If christians dont liek santa because its not christian for christmas why do they use christmas trees?

Question

Christmas trees are pagan, so is painting easter eggs. Thats not exactly fair is it?

Not trying to be rude, but my one family member does this and it bugs me. SHe is also against holloween but when i was a kid she would eat my candy.

Answer 1

I don't practice those traditions in my house.

Answer 2

Christmas trees were brought in to the faith by St. Bernard (can't remember which one) a several hundred years ago. It was to convert the pagans in Germany/Austria/Switzerland area to Christianity (Catholicism in those days). The pagans used it for something to do with their Winter Solstice. As nature was a huge part of their culture, it was brought in. Christmas trees aren't used everywhere either.

Easter eggs, it's basically the same as what happened with the Christmas tree and it has nothing to do with Easter or Christianity.

Santa Claus was brought in in the 1770's from Dutch immigrants who knew him as Sinter Klaus, there are others which Santa Claus is derived from, most notably St. Nicholas. So, Santa has evolved and is Christian.

So,

Santa = Christian
Christmas Tree = Pagan origins, Now associated with Christian Holidays
Easter Eggs = Pagan origins, Now associated with Christian Holidays

What Easter eggs and Christmas trees now symbolize, is not pagan but associated with Christian holidays.

Often though, other symbols of birth and re-birth are used throughout churches, such as butterflies and dragonflies.

Answer 3

Because much of what you see as people being called Christians were simply born into it, and strictly following the rules that do not affect the essence (that is in fact common to all religions) is something that hopefully people realize is a-social and un-progressive and dull and simply just a formality. No harm done if Santa takes the stage from Jesus if the message is all the same after all. It is about love, was it not? How can denying something that many people love (Santa, the trees) can legitimately be called Christian if christianity is a religion based on unsolicited, uninterested, undiscriminatory love?

Answer 4

I'm a Christian and I believe in Santa. Thing is to make sure Santa doesn't come before Christ. If Christmas comes on Sunday, I go to church. My children believed in Santa and went to sleep expecting him to come during the night. But I also taught them the real meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birthday. I have a Christmas tree. I also paint Easter eggs, but I know the real meaning of Easter also.

Answer 5

Christmas trees and painted eggs come from pagan traditions, yes, but these are so secularized and removed from their pagan roots as to be harmless.

Do you worship the tree? Do you paint the egg to honor the goddess of fertility? If not, these are co-incident symbols within secular holidays (as opposed to the Holy Days that are instituted to celebrate feasts of Jesus' birth and resurrection), that at one point in time had a pagan meaning that are now lost.

You could take it to the extreme - if you wanted to eliminate all pagan influences, you'd have to refuse to do anything that resembled or had a relation to paganism. We'd have to rename the days of the week (even though most people don't realize that Thursday is named for Thor, as in Thors Dag and Friday is named for Frig, as in Frigs Dag), the months of the year (January is named for Janus, the Roman god of time, March for Mars, the Roman god of war, etc), and many traditions including that of having bridesmaids and groomsmen at weddings, and probably get rid of any cartoons with anthropomorphic animals (since these were the first understandings of deities).

My point is, these things are harmless. They do not detract from Christ, but rather have been rendered without their original meaning. Only by dredging the archaic does one find additional meaning beyond that which is accepted.

Answer 6

First, Santa comes from Saint Nicholas who was a bishop in the middle east in about the 4th Century. Secondly, Halloween means "All Hallows Eve" or the night before the feast of All Saints Day. Back in the day, People dressed as their patron saints and walked through the square. Neither is evil; people have made it that way, particularly some Christians who don't realize that these traditions were ancient Christian traditions.

Answer 7

well number one believe it or not "Santa claus" is real not the jolly old fat man but saint nick was a saint in days long past and was a christian. so some christians get so worried about the Bibles teachings about seperation from the world. but the key word is seperation not isolation! we are seperate we dont celebrate the way they do but we do celebrate! we party to just not like the world anyone been in a holy Ghost power packed service knows it is a party! but nothing wrong with trees and santa but people need to know what we are celebrating but as far as halloween thats a little different because that holiday was started by evil men and celebrated in evil but it has evolved into harmless candy searching but true christians dont celebrate halloween but may celebrate a fall festival with candy lets be real all kids care about is the candy who cares why their getting it as long as they get it hahahaha

Answer 8

~IMPORTANT~
hardly anyone understands a simple fact about pagan holidays and christian holidays. the early christians put the christian holdidays when writing up the calender on pagon holidays ON PURPOSE y do u ask? it was an easier transister for pagans turned christians, they were used to celebrating on those days. and santa easter eggs and trees were added much later. if u asked a pagan if he lit christmas trees on december 25th he's probably answer "huh? thats the day we have *** with goats and eat pork until we have to stick our hands down out throats to throw up"

Answer 9

The Christmas tree is traditionally an evergreen. (always full of life) and the candles that were originally decorating it signified Christ as the light of the world. Santa is another name for Saint Nicholas.You can't get much more religious than to have a saint for a holiday.

Answer 10

Whooaaa...take it easy there.

I am a christian, but not a legalist or a wacko fundamentalist. I follow Christ and his teachings.

We paint Easter eggs and have Christmas trees and get candy on Halloween. And guess what...WE are still going to heaven.

Fundamentalists suck.

Answer 11

I'm a Christian (Catholic) and I like Santa Claus. I think you need to research ALL sects of Christianity before you make an assumption. Different Christian religions have different beliefs. You can't lump all Christians into the same category.