What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? - Part 2

Continued from Part 1...

Essentially the Christmas-New Year's season run for most of December until January 1st.  Modern observances basically coincide with the dates of the old Saturnalia, Mithra, and New Year's celebrations. Some Catholics are getting concerned about some of the paganism associated with modern Christmas observance. Notice the following news item from 2011:

Vatican paper disfavours Santa Claus 

Rome, Dec. 22: Sant Claus, and Christmas trees, have been condemned in an editorial in the Vatican weekly newspaper, “L’Osservatore della Domenica.” The editorial describes Santa Claus as a “monstrous substitute” for the Christ Child, and says that the idea of Santa “is offensive to the faith” and “will not and must not be accepted or tolerated by Christians.” The use of Christmas trees - which have only recently become a part of the Italian Christmas - is condemned as “an attempt to substitute the Crib ..... with a certain feeling of naturalism and paganism.” 

No one should be using Christmas trees, Santa Claus, etc. And even some in the Vatican are telling people that. It may also be of interest to note that Catholics originally condemned Protestants for using trees. Catholics used to denounce Protestantism as the "Tannenbaum religion" because of Martin Luther's promotion of Christmas trees (tannenbaum literally means "fir tree" and is the German term for Christmas tree). Catholics should still condemn the use of trees now.

When Was 'Christmas' First Celebrated in Jerusalem or Palestine? 

If early Christians celebrated Christmas on December 25th, then it would seem logical that those in the area of Jerusalem/Palestine would have been the first to do so. But this was not the case. Notice what The Catholic Encyclopedia reported:

Jerusalem...In 385, therefore, 25 December was not observed at Jerusalem.This checks the so-called correspondence between Cyril of Jerusalem (348-386) and Pope Julius I (337-352), quoted by John of Nikiu (c. 900) to convert Armenia to 25 December (see P.L., VIII, 964 sqq.). Cyril declares that his clergy cannot, on the single feast of Birth and Baptism, make a double procession to Bethlehem and Jordan. (This later practice is here an anachronism.) He asks Julius to assign the true date of the nativity "from census documents brought by Titus to Rome"; Julius assigns 25 December...(Martindale C. Christmas, 1908).

Notice what a Franciscan Catholic priest from Jerusalem reported:

The peregrinations also extended to Bethlehem on the occasion of the Epiphany, which was a feast that united with Christmas. The feast of Christmas, on December 25 despite the protestation of St. Jerome that the feast was already "universal", was not introduced until the 6th century (Bagatti, Bellarmino.  Translated by Eugene Hoade.  The Church from the Gentiles in Palestine, Part 1, Chapter 1.  Nihil obstat: Ignatius Mancini. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 28 Februarii 1970.  Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, p. 73).

Thus, it was not until the 6th century that December 25th was celebrated as the birth of Jesus in Palestine/Jerusalem. And of course, the Christians that were true to the Bible and early Christianity, never celebrated it there. Perhaps it should be mentioned that it was not even called Christmas until 1038: The first written reference we have to the word “Christmas” itself being used comes from a Saxon book dating from 1038 that mentions Cristes Maesse, meaning “Christ's Mass,” from which we get “Christmas.” (Green J. Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas. Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2009)

The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131. In Dutch it is Kerstmis, in Latin Dies Natalis, whence comes the French Noël, and Italian Il natale; in German Weihnachtsfest, from the preceeding sacred vigil. (Martindale C. Christmas, 1908).

So, it was not until over a 1,000 years after Jesus died that a term for 'Christmas" was used--and this was reported in The Catholic Encyclopedia. Thus, this was obviously not an original Christian holy day or holiday.

The Day for the God of the Sun Became the Day for the Son of God?

21st century non-Catholic historian Craig Harline wrote the following: 

To begin with, Sun Day mattered more than even among Roman pagans, who still far outnumbered Christians and who may well have influenced how Christians worshiped on their special day...

More important in raising the status of Sun Day among pagans was Mithraism. This movement was related to the emperor's Invincible Sun Cult but carried much broader appeal, especially among the empire's multitude of soldiers. Followers of Mithra did emphasize Sun Day, and with greater impact than early Christians. In fact they may have influenced the Christian choice of the first day of the week for worship and some Christian forms of worship. Purification by baptism, the virtues of abstinence...setting aside heaven for the pure...and celebrating the birth of their God on December 25 are all allowable parallels. 

Another was Mithraism's treatment of Sun Day. Christians assigned their own meanings to such practices...Christ was the true Sun, and east was the direction in which Christ ascended into heaven...the similarities in worship, the new status of the first day among both groups at about the same time, the pagan assumption that Christians were fellow Sun-worshipers, and the emergence of the Christian metaphor "Christ the Sun" all suggest a connection of some sort (Harline C. Sunday: A History of the First Day from Babylonia to the Super Bowl. Doubleday, NY, 2007, pp. 5,9-10).

Is that not astounding? There is nothing in the Bible to suggest Jesus Christ is the Sun nor that east was the direction in which Christ ascended into heaven (to verify that latter point, simply read the account in Acts 19-11). Actually, the Bible is clear that humans are not to worship any celestrial bodies, which includes the sun (Deuteronomy 4:19). 

Although in English, the terms "son" and "sun" sound exactly the same, that is not the case in either Greek nor Latin. In Greek they are phonetically pronounced hwee-os and hay-lee-os respectively (Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible). In Latin, they are spelled filius and sol respectively. Furthermore, the Greek for the expression Christ the Sun would be Χριστός τό Ηλiου. Ηλiου meant sun, but was also the name of the sun god (Helios). Wikipedia has this interesting statement - In Late Antiquity a cult of Helios Megistos ("Great Helios") drew to the image of Helios a number of syncretic elements, which have been analysed in detail by W. Fauth by means of a series of late Greek texts, namely: an Orphic Hymn to Helios; the so-called Mithras Liturgy. Notice that Helios is tied to Mithraism. And that the cult of Helios drew syncretic elements (Helios. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios verified 09/10/07). 

Combining "Christianity" was pagan elements is syncretic. Does any true Christian think that real Christians were going around saying, "Christ is true Helios" or "the Son of God is Helios"?

Thus, this is apparently why those into Mithraism would consider that the paganized "Christians" that did this were sun-worshipers like them. This probably brought the two groups (Mithraism/Helios followers and sun-honoring Christ professors) closer together and may better explain how what passes for mainstream Christianity adopted such non-biblical practices such as a December 25th celebration called Christmas. 

Mithra was allegedly born in a below-ground cave, and many (contrary to logic) claim that Jesus was born in a cave--but He was not. Notice the following carving of Mithra: Can you see the sun-rays from around Mithra's head? Does that not suggest the "halo" like depictions of Christ that many artists show? This is yet another area where pagan practices apparently influenced what now passes for mainstream "Christianity"

Were Birthdays Celebrated?

The first century Jewish historian Josephus, who was familiar with some aspects of Christianity, noted that Jewish families did not celebrate birthdays:

Nay, indeed, the law does not permit us to make festivals at the birth of our children, and thereby afford occasion of drinking to excess (Josephus. Translated by W. Whiston. Against Apion, Book II, Chapter 26. Extracted from Josephus Complete Works, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids (MI), 14th printing, 1977, p. 632). 

Since nearly all of the first Christians were Jewish, this may partially explain why the non-celebration of Jesus' birth would be consistent with that custom. However, even as more and more Gentiles began to profess Christ (so much so that they outnumbered those of Jewish heritage that did), the early Gentile leaders also did not endorse the celebration of birthdays. 

The writings of the early third century Catholic theologian Origen show that most Catholics were against the celebration of birthdays. The Catholic Encyclopedia records that Origen wrote:

"of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below" (Origen, in Levit., Hom. VIII, in Migne P.G., XII, 495) (Thurston H. Natal Day. Transcribed by Thomas M. Barrett. Dedicated to Margaret Johanna Albertina Behling Barrett. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The writings of the late third century Catholic theologian Arnobius show that, even that late, most Catholics were against the celebration of birthdays as he wrote:

...you worship with couches, altars, temples, and other service, and by celebrating their games and birthdays, those whom it was fitting that you should assail with keenest hatred. (Arnobius. Against the Heathen (Book I), Chapter 64. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 6. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1886. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight). 

Thus birthday celebrations, even of gods and leaders, were condemned as far as the late third century by Roman Catholic leaders. 

What Did Early Christians Observe? 

Unlike with Christmas, God did inspire the recording of the dates of all the festivals that He called "my appointed Feasts" in the Bible (Leviticus, Chapter 23). 

While everyone knows that Jesus kept the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:10) and the Passover (Matthew 26:18), many do not realize that the first century Christians observed the all holy days listed in Leviticus Chapter 23. Specifically the New Testament shows that they observed the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread (1 Corinthians 5:7-8), Pentecost (Acts 2:10;20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8), the Day of Atonement (called the Fast, Acts 27:9) and the Feast of tabernacles (called the Feast, Acts 18:21). And that the fulfillment's of the Feast of trumpets is also described in the New Testament (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; Revelation 8-11). 

(Some have claimed that they only can be kept in Jerusalem. Yet, can read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and it nowhere says that Jerusalem is the only place that God will place His name. The children of Israel did not even observe the holy days in Jerusalem until the time of David as it was still controlled by non-Israelites until then. The Apostle Paul kept Pentecost in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8); and the faithful in Asia Minor in the second century, for example kept Passover there.) 

While there is a lot of evidence that Polycarp, Melito, Apollinaris, Polycrates, and others kept the what are now considered to be Jewish Holy Days in the second century, the subject of Jesus' birth as some type of holiday is not found in their writings.

When the late 2nd/early 3rd century Catholic writer Tertullian, twice mentioned the holidays celebrated at that time, he mainly mentioned those considered to be Jewish ones by most moderns, such as Passover and Pentecost (Tertullian. De Corona, Chapter 3; On Baptism, Chapter 20), but not Christmas. 

For example, The Catholic Encyclopedia states this about Passover:

The connection between the Jewish Passover and the Christian feast of Easter is real and ideal. Real, since Christ died on the first Jewish Easter Day; ideal, like the relation between type and reality, because Christ's death and Resurrection had its figures and types in the Old Law, particularly in the paschal lamb, which was eaten towards evening of the 14th of Nisan. In fact, the Jewish feast was taken over into the Christian Easter celebration...The connection between the Jewish and the Christian Pasch explains the movable character of this feast...Since Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, had been slain on the very day when the Jews, in celebration of their Passover, immolated the figurative lamb, the Jewish Christians in the Orient followed the Jewish method, and commemorated the death of Christ on the 15th of Nisan and His Resurrection on the 17th of Nisan, no matter on what day of the week they fell. For this observance they claimed the authority of St. John and St. Philip (Holwek F. G. Transcribed by John Wagner and Michael T. Barrett. Easter. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V. Copyright © 1909 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Well, actually those in the true church in the Orient observed the 14th day of Nisan. However, the basic point is that the Catholic Church admits that Christ was slain on the Passover and that it still should be observed (even though they changed the name, intent, and the date--also the Jews never called it Easter). 

For another example, The Catholic Encyclopedia states this about Pentecost:

Pentecost...A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the "feast of weeks" or Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10)...Pentecost ("Pfingsten" in German), is the Greek for "the fiftieth"...In Tertullian (De bapt., xix) the festival appears as already well established (Holweck F.G. Transcribed by Wm Stuart French, Jr. Pentecost (Whitsunday). The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

In the early third century, the Catholic theologian Origen listed the following as being celebrated:

If it be objected to us on this subject that we ourselves are accustomed to observe certain days, as for example the Lord's day, the Preparation, the Passover, or Pentecost...(Origen. Contra Celsus, Book VIII, Chapter XXII. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 4. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

It is likely that other days were also then celebrated, but Christmas would not be among them. While Origen listed what would be considered to be the Spring Holy Days, some were still keeping those known as the Fall Holy Days. Perhaps it might be helpful to realize that Catholics do admit that early Christians did observe the Feast:

St. Jerome (PL 25, 1529 & 1536-7) speaking of how the Judaeo-Christians celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles…tells us that they gave the feast a millenarian significance (Bagatti, Bellarmino.  Translated by Eugene Hoade.  The Church from the Circumcision.  Nihil obstat: Marcus Adinolfi. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 26 Junii 1970.  Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, p.202).

We faithful in the Church of God also keep the Feast of Tabernacles and believe that it foreshadows the coming millennium. The early Church clearly kept the what are now known as Jewish Holy Days and saw Christian fulfillment's in them (especially the Spring ones). And since the Apostles observed them in the New Testament, shouldn't they and not Christmas be celebrated by true followers of Christ. Gradually, those under Catholic influence stopped celebrating the Fall Holy Days. 

Does God Hate His Own Festivals or Are They a Blessing? 

Even into the late 4th century, history records that the Fall Holy Days were still being celebrated by some who professed Christ. Yet, the Catholic saint John Chrysostom preached against them following in 387 A.D. The festivals of the pitiful and miserable Jews are soon to march upon us one after the other and in quick succession: the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Tabernacles, the fasts. There are many in our ranks who say they think as we do...If the Jewish ceremonies are venerable and great, ours are lies...Does God hate their festivals and do you share in them? He did not say this or that festival, but all of them together (John Chrysostom. Homily I Against the Jews I:5;VI:5;VII:2.. Preached at Antioch, Syria in the Fall of 387 AD. Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom (c.347-407) : Eight Homilies Against the Jews. Fordham University. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/chrysostom-jews6.html 12/10/05). 

Now this actually causes a problem for the Catholic Church. First, it shows that until at least the late fourth century, that some who professed Christ still kept all the Holy Days. Secondly, even the current pontiff acts like the Fall Holy Days are venerable (he used the term "a blessing"). And thirdly, since the Catholic Church claims that it still keeps a version of Passover (though under the name Easter in English) and Pentecost, then their saint, John Chrysostom, should never have condemned all of the festivals that God gave the Jews.Yet he did. Notice what the Roman Catholic Church says about John Chrysostom:

Chrysostom has deserved a place in ecclesiastical history, not simply as Bishop of Constantinople, but chiefly as a Doctor of the Church. Of none of the other Greek Fathers do we possess so many writings. We may divide them into three portions, the “opuscula”, the “homilies”, and the “letters”…eight “Against the Jews”…As an exegete Chrysostom is of the highest importance…it would be a mistake to underrate the great theological treasures hidden in his writings. From the very first he was considered by the Greeks and Latins as a most important witness to the Faith. (St. John Chrysostom. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1910). There are very few “Doctors of the Church” from a Roman Catholic perspective, but this hater of Jews and God’s Holy Days–John Chrysostom–was one of them!

Interestingly the Pope Benedict brought up the subjects of John Chrysostom and the biblical Holy Days on apparently the same day. According to a 9/20/07 article by Zenit, on Wednesday (September 19, 2007) the Pope’s “reflection at the general audience focused on St. John Chrysostom”--he praised him so much in that homily that he wants everyone to "pray that the Lord render us docile to the lessons of this great teacher of the faith". And on the same day, it was announced that when the Pontiff praised one who hated Jews and God’s Holy Days, he also claimed that the Holy Days as observed by Jews can be a source of blessings from God. Notice this news item from Zenit (a Vatican-supporting news agency):

The Jewish calendar marks Rosh Hashana (New Year) Sept. 12-14; Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Sept. 21-22; and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Sept. 27-Oct. 3.

“These festivities,” the Holy Father wrote, “can be occasions for many blessings from the Eternal and a source of immense joy, so that the will to promote the peace that the world so greatly needs will grow within each one of us. May God in his goodness protect your community and grant that the friendship between us deepen, in this city of Rome and everywhere.” (Benedict XVI Wishes Chief Rabbi a Happy New Year. Zenit.org 09/19/07)

Anyway, since the Holy Days provide blessings from God (blessings is a word similar in meaning to "venerable"), one would think that the Roman Catholic Church would observe them and not praise one (Chrystostom) who condemned them. Furthermore, the New Testament calls one of the so-called “Jewish” holy days “great.” Notice the following from both a Protestant and a Catholic translation: 

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out (John 7:37, NKJV) And in the last, the great day of the festivity JESUS stood, and cried (John 7:37, Rheims New Testament).

So who is right? Those who follow Jesus' practices or those who condemn them. Recall that John Chrysostum, in this case, somewhat correctly stated, 

"If the Jewish ceremonies are venerable and great, ours are lies".

So which days should be observed? Which days should be condemned?

Notice what the Bible says:

1 These are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall call holy.

3 Six days shall ye do work: the seventh day, because it is the rest of the sabbath, shall be called holy. You shall do no work on that day: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your habitations.

4 These also are the holy days of the Lord, which you must celebrate in their seasons.

5 The first month, the fourteenth day of the month at evening, is the phase of the Lord:

6 And the fifteenth day of the same month is the solemnity of the unleavened bread of the Lord. Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread. (Leviticus 23:2-6, Douay-Rheims)

In Leviticus 23 God lists His commanded days and HE RECORDED WHAT DAY THEY FELL ON. And Christmas is NOT one of them.

Please carefully consider the following:

15 Keep therefore your souls carefully. You saw not any similitude in the day that the Lord God spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire:

16 Lest perhaps being deceived you might make you a graven similitude, or image of male or female,

17 The similitude of any beasts, that are upon the earth, or of birds, that fly under heaven,

18 Or of creeping things, that move on the earth, or of fishes, that abide in the waters under the earth:

19 Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error thou adore and serve them, which the Lord thy God created for the service of all the nations, that are under heaven. (Deuteronomy 4:15-19, Douay-Rheims)

It was likely INTENTIONAL that God did not command keeping the day of Jesus' birth nor did He even inspire when He was born. Thus, God obviously did not want that date kept, and most certainly not with practices that came from heathen religions.

