There is a magical sweet shop at the end of the street, hidden between the ordinary shops and cafes. It is a place that is mysterious and enchanting, drawing people in with its colorful displays and sparkling lights. As you step inside, you are immediately transported to a world full of joy and wonder. The shelves are lined with jars and boxes of all shapes and sizes, each containing a different type of sweet. Chocolates in every flavor imaginable, from rich dark chocolate to creamy milk chocolate, fill one corner. Fruity candies in vibrant colors and tangy flavors line another shelf.

Why Christmas is not Pagan

An increasing number of Christians have come to believe that Christmas is derived from paganism. They’ve heard that the timing of Christmas may have been borrowed from Roman sun god worship. Or that Christmas trees come from German paganism. Or that the star on top of the Christmas tree comes from astrological worship. But these myths are all so wrong. Christmas—the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord—is a thoroughly Christians celebration. Here’s why.

Fruity candies in vibrant colors and tangy flavors line another shelf. And in the center, there are piles of gummy bears, jellybeans, and licorice twists, tempting you to grab a handful. But it's not just the sweets that make this shop magical.

The date of December 25

The urban legend goes that December 25 is derived from the birth of the ancient Roman sun god. But when we look back in history, we find that several Christian writers calculated the date of the Lord’s Nativity long before the Roman celebration of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti—Birthday of the Unconquered Sun—was established.

The fact is though, ancient Christian writers built the timing for the birth of Christ from the Scriptural observation that Zechariah was on duty on Yom Kippur (September 23). This observation comes from the information we find in the gospel of Luke.

“Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:8–11).

The day of Yom Kippur is the day in which incense was offered in this manner.

Based on this observation, Christians were able to calculate the birth of John the Forerunner as being September 23 + 270 days = June 24. They then observed that the Annunciation of Christ’s birth was six months after John the Baptist’s conception.

“In the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary” (Luke 1:26–27).

Calculating September 23 and adding six months brings us to March 25. Through this reasoning, Irenaeus had established March 25 as the date of the Annunciation before the end of the second century. The Annunciation was being celebrated long before Christmas, since the Annunciation was miraculous, whereas the birth was a mere function of human biology.

The date of December 25 is therefore derived from the date of Jesus’ conception.

By the year 221 AD, three Christian writers had independently calculated the date of Jesus’ birth as December 25. Irenaeus, as we have just said, identified the date of his annunciation before the end of the second century. Hippolytus used a different method, but determined December 25 as the date of the Nativity in 202 AD when he wrote his commentary on Daniel 4:23. Finally, Sextus Julius Africanus, in writing his “Chronology of the World” in 221 AD had also calculated December 25.

When people pushing the pagan conspiracy theory argue that December 25 the date of a pagan festival, they build their argument upon observances of that date. But they never bother to explore the series of Christian dates from which December 25 is derived. They never whisper a word of dissent about September 23 (Conception of John the Baptist), March 25 (Annunciation) or June 24 (Nativity of John the Baptist)! The conspiracy theorist’s only complaint is with December 25. When we examine why Christians began observing December 25 as the birthdate of our Lord, the argument that it was first a pagan holiday simply collapses.

But what makes our conspiracy theorist’s job even more difficult is the fact that it was the pagans who plagiarised from the Christians (not the other way round). The scholar Manfred Claus established that Emperor Aurelian established the cult of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti on December 25, 274 AD, and decreed that day as the day of the Winter Solstice celebration. This is more than 50 years after Sextus Julius Africanus established Christ's birthday; 72 years after Hippolytus had done so, and probably at least 100 years after Irenaeus established March 25 as the Annunciation.

The pagans were responding to the rise of the Church and the subsequent collapse in popularity of pagan observances. They were responding to the “competition” provided by the Church by trying to usurp a date revered by Christians.

Clearly, the date of December 25 for the Nativity of our Lord is Christian, not pagan.

The myth of the snow-filled fields

Many Christians doubt the date of Christ’s birth on December 25 because they have heard it said, “We know that Christmas Day isn’t when Jesus was born because the fields would have been covered by snow in December and therefore the shepherds would not have been in the field.” It’s strange that people can hear this statement and then not check the average temperatures in Israel!

It may come as a surprise to realise that people quite comfortably swim in Tel Aviv, just forty miles from Bethlehem, on Christmas day! The average temperature for Bethlehem in December is 14 degrees Celsius. In other words, Melbourne’s average minimum temperature in December is equal to Bethlehem’s average high temperature! That’s a long way from a temperature that would support snow-covered fields.

So, anyone who believes this myth has unfortunately been conned!

Googling the average temperature of Bethlehem in December will tell us everything we need to know to dismiss this as a complete fabrication.

The air is filled with a delightful aroma, a mix of sugary sweetness and warm spices. The walls are adorned with whimsical paintings and shelves filled with mystical artifacts and trinkets. The shopkeeper, an old and wise-looking man, wears a robe that seems to shimmer in the light, as if woven with magic itself. As you make your way further inside, you discover a secret door that leads to a hidden room. This room is unlike anything you have ever seen - it is as if you have stepped into a fairytale. There are floating candies in various shapes and sizes, softly glowing and changing colors. The ceiling is painted like a night sky, with stars twinkling above you. And in the center of the room, there is a large cauldron filled with a bubbling potion, emitting a sweet and intoxicating scent. The magical sweet shop is not just a place to satisfy your sweet tooth, but a place to lose yourself in a world of imagination and enchantment. It is a haven for dreamers, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the impossible becomes possible. Its charm is irresistible, and once you have stepped through its doors, you will never want to leave. So, come and indulge in the magic of the sweet shop, where the wonders of childhood are brought to life..

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