Jesus Is the Reason for the Season

Jesus Is the Reason for the Season

December 13, 2025

The Christmas lights have been switched on in neighborhoods across the island. What stands out is not only how beautiful they are, but how little they reflect the Christian character of the holiday. Judging by the decorations, Christmas has become a secular, commercial celebration. With some imagination, you could say that the many stars still reference the Star of Bethlehem, but I have not seen a single nativity scene this year—something that once held a central place.

The tradition of the nativity scene is usually linked to Saint Francis of Assisi. In 1223, in Greccio (Italy), he created the first live nativity to make the Christmas story more tangible. Some historians argue that depictions of the scene existed earlier, but that Francis introduced the live version and popularized the practice.

The Christmas tree, on the other hand, has pagan origins and was adopted later by Christians. According to one legend, Saint Boniface in the 8th century cut down a sacred oak dedicated to the god Thor. A young fir tree that appeared afterwards symbolized, in the telling, the new Christian faith and eternal life. But the truth is that decorating trees during winter festivals is much older, rooted in Germanic and other European traditions.

Indeed, Christmas itself absorbed many elements from Roman and Germanic midwinter festivals such as Yule. The choice of December 25—while the Bible does not give an exact date for Jesus’s birth—was made to coincide with existing celebrations of the return of light during the darkest time of the year. The Christmas we know today is therefore a mixture: Christian meaning on one side, and folk traditions such as Christmas trees, lights, and gift-giving on the other—beloved traditions, but not part of the biblical story.

From childhood, like more than 80% of the population, I was taught that God became human and came to show us the way to the Father. Christmas reminds me that we are called to be better people. I fear that this more profound message is slowly disappearing.

And yet the point remains: when you look at the Christmas lights, the holiday appears mainly as a secular commercial feast. The original story—the birth of Jesus—is fading into the background. And still, He is the reason for the season.

Miguel Goede