Discover Christmas Traditions, Folklore, Recipes, and More
Why do we celebrate Christmas Day every year on December 25? Here’s a brief history of this all-important Christian festival. Plus, learn the meaning beyond the rituals and symbols of the season. There is so much comfort in these traditions.
When Is Christmas Day?
For Western Christian churches, Christmas Day always occurs on December 25, though some cultures observe the main celebration on the night prior, Christmas Eve.
| Year | Christmas Day |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Wednesday, December 25 |
| 2025 | Thursday, December 25 |
| 2026 | Friday, December 25 |
| 2027 | Saturday, December 25 |
What is Christmas?
Christmas Day is an annual Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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Specifically, the meaning of Christmas comes in the remembrance and celebration of God’s presence in our world through Jesus, God-made flesh. “Christmas” comes from the Old English Cristes maesse, meaning “Christ’s Mass.”
Christmas is also extensively celebrated by non-Christians as a seasonal holiday, on which popular traditions such as gift-giving, feasting, and caroling occur.
Why Do We Celebrate on December 25?
Although the actual date of Christ’s birth is unknown, Christmas has been symbolically celebrated on the 25th of December since the 4th century.
Scholars can’t agree on exactly when Christ was born, and the exact circumstances of the beginning of Christmas as we know it remain obscure. Some chronographers of the third century reckoned December 25, around the winter solstice, was the most likely day of Christ’s birth, although other dates had been suggested, including several in spring and fall.
The oldest existing record of a feast to celebrate the birth of Christ in the Western Church is in the Roman almanac called the Chronographer (or Chronography) of 354, also known as the Philocalian Calendar. This almanac noted that the church in Rome observed a festival commemorating Christ’s birth in the year 336.
About 350 A.D., Pope Julius I set December 25 as the date the Church would commemorate when Jesus was born. Many historians believe that the Church stirred up interest in a festival at this time of year to counter the pagan festivals surrounding the solstice, but no historical document unequivocally explains Rome’s reasons for setting the date as December 25.
If interested in digging deeper, see this article on How December 25 Became Christmas from the Biblical Archaeology Society.
How Do We Celebrate Christmas?
Today’s rich mosaic of Christmas customs dates back through the ages worldwide. For example, the candles and lights associated with Christmas, meant to symbolize guiding beacons for the Christ child, may have evolved from the Yule log, which was lit to entice the Sun to return as part of the jol (Yule) festival in pagan Scandinavia.
Today, there are many traditions, from Christmas trees to presents. Some of these traditions provide comfort in our lives, but they are also meant to evolve, so keep the ones you love, drop the ones you don’t, and start some new ones if you wish! For example, perhaps there’s a more natural way to celebrate this year’s holiday.
The Christmas Wreath
Wreaths are part of many ancient traditions dating back to the earliest civilizations. The circle symbolizes immortality; throughout history, wreaths have been associated with life, rejuvenation, and renewal. → See the story of the Christmas wreath.
Stores are packed with plastic wreaths and greenery, but if you want to make a more eco-friendly choice, buy or make a live wreath with evergreen trimmings from your own or neighbor’s yard. Add some pine cones, seed heads, berries, and a bow. Your wreath will add a lovely fragrance to your home, as well as natural beauty. See how to make a Christmas wreath.
The Christmas Tree
The tradition of bringing in the evergreen goes back to winter celebrations long before the beginning of Christianity. Some ancient cultures believed evergreens would keep evil spirits at bay. During the Middle Ages, December 24 was celebrated as the Feast of Adam and Eve, complete with a Paradise Tree, a fir tree hung with red apples.
The practice of using decorated evergreen trees as part of the Christian celebration of Christmas is a custom begun in Germany over 400 years ago that spread rapidly throughout northern Europe and, hence, became a tradition transplanted to the New World by European immigrants.
Today, many people enjoy the tradition of trimming a tree. Again, if you want an Earth-friendly option, go with a live-cut tree, especially one cut from a local Christmas tree farm and not shipped long distances; tree farmers continually replant their trees.
Even better is getting a balled or container tree you can plant in the ground. The trick is: the plant can’t be kept indoors for more than 7 to 10 days, so don’t buy too early. Prepare the hole in the garden whenever the ground is not frozen and fill it with leaves or cover it with a tarp until ready to plant.
See our tips on Christmas tree care—including what to do with the tree after the holidays.
The Flowers of Christmas
Contrasting against the deep evergreens are winter-flowing houseplants, from poinsettias to amaryllis. Other holiday plants include Christmas cactus, kalanchoe, cyclamen, and orchids.
One of our favorites is the fragrant paperwhite narcissus. Simply fill a glass dish with stones, set the bulbs on top, and fill with water. Within a month, beautiful tiny white flowers will bloom. See more detail in our paperwhites growing guide.
Christmas Presents
The ancient Romans gave each other gifts on the calends (first day) of January, and the practice spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Eventually, Christians moved the custom to December 25, although many Christians still give gifts on January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the manifestation of Jesus’ divine nature to the Magi.
