Thursday, December 25, 2025
The annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on December 25.
Christmas, celebrated on December 25, is the annual feast of the Incarnation — the doctrine that the eternal Son of God took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. The biblical accounts come from Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, recording the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary, Joseph's dream, the journey to Bethlehem, the manger birth, the angels appearing to shepherds, and the visit of the wise men from the East. The date of December 25 was set in the Roman Church by the 4th century, possibly chosen to compete with the pagan festival Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun) or based on a tradition that Christ was conceived on March 25 (Annunciation) and thus born nine months later. Theologically, Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation: 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:14). The eternal God, who created and sustains the universe, entered the world as a vulnerable infant in a feeding trough. The Christmas season liturgically begins on Christmas Eve and continues for 12 days through Epiphany on January 6 — the famous 'twelve days of Christmas.'
Christmas observance varies widely but typically includes: Christmas Eve services (Midnight Mass, Lessons and Carols, or evening services), Christmas Day morning worship, white vestments, festive music ('Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,' 'Joy to the World'), the singing of the Gloria (returned after Advent's restraint), the Christmas Gospel from Luke 2 or John 1, the lighting of the central Christ candle on the Advent wreath, festive meals with family, gift-giving (echoing the wise men's gifts), and Nativity scenes (a tradition dating to St. Francis of Assisi in 1223).
The traditional Bible readings for Christmas Day include:
The Bible does not specify the date of Christ's birth. December 25 was set by the Roman Church by the 4th century. Two theories explain the date: (1) it competed with the pagan festival Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun), reinterpreting the winter solstice in Christian terms; (2) it derived from the ancient belief that Christ was conceived on March 25 (Annunciation) and born nine months later. Eastern Orthodox Christians who use the Julian calendar celebrate Christmas on January 7.
Christmas celebrates the Incarnation — the eternal Son of God taking on human flesh and being born as Jesus of Nazareth. John 1:14 captures it: 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.' For Christians, Christmas is not primarily about gifts, family, or decoration but about the staggering claim that the Creator of the universe entered creation as a vulnerable baby to save humanity from sin.
The classic Christmas readings are Isaiah 9:2-7 ('For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given'), Luke 2:1-20 (the Christmas Gospel — Bethlehem, the manger, the shepherds, the angels), John 1:1-14 ('The Word became flesh and dwelt among us'), and Matthew 1:18-25 (Joseph's angel and the name Jesus). These four passages form the heart of Christmas worship.
Liturgically, the Christmas season is 12 days long, beginning at sundown on Christmas Eve (December 24) and ending at Epiphany on January 6 — the famous 'twelve days of Christmas.' Many Christians keep their decorations and Nativity scenes up through January 6. The 12 days celebrate not just Christ's birth but also his manifestation to the wider world (the Magi at Epiphany).