Thus says Yahweh, "Don't learn the way of the nations, and don't be dismayed at the signs of the sky; for the nations are dismayed at them." -- Jeremiah 10:2, World English Bible translation

We present below a collection of quotes concerning Christmas customs and their origins:

"Christmas is a very old holiday. It clearly started as a celebration of the passing of the winter solstice, and the start of the sun's return journey from the north to the south . . . The ancient Romans observed this time with a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and it was called Saturnalia . . . When Emperor Constantine decreed Christianity as the new faith of the Roman Empire, early in the fourth century, the Christians gave the holiday an entirely new name and an entirely new meaning." [Gaer, Joseph. Holidays Around the World. Boston: Little Brown, 1953. p133.]

"25 December was a particularly good date for a Christian festival celebrating new life, because there were several pagan festivals all doing much the same thing. The Romans honoured their god Saturn between 17 and 23 December. Saturnalia was a festival in celebration of Rome's Golden Age, which all hoped one day would return. Many of its festivities became part of the traditional Christmas . . . When Christianity became the official religion of the Emperor Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century AD, the pagan celebrations of the 25th stayed to become part of Christmas." [Muir, Frank and Jamie. A Treasury of Christmas. Glasgow: William Collins, 1981. p14.]

"During Saturnalia, everyone feasted and rejoiced, work and business were for a season entirely suspended, the houses were decked with laurel and evergreen, visits and presents were exchanged between friends, and clients gave gifts to their patrons. The whole season was one of rejoicing and goodwill, and all kinds of amusements were indulged in by the people." [Wheeler, J. M. Paganism in Christian Festivals.]

"The ancient Romans held year-end celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of light. Various peoples in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season. As part of all these celebrations, the people prepared special foods, decorated their homes with greenery, and joined in singing and gift giving. These customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebrations." [The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1995. p528.]

"Although it now celebrates the birth of Jesus, Christmas has its roots in holidays far more ancient and retains strong traces of pagan festivals incorporated as Christianity spread across Europe and the world." [The Mystical Year. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, no date. p120.]

"The Roman festival of the winter solstice was celebrated on 25 Dec. (dies natalis solis invictus). The Celtic and Germanic tribes held this season in veneration from the earliest times, and the Norsemen believed that their dieties were present and active on earth from 25 Dec. to 6 Jan." [Everymans Encyclopedia. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1967. p1,672.]

"Christianity thus replaced a pagan holiday with a Christian one, while keeping the same symbolism-the birthday of Christ corresponds to the birth of a new year. Many of the pagan customs became part of the Christmas celebrations." [New Standard Encyclopedia. Chicago: Standard Educational, 1991. pC-320.]

"It was the policy of the early [Roman Catholic] Church to transform pagan festivals wherever possible instead of trying to abolish them, and by giving ancient practices a Christian significance, to purify and preserve for the new faith whatever was innocent and deeply-loved in the old. In the yet-unconverted world of the fourth century, December 25 was already a sacred day for thousands of people throughout the Roman Empire. It was Dies Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun." [Hole, Christina. Christmas and its Customs. London: Richard Bell, 1942. p9.]

"In early times this day [Christmas] was not one of the feasts of the Christian Church. In fact, the church fathers frowned upon the celebration of birthdays and thought them a heathen custom." [The New Book of Knowledge. New York: Grolier, 1979. p289.]

"Practically every country in the world, from China to India, from South America to the Middle East, held celebrations at this time of year . . . It was not until the fourth century that Pope Julius I declared that December 25 should be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ, and Christmas as we know it began. We now celebrate Christmas every year, with a little bit of pagan superstition, a Norse Yule log, Druid candles, a drop of wine from Saturnalia, and a feast from the winter solstice." [Brandreth, Gyles. The Christmas Book. London: Robert Hale, 1984. p9.]

"Many of our Christmas customs have their roots in pagan ceremonies that were already hoary with age in the fourth century AD." [Hole, Christina. Christmas and its Customs. London: Richard Bell, 1942. p9.]

"When Christianity spread northwards it encountered a similar pagan festival [to Saturnalia], also held at the winter solstice, the great Yule-feast of the Norsemen. Once again Christmas absorbed heathen customs. From these various sources come the Yule log, the Christmas tree, introduced into England from Germany and first mentioned in 1789, the decorating of houses with mistletoe and holly and churches with evergreens, especially holly and ivy, as well as the provision of a feast." [Chambers's Encyclopędia. London: International Learning Systems, 1973. p538.]