Notice what Jesus told the religious of His day who preferred traditions OVER God's commands"

6...you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition.

7 Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying:

8 This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.

9 And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men. (Matthew 15:6-9, Douay-Rheims)

Christmas is a tradition of men, and most who keep it do NOT keep God's commanded days. Which position has real scriptural support, even from the Catholic translation of the Bible?

What Holidays doe God Hate?

Does it make sense that God intended Christmas to be the biggest Christian holiday of the year?

Recall that God did not even have the date of Jesus' birth recorded in the Bible, that Scripture never says to celebrate it, that the New Testament Apostles did not celebrate it, that the second century Church leaders (including Catholic ones) did not celebrate it, that it Christmas involves tree decorating which seems to be condemned, and that in reality Christmas is a continuation of Gentile pagan practices that early Catholic writers such as Tertullian condemned.

Actually, the Bible shows that feast days that God hates are those who have idols:

21 I have hated, and have rejected your festivities: and I will not take the odor of your assemblies...
26 And you carried a tabernacle for your Moloch, and the image of your idols, the star of your God, which you made to yourselves. 27 And I will make you remove beyond Damascus, saith our Lord, the God of hosts is his name. (Amos 5:21,26-27).

What is Christmas if not a renamed holiday to pagan idols like the above was?

The Catholic saint John Chrysostom specifically admitted that if the Jewish festivals are great, then those then observed by the Roman Catholics (which by then included Christmas) are lies. And on this point he was correct. And that is what the Catholic Church really teaches about Christmas and God's Holy Days.

Christmas Was Long Opposed 

Throughout history, not just Tertullian, but those associated with the Church of God, such as the Paulicians of the Pergamos Church Era, opposed Christmas and other Catholic endorsed holidays. But they and their practices upset the Roman Church.

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes this about the Paulicians:

Leo V, though an Iconoclast, tried to refute the accusation that he was a Paulician by persecuting them furiously. A great number of them at this time rebelled and fled to the Saracens. Sergius was killed in 835. Theodora, regent for her son Michael III, continued the persecution...We hear continually of wars against the Saracens, Armenians, and Paulicians...This eliminated the sect as a military power. Meanwhile other Paulicians, heretics but not rebels, lived in groups throughout the empire (Fortesque A. Transcribed by Richard L. George. Paulicians. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

In other words, since the Paulicians and Emperor Leo V were against idols, Leo decided he had to persecute them because he was accused of being a bit like them in that area. And additional persecution followed Leo's. The above quote also shows that there were Paulicians, who even though persecuted, would not fight back. This is because those truly in the Church of God were opposed to military participation.

The historian, Fred C. Conybeare observed this about some affiliated with the Paulicians:

They are accused by their Armenian opponents of setting at naught all the feasts and fasts of the Church, especially Sunday...The Sabbath was perhaps kept...Of the modern Christmas and of the Annunciation, and of the other feasts connected with the life of Jesus prior to his thirtieth year, this phase of the church knew nothing. The general impression which the study of it leaves on us is that in it we have before us a form of Church not very remote from the primitive Jewish Christianity of Palestine (Conybeare F.C. The Key of Truth: A Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1898, pp. clii, cxciii).

In other words, those who practiced the Christianity of the primitive, the original, Church, opposed added days such as Christmas and other Catholic promoted days. 

Christmas Trees Were Finally Added

Of course Christmas trees and many other symbols associated with modern Christmas celebrations are also of pagan (pre-Christian) origins. Here is some of what Wikipedia mentions:

With likely origins in European pre-Christian cultures, the Christmas tree has gained an extensive history and become a common sight during the winter season in various countries. Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil) held special significance for the ancient Germanic tribes, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. According to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the Germanic pagan kings sacrificed nine males (the number nine is a significant number in Norse mythology) of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year...

Other notable traditions in relation to Christmas have also been derived from Germanic pagan practices, including the Yule log, Christmas ham, Yule Goat, stuffing stockings[4], elements of Santa Claus and his nocturnal ride through the sky, and surviving elements of Pre-Christian Alpine traditions (Christmas Trees. Wikipedia. viewed 12/21/07).

Essentially, pagans who professed Christ wanted to keep their pagan symbols and celebrations and that is what happened to make Christmas. But to make this sound better other explanations were offered. Most who have looked into the subject of Christmas trees are familiar with the passages in Jeremiah 10 that clearly seem to condemn pagan tree practices:

2 Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good." (Jeremiah 10:2-5, NIV).

While the trees themselves cannot harm us, God says that they cannot do any good. Even though there is nothing in the Bible to encourage putting a tree in one's house to honor the Jesus or the Father, both Catholics and Protestants believe that they have a legitimate reason. Catholics claim that once their St. Boniface chopped down an oak dedicated to Thor, a fir grew at the same place, and that he stated that "Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light" (Christmas Tree. Wikipedia, 12/22/07).  But the truth is that the evergreen tree had long been a pagan religious symbol in northern Europe, and as cited before using them as part of worship is condemned by the God of the Bible (Deuteronomy 12:2-4).

According to the Historic Trinity Lutheran Church of Detroit:

Dr. Martin Luther is credited with originating the use of lighted pine trees in the home for Christmas.

Here is one account of the tree story - St. Boniface Story

Why do we have a decorated Christmas Tree? In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. He did many good works there, and spent much time in Thuringia, an area which was to become the cradle of the Christmas Decoration Industry. Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God's Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.

The first decorated tree was at Riga in Latvia, in 1510. In the early 16th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night (The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree Copyright © 1998-2007 Maria Hubert von Staufer. 

Of course, that once again is one of the problems of Christmas, it substitutes pagan symbols for that of the true God.

Santa Claus

Other symbols of Christmas also shift the emphasis from the true God to pagan substitutes.  For example, notice something that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

For we must all be manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10, RNT). Yet, Christmas teaches children that throughout the year that they need to sit before the judgment of Santa Claus–a pagan substitute for Christ. Also, at least in many Western cultures, Santa Claus is supposed to bring presents to children all over the world by coming down chimneys at night.

Many parents actually tell children this lie every year. They forget that Jesus taught that Satan was a liar and the father of lies, and that once their children get older, they will realize that their parents lied to them. The Rheims' version of the New Testament specifically shows that Jesus taught the following:

43 Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. 45 But if I say the truth, you believe me not. (John 8:43-45).

Lying to children does NOT improve the bond between parents and children as some apparently hope the Santa Claus lie will somehow help their family. Please tell your children the truth. Is that not what Jesus would do?

Furthermore, when I was at a Catholic website (EWTN) on 12/25/09, it had a report that there is a tradition that claims that "Saint" Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (near Constantinople), the man now known as "Santa Claus", attended the Council of Nicea and while there assaulted Arius by hitting him in the face (this is also reported in Butler A, Thurston H, Attwater D. Butler's lives of the saints, Volume 4. 2nd edition, Christian Classics. 1956. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Jul 29, 2008, p. 504). 

Not a particularly fine example of Christianity. Parents should not lie to their children about Santa Claus. This is not the Christian thing to do. Notice that even the Douay Old Testament (the accepted Roman Catholic translation of the Latin Vulgate into English ) teaches:

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (Exodus 20: 16)

It is a false witness against children to tell them that Santa Claus has God-like powers and that he delivers presents to children in the 21st century.

Concluding Comments

Even the Vatican realizes that Christmas was not an original Christian holiday, that Santa Claus and Christmas trees are pagan and should not be used by Christians. Hopefully, Catholics and others who can recognize those facts should realize that Christmas is not a biblical holy day. Recently, one stated to me that in spite of the truth about Christmas, he said he thought its observance was a good idea and asked what could be wrong with observing it. I simply commented that those that keep Christmas are observing a non-biblical holiday and that those that celebrate Christmas normally fail to observe the Holy Days in the Bible. I also stated that those who do not observe the biblical Holy Days simply do not understand what God is trying to teach humans through His Holy Days. 

Notice the following scriptures, one section which will use two translations for emphasis:

'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. 'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread...So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD (Leviticus 23:2-6,44).

31 For all the abominations, that our Lord doeth abhor, have they done to their Gods, offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire. 32 What I command thee, that only do to our Lord: neither add any thing, nor diminish. (Deuteronomy 12:31-32, DOT).

Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it (Deuteronomy 12:32, NKJV).

Christmas is never listed anywhere in the Bible or even early church writings to be "a feast of the LORD". But the biblical Holy Days were listed in the Bible and observed by those who have professed Christ throughout the ages. This is clear from even Catholic writings and Catholic translations of scripture.