By Peter Hallett
Published December 19, 2000
Christmas is full of Jesus, regardless of how hard we try to commercialise this special time of the year.
The word Christmas comes from "Christ’s Mass" - which was celebrated each year in honour of Jesus birth. While we can work out the year of Christ’s birth from the historical evidence in the Gospels, the month and day are more difficult and so eventually Pope Julius 1, in 350AD, designated it December 25.
Even the abbreviation Xmas is not a new idea. It is a relic of ancient Greek where the letter X - shi - looked like the X of our alphabet. It was the initial of Xristos, the Greek word for Christ. Early scribes often abbreviated Xristos to its first initial to save time, parchment space and possibly because Christ’s name was regarded as too sacred to write in full.
The Christmas tree is attributed to various legends including an attempt by St Boniface to replace an ancient pagan ritual and also to Martin Luther who cut down a fir tree and adorned it with candles in his home to recreate for his wife and children the wonder of God’s creation - bright stars glimpsed through lofty pines.
Santa Clause is definitely a more recent idea but St Nicholas was an actual historical figure - the fourth century bishop of Myra, now part of Turkey. Santa Clause is an adaptation of the Dutch rendering of his name, Sinter Klaas. St Nicholas was a man of great piety and compassion who suffered much persecution. One miracle attributed to him (in Jesus name) was the restoration to life of three schoolboys who had been killed and dismembered. Another story has to do with Christmas stockings - concerned for three desperately poor girls, who were tempted to sell their bodies, he went to their home and dropped three pieces of gold into their smoke hole (chimney). The coins happened to land in the sister’s stockings hung up to dry. So today we hang up stockings at Christmas time.
The story behind the popular song, The 12 Days of Christmas is equally fascinating. It was written in the era when Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. It was a catechism song for young Catholics. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.
The "My True Love" is God and: 1. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. 2. Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments. 3. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. 4. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 5. The Five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. 6.. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. 7. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. 8. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. 9. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. 10. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. 11. Eleven pipers piping stood for the 11 faithful disciples. 12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolised the 12 points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
Which ever way you look at it, Christmas is a Christian celebration that has been adapted to include various pre-Christian cultural expressions, ensuring that is enjoyed the world over. Only the dark unbelief of a purely faithless approach to Christmas could threaten this celebration of the birth in human flesh of God’s Son. But just as the little baby Jesus survived in so frail a form, in such primitive days to become the cornerstone of history, so too the faith and followers he left behind will go on, troubled but undeterred by various oppositions, subtle and otherwise. And always with their hearts and minds stayed on One who offers unhindered joy, peace and love.
I encourage you to celebrate Christmas heartily, but with moderation when it comes to food, drink and expensive gifts. And make room in your life and that of your family to reconnect with Jesus, without whom December would be like a Christmas tree without its star. This way even those of you who feel most alone at Christmas, will discover a friend who never leaves. Take a risk - visit a church, ring your family, call a friend, ask a Christian about their faith, sing a carol, open the Bible, watch a Christmas movie, give a gift to charity… The whole point of Christmas is that God comes near, in these and many other ways so... Have a Happy Christmas!