When I was a child, I would always wish for snow at Christmas. It seemed like the very essence of the holiday. Influenced by popular Christmas carols (Remember, “Jingle bells! Jingle bells!“?), the heartwarming scenes in classic Hollywood films with Santa flying through the snow-flaked skies in his reindeer-driven sleigh, and snow-themed Christmas cards, I believed that snow was as essential to Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ itself. In my mind, a “real” Christmas simply had to have snow.
It wasn’t just about the weather, it was about atmosphere, an idyllic, perfect scene. In my mind’s eye, this miracle of snow would be accompanied by another: a tall Christmas tree, adorned in shimmering gold and silver ornaments, would magically appear in our living room. The miracle would culminate in brightly wrapped gifts under the tree, waiting to be unwrapped and enjoyed on Christmas morning.
I would dream of snowflakes falling gently on the ground, blanketing our entire village in white. Every Christmas morning, I would wake up eagerly anticipating that white Christmas, just like in the Bing Crosby song. Surely, it was what the very first Christmas was like.
But as I grew older and began to understand the world around me, I realized that different parts of the world experience vastly different climates. Where I lived, with its humid, tropical air, was a far cry from the snowy winter wonderlands I had longed for. Snow in our part of the world would always remain a distant dream, something we’d only ever see on a screen. I had to accept that, unless by some miracle, snow would never be part of our Christmas experience.
Still, I couldn’t let go of the feeling that our Christmas wasn’t quite ‘the real thing’. Even though I’d come to understand how much my vision of Christmas had been shaped by outside influences, by the carols, songs, films, and cards, which all painted a very specific, idealized version of the holiday, I still couldn’t help but feel that something was missing.
Instead of the cold, crisp air, or the snow-dusted streets, our Christmas was marked by palm trees swaying in the warm tropical breeze, vibrant hibiscus in bloom, and the fragrance of frangipani in the air. It was beautiful in its own way, but didn’t the carols sing of a peaceful, snowy night in Bethlehem where Jesus was born?
This led me to a more profound question, one that went deeper than the weather: Was Jesus really born on a snowy night? And is 25th December truly His birthday?
Unwrapping the Date of Our Saviour’s Birth
As my faith matured, I encountered a different kind of disillusionment, one that ran deeper than the absence of snow. I learned that 25th December, the date the world celebrates as Christmas, was likely not the actual date of Christ’s birth. A quiet sense of confusion followed. If we weren’t celebrating His birthday, whose birthday were we honouring and celebrating all these years?
The truth is, many of the images we’ve come to associate with Christmas—snow, fir trees, twinkling lights, and winter wonderlands—are traditions that have evolved over time, influenced more by culture and the seasons we experience than by the actual events surrounding Christ’s birth.
The Bible doesn’t specify the date of the Messiah’s birth. It doesn’t tell us whether it was snowing on that holy night when Jesus was born. In fact, Scripture doesn’t mention the weather at all. What we do know is that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, likely enduring a journey that wasn’t easy, and found shelter in a humble stable, not a grand palace. The miracle wasn’t in the weather or the decorations, but in the fact that God Himself entered our world as a baby, as helpless as we were when we were born.
The Gospels focus on the event and its profound significance, not the calendar details. So, how did 25th December become so central? Early Christians did not celebrate Christmas at all, and it wasn’t until centuries later that the church chose to recognize the birth of Jesus on this date, possibly to coincide with existing pagan festivals that celebrated the winter solstice. History reveals that this date was already significant in the Roman pagan calendar, marking the birthday of Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun.” Many scholars suggest that as Christianity grew, early church leaders wisely chose this date to celebrate the birth of the Son of God, effectively redeeming a pagan festival and pointing people to the true Light of the World. It wasn’t a declaration of historical fact, but a powerful symbolic act, a decision made by men, not a mandate from heaven.
While these details may seem insignificant, they remind us of a powerful truth: Christmas isn’t about re-creating the perfect atmosphere or trying to achieve the idealized version of the holiday we see in our minds or on television. It’s about recognizing the miracle of God’s love, born into a world desperately in need of hope.
The Date Fades, The Miracle Remains
Now, in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Luke 1:26-28 NKJV
Does this discovery dismantle our faith? Not at all. In fact, it can deepen it.
As I reflect on my childhood dreams of a snowy Christmas, I now understand that the true miracle of the season has little to do with the weather or the specific date when confronted by the staggering reality of the event itself: The birth of Jesus Christ heralded the fulfillment of God’s promised salvation, not only of His chosen people, Israel, but of the entire world.
At last, here is the long-promised Messiah. Here, at last, is Emmanuel, God is with us. God Himself stepping into history, fully man yet fully God, to bring us back to Him.
Finding the Story in the Stillness
So, where do we turn to find the authentic heart of this season? We turn to the quiet, unadorned pages of Scripture. The Christmas story isn’t found in one chapter, but woven through the narratives of time, from Genesis to Revelations. The word “Christmas” itself, meaning “Christ’s Mass,” is not only a tradition but the divine revelation of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, who entered our messy, imperfect reality with love, grace, and redemption.
Pick-up your Bible and read Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-2:40 for those wonder-filled accounts, from when the angel Gabriel first visited Mary to Jesus’ birth in a lowly manger. There is no loud fanfare, no grand spectacle. There are shepherds keeping watch in the stillness of the night. There is a young mother, Mary, who “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” This is an introvert’s scene: a moment of profound significance met with quiet contemplation and awe. The rest of the New Testament reinforces this focus, moving quickly from the birth to the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the core of our salvation.
In a world that rushes toward 25th December with a frenzy of activity, perhaps this knowledge, that the exact date is a mystery, not a command, offers us a gift. It frees us from the pressure of a single day’s performance and invites us into a season of reflection. We can let go of the need for a “perfect” Christmas, with its snow and decorations, and embrace a “present” one, where the presence of Christ is our focus.
This Advent, let us create space for quiet contemplation. Like Mary did during that season of the first ever Christmas, let us ponder the miracle in our hearts, the miracle of the birth of the Messiah, His presence with us, and the salvation He offers. For we are not celebrating a date on a calendar; we are celebrating a Person who stepped into history to be with us, and who longs to be with us, right here, right now, in the quiet stillness of our own souls.
Let us reflect on the true meaning of the season. Let’s remember that it’s not about the perfect decorations, ideal weather, or even the perfect day. It’s about a Saviour who came into the world to bring us peace, joy, and hope, whether in the warmth of a tropical breeze or the chill of a snowy night.
And at this Christmastime, and always, let us join the heavenly host, praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!
Luke 2:14 NKJV
Resources
Here are suggestions for your further reading:
- What the Bible says about Birth of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) (From Forerunner Commentary)
- How December 25 Became Christmas – Bible Archeology
- Sol Invictus: The pagan Sun god that helped Christianity conquer the Roman Empire – Big Think
- Sol Invictus – Art & Theology
- Should Christians Really Celebrate Christmas? – Christianity
- What Is The Deeper Meaning Of Christmas? – Rev. Billy Graham
- The Christmas Cloud – Christianity Today
- Why a Virgin Birth? – Chuck Missler, Koinonia House
Side note: The late Chuck Missler is one of my favourite Bible teachers, and I heartily recommend you read and listen to his other teachings on the Koinonia House website.
Photo: Pxhere; the Magnificat and the Nativity from Picryl; Francesco Ungaro from Pexels. Edited on Canva.