"The Saturnalia, extending from December 17 to December 24, was an age-old observance of tribute to the god Saturn, whose name means plenty or bounty. It was a time of rejoicing, hilarity and merrymaking . . . . Of prime significance is the spirit of brotherhood that prevailed at that season of the pagan year. And this humanitarian touch was carried over into the Christmas observances of Christians." [Foyle, Daniel J. The Christmas Tree. New York: Chilton, 1960. p17.]

"Pagan celebrations on December 25 had included feasting, dancing, lighting bonfires, decorating homes with greens, and giving gifts. So when this became a Christian festival, the customs continued, but with a Christian meaning imparted to them." [Encyclopedia international. USA: Lexicon, 1980. p414.]

"The period was characterized by 'processions, singing, lighting candles, adorning the house with Laurel and green trees, giving presents' . . . it is to the merriment and bestowing of favours at the Saturnalia time that we owe our common Christmas practice." [Hottes, Alfred Carl. 1,001 Christmas Facts and Fancies. New York: A.T. De La Mare, 1954. p14.]

"During the Saturnalia, normal life turned upsidedown. Gambling was declared legal, courts were closed, and no one could be convicted of a crime . . . . Christians began absorbing these old customs and infusing them with Christian meaning in order to spread their faith." [The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas. Maplewood, NJ: Time-Life Books, 1963. p114.]

"The tradition of bringing holly and ivy, or any evergreen, into the house is another Christmas practice which goes back to the Romans." [Muir, Frank and Jamie. A Treasury of Christmas. Glasgow: William Collins, 1981. p62.]

"Christmas incorporated many other pagan customs. Holly and ivy, for instance, sacred to the ancient gods Saturn and Dionysus, were believed to have magic power against evil." [The Mystical Year. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, no date. p121.]

"Many other Christmas decorations used today were once pagan symbols. The Romans used flowers and leafy boughs in their rites. Records show that the Saxons used holly, ivy, and bay in their religious observances." [The New Book of Knowledge. New York: Grolier, 1979. p291.]

"Some authorities maintain that its [the Christmas tree's] origins lay in the pagan worship of vegetation." [Muir, Frank and Jamie. A Treasury of Christmas. Glasgow: William Collins, 1981. p64.]

"The Christmas tree is of ancient origin." [Webster's Unified Dictionary and Encyclopedia. New York: Webster's Unified, 1970. p361.]

"Even the Christmas tree, which came into common use only in nineteenth-century Germany, is perhaps a throwback to a great tree from Norse mythology that was named Yggdrasil." [The Mystical Year. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, no date. p121.]

"The Christmas tree is the symbol of the spirit of the Yuletide in many homes. The custom came from Germany and dates to long ago when primitive people revered trees-particularly evergreens." [The New Book of Knowledge. New York: Grolier, 1979. p291.]

"The use of evergreens to decorate homes at Christmas has an unmistakable pre-Christian origin." [Colliers' Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier, 1991. p404.]

"In ancient Rome, people used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory and celebration. The custom of hanging a Christmas wreath on the front door of the home probably came from this practice." [The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1995. p535.]

"The use of evergreens was so closely associated with the garlands of pagan days that in many of the early Church celebrations they were forbidden." [Hottes, Alfred Carl. 1,001 Christmas Facts and Fancies. New York: A.T. De La Mare, 1954. p15.]

"The idea of using evergreens at Christmas also came to England from pre-Christian northern European beliefs. Celtic and Teutonic tribes honored these plants at their winter solstice festivals as symbolic of eternal life, and the Druids ascribed magical properties to the mistletoe in particular." [The Encyclopedia Americana International Edition. New York: Grolier, 1991. p666.]

"The ceremony of the Yule log, like so many of the oldest Christmas traditions, was thoroughly pagan in origin." [Muir, Frank and Jamie. A Treasury of Christmas. Glasgow: William Collins, 1981. p59.]

"The Yule log is another of the many Christmas traditions that originated among the Germanic tribes. It was burnt during the winter solstice celebrations, and its name comes from jol, the Old Norse name for their pagan festival. The word "Yule" has since become a synonym for Christmas." [Merit Students Encyclopedia. New York: MacMillan, 1983. p470.]

"Mistletoe was always known to have played an important part in the rituals of the Druids, and consequently, was never really accepted by the Church." [Muir, Frank and Jamie. A Treasury of Christmas. Glasgow: William Collins, 1981. p63.]