→ Learn the origins of many more Christmas traditions.
Christmas Trivia
- Read about some of America’s Christmas firsts!
- Learn about the Star of Bethlehem. Was it a real celestial object or a miraculous vision?
Christmas Recipe Ideas
Check out our favorite Christmas recipe collections to get inspired for your holiday meals:
- Christmas Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
- Christmas Appetizer Recipes
- Christmas Dinner Recipes
- Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Christmas Cookie Recipes for Kids
- Holiday Drink Recipes
- Holiday Party Recipes
Christmas Crafts
Make your own Christmas decorations this year with these fun and easy holiday crafts:
- Homemade Holiday Note Cards
- Christmas Table Decoration Ideas
- Decorative Fire Starters
- Cinnamon Dough Ornaments
- Festive Chili Pepper Strand
- Decorative Luminarias
- Cranberry Wreath
- Holiday Candle Decoration
- Build and Decorate a Gingerbread House
- Orange-Clove Pomander Balls
- Holiday Gift Jars
Christmas Weather Folklore
Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we love our folklore, and so do our readers! A selection of Christmas weather folklore for your perusal:
- Christmas in snow, Easter in mud.
- A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard.
- If December be changeable and mild,
The whole winter will remain a child. - Thunder in December presages fine weather.
- December cold with snow, good for rye.
- Lengthened winter and tardy spring are both good for hay and grain, but bad for corn and garden.
- If at Christmas ice hangs on the willow, clover may be cut at Easter.
- As many mince pies as you taste at Christmas, so many happy months will you have.
→ Enjoy more Christmas weather folklore.
Christmas Poetry, Verse, and Quotes
Find Christmas poems and verses to share and express your thoughts about this special time of year.
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat;
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, God bless you!
–Beggar’s Rhyme
All glory be to God on high,
And to the Earth be peace;
Good-will henceforth from heaven to earth
begin and never cease!
–Nahum Tate
Granny’s come to our house, And ho! my lawzy-daisy!
All the children round the place ist a-runnin’ crazy!
–James Whitcomb Riley
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
–Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Darling of the world is come,
And fit it is we find a room
To welcome Him.
The nobler part
Of all the house here is the heart.
–Robert Herrick
Hark, how all the Welkin rings,
‘Glory to the King of Kings’;
Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild,
God and sinners reconcil’d.
–Charles Wesley
We wish all of our readers a very happy and peaceful Christmas!
Catherine Boeckmann
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Christmas is a pagan celebration which was common in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. They used to celebrate the end of a year and the birth of a new year. The celebration would start on the 24th and end on the 1st day of the new year. When christianity was introduced to the middle east, the pagan holiday continued to be celebrated. To stop the pagan ritual, the christians thought of renaming it 'the birth of Jesus' instead of 'the birth of the new year'.
Jesus was most likely born in September.
the reason people celebrate dec.25 has nothing to do with jesus's bithday. it's a sientific reason. on june 21. the sun stars heading south, a little at a time until dec.21,the winter solstice. but it dosn't start coming back right away.not dec22, 23, 24 , but it starts coming back on dec.25. pagans started celebrating saying yeah it's coming back. we're not going to freeze . that is why we celebrat dec 25. now you know the rest of the story!
Jesus is the reason. Yes, 12/25 was taken over by Christianity. But 12/25 is celebrated primarily for Christmas…Christ’s Mass. He is worthy of our praise and worship! Jesus means “God saves.” His life, death, and resurrection shows how great the Father’s love is for us.
Happy Holidays to all.
Here's to saying good bye to 2020,
and a wish for a better & brighter 2021.
Thank you for the most lovely email today, from you:
Merry Christmas From all of us at The Old Farmer's Almanac
Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own.
–Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–70)
Gather ’round the tree, it’s Christmas Day!
Good tidings of comfort and joy to you, our Almanac companions.
This past week, as we paged through old Almanacs, we came across three bits of wisdom to share . . .
In the spirit of Christmas, may we give of ourselves to bring happiness to others.
May we remember that we must be good neighbors to make good neighbors.
As it grows colder outside, may our hearts grow warmer within!
And as 2019 dawns, we wish all of our Almanac readers a very Happy New Year!
To quote the words of our founder,
“Start the year square with every man!”
Good Evening,
Very useful information and sharing knowledge.
Thanks and regards
Uma
Thank you for keeping Christ in Christmas, in spite of all those who want to do away with all religions.
Christmas is actually a Pagen holiday, but due to Christians conquering lands, Christians decided to merge their beliefs into the Pagen holiday to gain more followers. Originally, Pagens would have feast, commit homicide, and enduldge in drinking alcohol. Christmas is not a Christian holiday. Historians agree that the birth of Jesus was most likely in the summer.
All comments that are not family-friendly will be deleted. We accept all opinions, however, we do not tolerate taunting behavior or disrespect of ANY religion. This is fully at the discretion of the The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Merry Christmas to all! That goes for last year,too.
