6 'Secular' Christmas Symbols That Are Powerfully Christian
The spirit of Jesus is everywhere during the Christmas season, even in the most unexpected places, like Christmas trees and Santa Claus. While some people believe these symbols have pagan roots, Christians can take heart knowing that these are very much symbols of God’s love for us.
Let’s explore this further by looking at six “secular” Christmas symbols with a remarkably solid Christian history.
1. The Christmas Tree
Many historians believe Christmas tree traditions were adapted by Christians to convert pagans. Long before Christianity, people decorated their homes with boughs from pine, spruce and fir around December 21, the shortest day of the year in northern hemisphere. The evergreen boughs reminded them that the sun would return and would make everything green again.
In contrast, Catholic historians give credit to St. Boniface, a 7th century monk who spread the Gospel to Germany. On December 24, he visited the town of Geismar to find it empty. All of the residents were gathered around a huge oak, dedicated to a pagan deity, that they believed indestructible.They were going to sacrifice a child. St. Boniface saved the child and felled the oak with a single strike from his axe; some legends state a gust of wind uprooted the tree as he struck it.
St. Boniface then proclaimed the Gospel and pointed to a small fir. He declared it a symbol of the Christ child and eternal life for its ever-green needles and its shape, which pointed to heaven. He advised them to bring trees like it into their homes and gather around it, sharing gifts and kindness. Find out many more details about the Christian meaning behind the Christmas tree.
Today, the Christmas tree stands as a centerpiece to the holiday season.
2. Santa Claus
While Santa Claus was based on St. Nicholas in Europe, English settlers in America gave the tradition a pagan slant. Here’s how it happened, according to CatholicCulture.org:
When the Dutch immigrated to America, their children were visited by Sinterklaas, the traditional St. Nicholas, on Dec. 6, his feast day. English Protestant children wanted to participate, too, but their parents found the figure of a Catholic saint and bishop unacceptable, and they obviously didn’t celebrate Catholic feast days. So, in the 18th Century, they shifted credit to the pagan deity Thor, who they portrayed as an elderly, jovial man with a long white beard.
Regardless that today’s Santa Claus has been positioned as a mythical figure, many Catholics share the perspective of Kendra Tierney, Catholic mom and author of the blog Catholic All Year.
“Santa Claus was an actual historical, Catholic person. He was born in what is now Turkey in the third century. He became Bishop of Myra. He was real,” she writes in a blog post. “He continues to be real and to exist, because as Catholics we believe in an everlasting soul that never dies”
St. Nicholas of Myra is considered a patron of children for his generosity to them, and for saving three young girls from slavery by paying their dowries.
She points out St. Nicholas as a canonized saint and, as such, he is powerful.
“(This) means we believe that he lives in heaven and can hear our prayers and intercede with God the Father for us,” asserts Tierney.
Read Kendra Tierney’s full blog post here.
3. Gifts
Before Christianity, gifts were exchanged during pagan winter solstice festivals. According to CatholicCulture.org, the Catholic Church adapted these gift-giving traditions circa 320 to help converts focus on Christianity. Christians at the time were happy to celebrate because they viewed the day as holy not because of the birth of the sun, but because of Him who made it.
Today, Catholics can continue to view gift-giving from a Christian perspective by considering it inspiration by the wise men who brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to honor Jesus, and by reflecting on the greatest gift of all, our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
4. Wreaths
The wreath is believed to have Northern European origins when people used them with lit candles during the darkest days of winter to symbolize hope for the coming sun.
By the Middle Ages, Christians adapted this tradition with the Advent wreath, according to the Catholic Education Resource Center. It was an easy transition because we have hope in the coming Son during Christmastime, for Christ is the Light of the world.
By 1600, both Catholics and Lutherans had more formal wreath practices and today, wreaths are everywhere at Christmastime. When you see one, keep in mind how every aspect of it symbolizes Jesus:
- Evergreens represent eternal life.
- Laurel mean persecution and suffering.
- Pine and yew signify immortality.
- Cedar means strength and healing.
- Holly’s prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns.
- Pine cones signify death and resurrection.
- The circular construction represents His eternity; God has no beginning or end.
5. Red and Green
Some historians believe that green and red emerged as the colors of Christmas because of the evergreen and holly used in pagan winter solstice celebrations. Others believe red and green marked boundaries in ancient Celtic cultures. They speculate this practice was adapted by medieval churches to:
- Denote areas in the church for the parishioners and those for the priests.
- Mark the end of the old liturgical year and the start of the new one.
For Christians today, red and green are symbolic of Jesus. Red symbolizes the blood He shed for our salvation, and green symbolizes His gift of everlasting life.
6. Poinsettia
Native to Central America, poinsettias have been used by Aztecs for practical purposes such as dye and medicine, according to an article on Altetia.org, a worldwide Catholic resource sharing site. But after being introduced to the U.S. by John Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, they became associated with Christmas.
The shape of its leaves remind us of the star of Bethlehem, the deep red signifies Christ’s blood and the green leaves life and hope. Adding further meaning to this beautiful plant is the legend of a poor Mexican girl who desperately wanted to honor baby Jesus at Christmas Eve mass but had nothing to give Him. Her cousin consoled her by saying that even the smallest gift by someone who loves Him will make Jesus happy. So she picked a handful of weeds, brought them to the altar, and laid them at the foot of the nativity scene. Amazingly, the bouquet burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were certain they had seen a miracle.
From that Christmas Eve forward, the bright red poinsettia flowers were known as the “Flores de Noche Buena,” or “Flowers of the Holy Night.”
Read the full Aleteia article here.
As you set out cookies for Santa Claus, gather around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts, deck your home in red and green, hang a wreath on your door and send poinsettias to faraway loved ones, you can feel good knowing that these traditions are steeped in Catholic faith and the love of Jesus.
Find out more about the meaning behind Christmas and Advent: