How Christmas Became Christmas: The Pagan and Christian Origins of the Beloved Holiday

In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday.

This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday’s core character. By tracing Christmas’s origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe’s Christianization, this history explains that the true ＂reason for the season＂ has as much to do with the earth’s movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas’s magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs.

Nathaniel Parry is an American researcher and writer living in Denmark. He is the editor of several books and his work has appeared in outlets such as Consortium News, In These Times, Common Dreams, Global Research, and Truthout. Since 2008, he has worked at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe, where he is currently head of communications.