What's wrong with Christmas? Part 1

 

Virtually all Christians are aware that there are traditions surrounding Christmas that are not quite kosher.

Even if you have never read anything about it, surely you've wondered why the birth of Jesus is celebrated by hauling an evergreen tree into your living room and hanging stuff on it; why it involves a fat, white-bearded man in a typically tired-looking red suit sitting on a throne at the mall surrounded by crying little kids; why a holly wreath on the front door, and mistletoe over it; why Christmas songs talk about customs no one understands... Wassailing? Roasting chestnuts? Yule logs? Why are there three wise men and a donkey surrounding a baby in a feed trough on the front lawn of many churches? Well, okay, maybe you haven't wondered about that one. Let's start with 3 of those:

Christmas trees

Why are Christmas trees evergreens? According to the website Religious Tolerance, "In Northern Europe, the ancient Germanic people tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches, in honor of their god Woden (also spelled Wotan and Oden). Trees were viewed as symbolizing eternal life." One would think that when these Germans learned the truth about the God of the Bible they would have abandoned practices honoring their false god Woden, but clearly not.

 

The fruit that they attached to their trees? Apples. This was done as a remembrance of Adam and Eve eating forbidden fruit from a tree in the garden. (The Genesis account doesn't specify what fruit grew from the forbidden tree, but the tradition started very early that it was an apple, just as the lump guys feel in their throat is referred to as 'Adam's apple.') In fact, isn't it likely these unenlightened people were led into tree worship in the first place by Satan, just as he misled Eve?

 

To this day, the most popular ornament hung on Christmas trees is a red orb, reminiscent of a ripe apple.

 

Holly

"The Romans offered Holly to Saturn during the time of the Saturnalia festival," December 25th, according to Christmas Carnivals.com. "Holly was the sacred plant of Saturn. They not only adorned the image of Saturn with Holly but also gifted each other holly [flower arrangements.]" Why would a person intent on honoring Christ use an emblem that honors a false god?

 

Mistletoe

Mistletoe was considered sacred by druids. Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on other trees. Druid priests carefully cut mistletoe from trees and distributed it to their worshipers, who hung it over their doorways to ward off evil. "In fact," according to one website, "in the Celtic language mistletoe means "all-heal." It not only was believed to cure diseases, but could also render poisons harmless, make humans and animals prolific (hence the kissing under), keep one safe from witchcraft, protect the house from ghosts and even make them speak." 

 

Unless you like the idea of ghosts speaking in your house, you might want to leave the mistletoe outside.

 

We're not done yet. Click here to read Part 2.

 

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Bill K. Underwood is a columnist and author of several books. You can help support this site by purchasing a book at the link here to Amazon.com.