There has been much disinformation and lies spread from erroneous, non-scholarly sources about the holiday of Christmas, which directly contradict the 100% conclusive fact that it has origins within the ancient, sacred Hebrew feast of Hanukkah. The vast majority of the early Assembly of Messianics (Christians) during the 1st century were Hebrew-Yisraelites, and they brought many of their Hebrew customs and traditions into Christianity.
Within John 8:12, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) called Himself the "Light of the world", shortly before the beginning of the festival of Hanukkah. He afterwards celebrated the feast, and taught about Himself during it, for it consists of many prophetic parallels, types and foreshadows which pointed to Him who is the ultimate substance and fulfillment of all things. Even though Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Old Testament, it was written about within the New Testament as the "Feast of Dedication":
"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was Winter. And Yeshua walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long do You make us doubt? If You be the Messiah, tell us plainly. Yeshua answered them, I told you, and you believed not: the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you believe not, because you are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:22-30)
The celebration of Hanukkah centers around the theme of light, relating to the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt. It is customarily observed by the lighting of candles on a nine-branched candelabrum / menorah, called a Hanukkiah. This holiday lasts for eight days, and always begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. This is an unique clue. Hanukkah is always celebrated on Kislev 25. The month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar overlaps the Julian/Gregorian calendar month of December. Oftentimes, Hanukkah is celebrated by Hebrews at the same time Christians are celebrating Christmas.
Early Hebrew-Yisraelite Christians remembered the account of Yeshua entering the Temple in Jerusalem during Hanukkah, and referring to himself as the Son of Elohim and Light of the world. They were severely persecuted by their fellow non-Christian Hebrews back then, and were often shunned, excommunicated, beaten, and worse. Since the synagogue was the source of ancient Yisraelite life, the dates of the Jewish calendar were calculated from there based on rabbinical interpretation of the Mosaic Law. Persecuted Hebrew Christians who were cast out would gradually lose connection with their synagogue, and that would include their rabbi-calculated calendar.
It is widely believed that to simplify matters during this extremely complex and hard time of isolation, many Hebrew Christians used the Julian calendar, in unity with Gentile Christians. So therefore, the celebration of Yeshua as the "Light of the world," came to be associated with the 25th day of December instead of Kislev, which often occurs close to the Hebrew calendar date of Kislev 25. Drawing from the inspirational theme of dedication, this holiday begins exactly eight days before the Julian new year (January 1). Thus Christmas, understood as a christened (messianic) version of the Hebrew feast of Hanukkah, would be an eight-day celebration, beginning on December 25, marking the Light of Elohim coming into the world, and ending on January 1, marking the re-dedication of time with the new Julian calendar year. All of this occurred during the first few centuries of the early Assembly of Christianity.
Also, according to the traditions of the rabbinic Jewish calendar, many Hebrew-Yisraelite Christians believed that the world was created on Abib (Nisan) 14, which came to be associated with March 25 on the Roman Julian calendar. They not only associated the beginning of the world on that date, but also the beginning of the new world, both physically and spiritually, because of the divine birth of Yeshua the Messiah. Therefore, the visit and declaration about our Savior by the archangel Gabri'El to the virgin Miriam (Mary), came to be celebrated on March 25. Non-coincidentally, it is still celebrated on that same date today.
If we count exactly 9 months from March 25, it is December 25, which is the associated date for the birth of the Messiah. Many ancient Hebrew Christians believed that Yeshua was miraculously conceived on March 25 and born on December 25, by the calculated reckoning of the Roman Julian calendar. The oft-quoted Christian historian, Sextus Julius Africanus, (from AD 160 - 240) believed March 25 was the day of the creation of the world, and likewise, also the day of Messiah's conception (Joseph F. Kelly, The Origins of Christmas, p. 60). Saint Irenaeus, who lived between AD 130 - 202, in his work Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies), claimed that the conception of Messiah Yeshua transpired on March 25, according to ancient Church tradition, and linked it to His birth precisely nine months later, on December 25.
