the internet lights up in December with claims that Christmas has pagan roots. Scroll through social media, and you’ll see it: bold headlines, dramatic videos, and recycled memes all shouting, “Christmas is pagan!” They’ll say, “Mithras was born on December 25!” “It’s just Saturnalia in disguise!” “Jeremiah 10 says Christmas trees are pagan!”
And for many Christians, these claims cause real concern. But here’s the thing. Whether or not Christmas has pagan origins shouldn’t matter at all to an actual follower of Jesus. You heard that right. We’ll fact-check these claims in a moment—but stick with me, because when we’re done, I want to show you why even if every one of them were true, it doesn’t discredit a single thing about Jesus or Christianity.
Let’s break down the top three “gotcha” claims.
First, Mithras. The internet loves to say that Mithras—the god of a Roman mystery cult—was born on December 25. Sounds compelling, but there’s a big problem: there is no ancient source that says this. None. The entire idea rests on a modern assumption that Mithras’ birth must’ve lined up with Roman Sun festivals—but actual historians, including leading Mithraic scholars, have pretty much debunked it.1
Second, Sol Invictus—the “Unconquered Sun.” This Roman deity was celebrated on December 25. But here’s what people don’t tell you: the Chronography of 354, the earliest document tying Sol Invictus to that date, also includes the earliest mention of Christians celebrating Jesus’ birth on December 25. That’s not a case of Christianity copying paganism—it’s simply two entries in the same Roman calendar, and we don’t know which one predated the other. It’s like having a dentist appointment scheduled the same day your kid’s teacher calls for a parent-teacher meeting. Get ready for the memes that claim that those pesky teachers are constantly copying dentists!
Third, Saturnalia. Now this was a mega party: gift-giving, candles, feasting, and general chaos. People say Christmas just took it over. But Saturnalia ran from December 17 to 23. It ended before December 25. So no, it wasn’t replaced by Christmas.
Now let’s talk about that passage in Jeremiah 10 you’re likely to see on social media every December. Some folks aren’t satisfied with only stealing memes from their friendly local atheist. So they repeat what they heard their uncle once say: “Did you know that Jeremiah 10 says that decorating Christmas trees is a pagan practice?” What are they talking about?
Do not learn the way of the Gentiles…
Jeremiah 10:2–3
For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold…
“See? Even the Bible claims that Christmas has pagan origins!” But look closer at the passage, specifically at verses 1–16. God is warning His people about the practices of the nations—like cutting down trees, shaping them with tools, overlaying them with precious metals, fastening them in place so they don’t fall over, and treating them as if they are the dwelling place for powerful gods. This isn’t describing putting LED bulbs and Snoopy trinkets on a pine tree; it’s describing the creation of a literal idol—an object people carved, decorated, and then worshiped. That’s a world apart from putting up a Christmas tree in your living room. If someone bows down and prays to their tree, yes, there’s a problem. But simply decorating one is not the issue Jeremiah was addressing. That passage is about idolatry, not holiday traditions. Please, let’s study Scripture in context next time.
So, if paganism isn’t the root, then where did the date of December 25 come from? Here’s one theory: early Christians had a belief rooted in Jewish tradition that prophets died on the same day they were conceived or born.2 The Bible says that Jesus was crucified during the Passover week—the end of March and the beginning of April. If the tradition is true that He was conceived at the same time of year, then fast forward nine months, and that gives you around December 25. There are other theories too, as well as plenty of points that seem to make December 25 much less likely as His birthday, but here’s what they all have in common: they are theories from people, not facts from Scripture.
And that’s a key fact in this entire conversation. Here’s why the origin of Christmas doesn’t really matter: Christmas is not in the Bible.
People post these memes thinking they can discredit God, His church, or the Bible by proving Christmas has pagan roots. But their argument falls flat, because the Bible says nothing about Christmas in the first place. It’s not a command. It’s not a biblical holiday. If Christmas had come from Scripture, we’d be able to point to chapter and verse. But we can’t—because it’s not there. Is it wrong to celebrate it? We’ll get to that question in a moment.
So whether December 25 came from early Christian thought, Roman calendars, or anything else, it doesn’t change the fact that God never told us to celebrate it. That makes the entire argument about its origin irrelevant to actual Christianity.
Yes, the historical birth of Jesus is a monumental event in the Bible. Angels celebrated. Shepherds worshiped. No doubt, Mary and Joseph treasured it all in their hearts. But outside of the first couple of chapters in Matthew and Luke, the rest of the New Testament barely mentions Jesus’ birth. In fact, the only direct reference to it later on is Galatians 4:4:
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
What is emphasized again and again in the New Testament is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus gave us one specific way to remember that: the Lord’s Supper. He didn’t ask us to remember His birth every year. He asked us to remember His death every week.
So if Christmas is a special time for your family, then okay. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16:
Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.
And in Romans 14:5:
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
Different families and different cultures have different traditions around the holidays. Some see Christmas as a time for family and joy. Others also use the time to exchange gifts. Many Christians think it’s a blessing that the world is reminded every year about God becoming flesh and dwelling on the earth. Unfortunately, many have also used the holidays as an excuse to give into excessive drinking and revelry, as well as materialism. Now, we are sounding a little like Saturnalia.
But regarding celebrating Christmas as a Christian holiday, the Bible also warns: Don’t confuse tradition with truth. Don’t let something mankind has created become a religious obligation that Jesus never gave. Here’s the issue: many churches or people claiming to follow Jesus today go all-in on celebrating His birth with a manmade holiday while giving far less attention to the thing He actually commanded us to remember: His death. That’s why Paul warned in Colossians 2:8:
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
And in in the next chapter, he said:
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17
So ask yourself: Are you doing what He asked? Or are you simply following the man-made traditions handed down to you? Are all of your beliefs and practices according to His will? Can you truly follow through with them in His name?
The next time someone throws a meme at you claiming Christmas is pagan, here’s what you do. First, relax. The validity of Christ and His church and the reliability of the Bible are not tied to the origin of Christmas, a holiday the Bible knows nothing about. And Second, ask the person kindly, “How did you come to that conclusion?” Nine times out of ten, they’ll have to say, “I thought it was an epic meme, so I shared it.”
Don’t let internet myths distract you from biblical Christianity. Don’t let tradition take the place of truth. And whatever you do, do it in His name.
We have a few studies on the Lord’s Supper, including one that studies how often Jesus asks us to have communion. Check them out right here.
- Beck, Roger. “Ritual, Myth, Doctrine, and Initiation in the Mysteries of Mithras: New Evidence from a Cult Vessel.” Journal of Roman Studies 90 (2000): 145–180. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0075435800031373. ↩︎
- Talley, Thomas J. The Origins of the Liturgical Year. 2nd ed. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991. 80. ↩︎