It’s fascinating how modern Christmas, often framed as a Christian holiday, has little to do with its supposed religious origins. The date, December 25th, wasn’t chosen because of Jesus' birth—scholars widely agree he was likely born in spring or summer. Instead, it was co-opted from pagan winter solstice festivals like Saturnalia and Yule, celebrated with feasting, gift-giving, and merrymaking long before Christianity existed. The Christmas tree? A Germanic pagan tradition symbolizing eternal life. Santa Claus? A mashup of St. Nicholas, Norse mythology (Odin flying on Sleipnir), and Coca-Cola marketing. Even the jolly red-and-green aesthetic traces back to pre-Christian fertility symbols. Modern Christmas is more of a consumerist celebration with roots in paganism than a purely Christian event—ironically, many of its elements were once condemned by the Church as heretical.