Many propagandists erroneously misinterpret Jeremiah 10:1-5, falsely claiming that it is contextually referring to "decorating a Christmas tree",...when in fact, it is NOTHING of the sort. If one looks closely at the language of that passage of Scripture, it is quite obvious that it is about Canaanite pagans who chopped down trees, carved idols out of wood, and then afterwards overlayed them with gold and silver, standing them out in the groves for their magick rituals and worship of satanic deities. Christmas tree decorating did NOT even exist during that time, and is likewise, a Christian (not pagan) tradition. These evergreen trees (which represent Yeshua our Messiah as our eternal life) are not carved into idols, overlaid with gold or silver, nor worshipped as pagan gods in outdoor garden groves, but are brought indoors, and decorated with lights (which represent Him as our Light of the world), and topped with a star (which symbolizes the star of Bethlehem which hovered over the place of His birth, etc.).
Did you know that King Solomon decorated palm trees within the holy temple, with chains around them which look like the decorative ropes on Christmas trees today?
“He paneled the main room with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains.” (2 Chronicles 3:5)
Another translation says it this way :
“He overlaid the main room with juniper wood and overlaid it with fine gold; and he ornamented it with palm trees and chains.” (2 Chronicles 3:5)
Even though pagans worshipped evergreen trees in Europe, etc., for millennia, they were not known to bring them into their houses for decorating. The true account of St. Boniface (an English bishop and missionary) chopping down Donar's Oak Tree reveals insight into how medieval Christians evangelized these Germanic pagans during the early 8th century. When St. Boniface chopped down the Donar's Oak Tree to prevent a human sacrifice, the pagans watched in terror, fearing that their deity Thor would send lightning to kill them all for such blasphemy.
However, when this never occurred, Boniface showed that a small fir tree was growing between the roots of the oak tree he just chopped down. He wisely used this as an evangelistic tool. He told the pagans that their deities were helpless and could not stop the destruction of their sacred oak tree, but the Christian Creator YaHWeH has provided in its place this small fir tree. He pointed out the fir tree was triangular, symbolically representing the Trinity, and that its leaves are always green, representing Elohim's eternal love for us. Finally, he pointed out that the needles of the tree always point up toward YaHWeH. Later during that same year he brought a small fir tree into the chapel during the winter months to serve as a constant reminder to his congregation of these truths.
The first Christmas tree is believed to have originated in Germany during the 16th century. It was not a pagan, but a Protestant Christian, who took St. Boniface's winter tree and turned it into a traditional Christmas tree. Martin Luther (who began the Protestant Reformation) is claimed to have first added lighted candles to an evergreen tree, in order to illustrate the “light" of Messiah to his children.
Christmas and Hanukkah are directly connected to the celebration of Yeshua the Messiah being our Light of the world, the Son of Elohim sent to redeem humanity back to YaHWeH the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. No one conclusively knows when He was born. But we can celebrate what our Creator did for us, because of His everlasting compassion.
There is nothing wrong with the giving of gifts to others. It is symbolic of our selfless love for others, to give from ourselves and our resources. After all,...the Scriptures reveal that the wise men who traveled from the East (possibly Persia) brought at least three gifts (of highly valuable Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold) to Yeshua the Messiah after His birth. WHY do we celebrate His birth? Because He was born to die as a ransom for us, so that we (via becoming spiritually born-again) may be saved from our sins, and live eternally as the sons and daughters of haElyon (the Most High) Father by His Set-Apart Spirit. It was the GREATEST Gift of Love which could ever be given.
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus [Yeshua / Iesous], for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
"For God [Elohim / Theos] so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
"One man regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes a special day does so to the Master..." (Romans 14:5-6a)
"When Yeshua (Jesus) spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."" (John 8:12)
"This is the day which YaHWeH has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
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