Why am I comfortable with Starbucks using anything they want on their cups for Christmas?
Why, as a Christ follower, am I entirely sanguine about the use of "Xmas"?
Why am I comfortable to either have a tree or to not have a tree?
Why am I comfortable with celebrating the weeks of the advent via the lighting of candles...or not?
Why do I feel like any colors whatsoever (or white) are acceptable for Christmas?
Why is it reasonable for me to either go to church--or not do so--on Christmas Day? Because all of these things are made-up traditions.
Religious leaders were just making it up while they went along. Just as they do today.
Frankly, I'm just glad that anybody in the world still celebrates that Christ was born, >2000 years later. Regardless of how they do it. Regardless of whether they don't do it "well enough" (as if there were such a thing) and regardless of whether they do it too ostentatiously (as if there were such a thing).
1450 and 1350 BC
The written Greek language was introduced, including chi, a letter which later in the English language referred to "x".
~50 BC to ~50 AD
Jesus was born at some point in this hundred year time frame. While he spoke Aramaic, he most likely knew some Greek, given that his business background as a carpenter.
The time when he was born has more or less been extrapolated.
100-199 AD
Church records from the 2nd century indicate that Christians were celebrating the birth of the Lord, but they did not agree on a set date.
129 AD
The first Christmas Carol focused on the words of the angels.
"The bishop of Rome at the time, Telesphorus, decreed that “In the Holy Night of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior, all shall solemnly sing the ‘Angel’s Hymn.’” The lyrics, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests,” come from Luke 2:14." https://www.museumofthebible.org/magazine/featured/christmas-carols-stories-of-your-favorite-classics
~March 15, 270 AD to December 6, 343 AD
St. Nicholas lived in what is now Republic of Türkiye. Stories of his gift-giving (not tied in any way to Christmas) much later led to formalized gift-giving.
274 AD
The Roman festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of Sol Invictus) had been held on this date since 274 AD, when Saint Nicholas was for years old.
December 25, 336 AD
The Roman Catholic Church recognized that the light of Christ was just what was needed during the winter solstice in the Roman Empire, and the Roman Catholic Church celebrated its first Christ Mass on that day.
To be fair, they did celebrate at the same time as pre-existing festival. But this wasn't an ancient festival...at 62 years old, it was more like what we would now call a Hallmark holiday.
1223 AD
Horan noted that "St. Francis of Assisi first recreated Jesus’ birth in 1223 in Greccio, Italy. Today the tradition of setting up a still-life Christmas creche in our homes and churches is so commonplace that we can easily overlook the raucous origins of the tradition 800 years ago,” explained Dan Horan, O.F.M., a professor and the director of the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., in an interview.
“That first celebration of the Christmas creche took place in a literal manger with live animals, dirty hay and cold weather. Leading the first-ever Nativity scene was St. Francis’ way to make Jesus’ birth real.”
1500-1501 AD
Italian Sandro Botticelli completed his Mystical Nativity, shown above.
1644 AD
Oliver Cromwell banned the singing of Christmas carols. https://www.museumofthebible.org/magazine/featured/christmas-carols-stories-of-your-favorite-classics
1660 AD
The British monarchy reinstituted the singing of Christmas carols.
1823 AD
A Visit from St. Nicholas was published anonymously. A Visit From St. Nicholas was published, though most people refer to it by its first line, "Twas the night before Christmas." This solidified traditions of
- A Santa who is plump
- Toys in a sack
- Stockings were hung by the chimney, not outside, nor on one's bedpost
- 8 named reindeer 🦌 🦌 🦌 🦌 🦌 🦌 🦌 🦌
1839 AD
Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881) invented the modern Advent wreath, though he used 4 white candles and 20 red ones. The change to purple/blue and pink candles, with a white one for the Christ child, appears to be a 20th century adaptation.
1841 AD
Queen Victoria has a Christmas tree, drawing from the tradition of her German family.
1843 AD
A Christmas Carol is published by Charles Dickens.
1931 AD
Coca-Cola commissioned Santa. Thanks to them, Christmas is associated with red and green. https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/a29622860/christmas-colors-red-green/
As much as I love watching the "Holiday Baking Championships," I find it ludicrous that they themselves feel like the arbiters of color in Christmas and Hanukkah design. All the colors are fine.
1933 AD
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring The Rockettes was first performed. Written by Mark Waldrop, it includes the Living Nativity...710 years after the first one. Since that time, more than 75,000,000 people have seen this true reminder of the origins of Christmas, per the New York Times.
December 9, 1965
Charles Schultz's Charlie Brown Christmas was televised into the homes of 15,490,000 families. This included a full reading of the King James version of Luke 2:8-14.
1972
Barbara Robinson wrote, Best Christmas Pageant Ever, uncovering the faux religiosity sometimes associated with Christmas events.
Sources:
Dan Horan, O.F.M., a professor and the director of the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind.