Is Christmas Derived from Secular Observances, and if So, Should We Celebrate It? - a podcast by Jonathan Michael Jones

Approaching the Christmastide season, it is common to hear arguments on
various sides for or against the celebration of Christmas including those
related to the actual date of Christmas itself. Many of the American traditions
have little to do with the birth of Christ such as Christmas trees, the
exaggeration of St. Nicholas that we find in Santa Clause, and even the giving
of material gifts. I believe that these external elements are not wrong or
right in and of themselves; yet, we must be careful with them and have likely
lost the sense of Christmastide in American culture. Additionally, I believe a
large reason for that is the negation of the Advent season: bypassing Advent
may only contribute to the materialistic attitudes we possess. Those opposed to
religion often claim that Christmas (and other Christian observances for the
same matter) is derived from pagan rituals alone and even fall in the way of
atheists who claim this as a sufficient reason to abandon the celebration. One
such argument suggests even the timing of December 25 to be evidence that Christians
celebrate falsely. Indeed, the same arguments are made against all Christian
celebrations, which should cause Christians to consider the foundational
reasons for observances. Here I will argue for the celebration of Christmas as
a vital observance in Christian life and conclude by extending the philosophy
to all Christian observances.

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