A Nail In His Place

Recent discussions with an acquaintance of mine, plus some reading I’ve been doing reminded me that many people do not know what “Christmas” is or what it means to wish someone a “Merry Christmas.”

CHRISTMAS:

Christmas, in the general sense, is the holiday (Holy Day) time when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. Specifically, Christmas usually means Christmas Day (Dec. 25). It may also mean Christmastide or the 12 days of Christmas, or Advent.

The word Christmas is derived from “Christ’s Mass” which has its roots in the Middle English “Christemasse” and the Old English “Cristes mæsse,”

Christ, of course, refers to Jesus Christ. The “mass” in this case comes from the tradition of a religious feast in honor of a specific person. Christmas Day is the feast day of Christ.

It is thought that the early Christians did not widely celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is most likely true since the primary focus was on His life, crucifixion, and particularly His resurrection. There certainly were some early celebrations. Early writings including a “feast calendar” written in 243AD indicate that there were some celebrations in the third century and perhaps in the second century. Christmas celebrations did not gain widespread prominence however until the Middle Ages or starting from around 400AD. By that time the Roman Empire had dropped its pagan “gods.”

Christmas day, December 25, is not necessarily the actual date of Christ’s birth. The true date may not be known because we lack enough information to pinpoint it precisely. (Beware that there are many who claim to have calculated the actual date and are most likely no more accurate than December 25.)

Other dates including December 25 were used for this feast. It is a common misconception that Christmas is a pagan holiday in new wrappings. December 25 was settled on by the early church for reasons that are not absolutely clear (but there are some logical reasons for that date).

There were pagan celebrations on December 25th. There were pagan holidays year round. If Christmas had been set in another season, folks would still be claiming falsely that Christmas was pagan. Christmas didn’t simply replace a pagan holiday; entire belief systems based on “many gods” were forever changed by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Christmastide (the 12 Days of Christmas) is the period from the evening of December 25 through the morning of January 6. The customs and traditions of Christmastide vary widely and don’t always match up with the spirit of Christmas. A lot of the more secular “christmas” practices come from Christmastide.

Advent is the the period of expectation and preparation leading up to Christmas Day. Advent begins four Sundays before December 25. The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” Advent has a two fold focus. It is a celebration of the birth of Christ and His first coming and the anticipation of His return.

MERRY CHRISTMAS:

When a person wishes you “Merry Christmas” they are implying several things. First, the “Merry” part is a wish that you will find the season, more specifically the occasion, as cheerful, hopeful and joyous. Agreeable or pleasant are applicable too, with joyful probably being the single closest definition.

The occasion is Christmas as described above. “Merry Christmas” therefore, is a wish that you will find joy in the event of Christ’s birth. The announcement of the Angel to the Shepherds in the Gospel of Luke clarifies the sentiment behind “Merry Christmas”:

“…the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”