"Ancient Celtic priests considered the plant [mistletoe] sacred and gave people sprigs of it to use as charms. The custom of decorating houses with mistletoe probably came from its use as a ceremonial plant by early Europeans." [The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1995. p528.]

"The Druids gave the world the tradition of hanging mistletoe in the house." [The New Book of Knowledge. New York: Grolier, 1979. p291.]

"The practice of decorating houses and churches is pagan in its origin, and the mistletoe so widely used for that purpose was the sacred plant of the Druids." [Everymans Encyclopedia. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1967. p1,672.]

"The idea of giving presents goes back to the Romans." [Muir, Frank and Jamie. A Treasury of Christmas. Glasgow: William Collins, 1981. p84.] - Note: Actually the custom "exchanging" presents goes back to the Romans.

"The custom of presenting friends with gifts at Christmas dates back to the time of the ancient Romans." [Everymans Encyclopedia. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1967. p1,672.]

"The custom of exchanging gifts at Christmastime stems from an ancient Roman practice. During the Saturnalia the Romans presented their emperor and each other with tokens of good luck, called strenae." [Merit Students Encyclopedia. New York: MacMillan, 1983. p470.]

"The early church . . . cleverly transferred its significance [pagan gift-giving at Saturnalia] to a ritual commemoration of the gifts of the Magi." [Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore.]

"The giving of presents at this time of year has been a custom that has quite naturally lingered through the ages from the Saturnalia and Kalends celebrations when garlands of flowers, candles and dolls were presented as symbolic gifts to bring good luck and prosperity for the future. Although the early Christian Church turned its nose up at pagan rituals, its members saw that they were missing out on the present-giving and cleverly decided to adopt the practice in remembrance of the gifts brought to the infant Jesus by the kings and the shepherds." [Brandreth, Gyles. The Christmas Book. London: Robert Hale, 1984. p100.]

"Because gift-giving was so essential a part of the pagan celebrations [of Saturnalia], the early Church frowned upon it as sternly as upon other and more questionable New Year celebrations." [Hole, Christina. Christmas and its Customs. London: Richard Bell, 1942. p25.]

"The practice of exchanging presents at Christmas stems from the ancient Roman custom called Strenae. During the Saturnalia, Roman citizens used to give "good luck" gifts (strenae) of fruits, pastries, or gold to their friends on New Year's Day." [Colliers' Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier, 1991. p404.]

"The custom of giving gifts to relatives and friends on a special day in winter probably began in ancient Rome and northern Europe." [The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1995. p534.]

"The sending of gifts had its origin in the Yule gifts of northern countries of Europe and ancient Rome." [Webster's Unified Dictionary and Encyclopedia. New York: Webster's Unified, 1970. p361.]

"For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual Winter Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one.

"Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation. And thus we all share in the beauty of this most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again." [Nicholas, Mike. "Midwinter Night's Eve: Yule."]

"Witches celebrate eight major festivals or sabbats each year. . . .The first is Yule, 20 or 21 December." [Russell, Jeffrey B. A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, and Pagans. London: Thames and Hudson, 1980. p168.]

"What agreement has the temple of God with idols?" -- 1 Corinthians 6:16.

"Keep yourselves from idols." -- 1 John 5:21.

"Flee from idolatry." -- 1 Corinthians 10:14.

"The things which the Gentiles (heathen) sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of Yahweh and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of Yahweh's table and the table of demons. Or do we provoke Yahweh to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?" -- 1 Corinthians 10:20-22, divine name supplied.

It should be apparent that the most popular customs related to the Christ-mass celebration is a carnal celebration of worship; they are not of worship in spirit and truth. The idolatrous festivities surrounding the celebration appeals to the selfish flesh and are out of harmony with one who desires to worship in spirit and truth. To continue in this course would make us like Israel of old, who although corrupted with idolatry, continued to believe they were worshipping Yahweh. -- 1 Kings 18:21; Jeremiah 7:4,8-12,18-20; 23:17.

True worshippers of old destroyed or otherwise did away with the idols and images, they did not take the idols and continue the heathen rituals to supposedly honor Yahweh. -- 1 Kings 15:12,13; 2 Chronicles 15:8,16; 33:15; 34:7.

So did the early Christians. -- 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 John 5:21; 2 Corinthians 6:16.

We should not eat food that is given to us as being offered to an idol, lest we participate in another's idolatry. (1 Corinthians 10:20-22,28,29) Before the death of John, some of the early apostate Christians had already begun participation in idolatry. (Revelation 2:14,20) This was part of the apostasy, the falling away from the true faith. -- Acts 20:29,30; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 John 2:18,19.