Song - Christmas isn't pagan
- Bible Brian
- 14 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Lyrics
[Intro]
Ho ho ho hoooo, Ho ho ho hoooooooo!
[Verse 1]
I remember the time I first heard them say,
“Christmas came from idols, so we should stay away.”
They quoted Jeremiah1, said the tree was a sin,
but I opened up the Bible and read the verse again.
It wasn’t about a pine tree with tinsel or lights,
but setting up an idol to imitate God's might.
So I turned the page and prayed to see
what God really said about days like these.
[Chorus]
Ho ho ho,
Christmas isn’t pagan, it’s a great liberty,
don’t judge the brethren by tradition, just like a Pharisee2.
They ain’t setting up an idol when they set up their tree!
We serve our God in abstinence, let them have their liberty3.
[Verse 2]
Now Romans fourteen says that some may regard the day,
though some of us refuse to, and brother's that's ok.
To the Lord he observes it, to the Lord we abstain.
Don't judge another's servant, he'll stand on judgement day4.
Colossians 2 says let no one judge in food or drink5,
it pales compared to what's to come6, no matter what you think!
Asceticism has never been within the Lord's command9.
[Chorus]
Ho ho ho
Christmas isn’t pagan, it’s a great liberty,
don’t judge the brethren by tradition, just like a Pharisee.
They ain’t setting up an idol when they set up their tree!
We serve our God in abstinence, let them have their liberty.
[Bridge]
Ho ho ho Santa Claus was real, and his name was Nicholas. He punched an Arian in the face, that's a story they won't tell us.
We don't have to lie, 'coz in our Savior he believed. Now he's rejoicing with His Lord, who died for you and me.
[Chorus]
Ho ho ho!
Christmas isn’t pagan, it’s a great liberty,
celebrating He who came from Heaven to become a sweet baby.
They're not worshiping a symbol, but the Lord who set us free!
So let us all worship Him in Holy unity.
[Outro]
Ho ho ho hoooooo
(ho ho ho hoooo).
Background
While I'm personally not a huge fan of Christmas, I'm perfectly comfortable letting that be a personal abstinence. I wouldn't dream of throwing accusations at any Christian who sees fit to celebrate. Sadly, this Biblical attitude is one that many in the modern Church do not share. It is believed, and quite loudly expressed, that Christmas is actually a pagan celebration, and that the celebration thereof is akin to sharing the cup of devils.
In the Christian Liberty section of Bible Brain, you will find many articles I have written rebuking this belief, including the key article "A brief overview of the Christian view of Christmas". It is this article upon which "Christmas isn't pagan" is based upon. While it would obviously be very difficult to condense a 20 minute article into a 4 minute song, the bare bones are fairly simple, and in fact the principle described can be applied to more than just Christmas.
By far the most iconic Christmas tradition is the Christmas tree, which also happens to be one of the most common things the anti-Christmas brigade object to, misquoting Jeremiah 10:1-16 to sustain this objection. Thus, this became the argument from which the song springboards. It of course roots the entire thing in Scripture, stating "I opened up the Bible and read the verse again", and "I turned the page and prayed to see what God really said about days like these." The "days like these" thing illustrates that Christmas is not unique: Scripture applies to any time we might celebrate.
This leads into the chorus. As I wrote the chorus, I actually had Garth Brooks' "Unanswered Prayers" in my head. I knew there wasn't a shot of the song actually coming out that way, even if I selected the country genre (I ultimately selected "broadway"), but it's helpful to me to have a tune in my head as I write.
The chorus begins with the "ho ho ho" motif seen throughout the song, but this was originally unique to the bridge. I personally think it adds a little extra charm to the song, but it was originally unique to the bridge. Sadly, Mozart AI has a little quirk: Every so often, when you input your own lyrics, it will generate songs beginning at a random point during the song, effectively ruining the entire generation. A quick fix for this is to alter the lyrics slightly, so I began adding extra "ho ho ho"s everywhere, of course being a nod to the famous Saint Nicholas.
After this, the chorus begins by laying out its primary assertion: Christmas isn't pagan, it's a great liberty. The primary passage for this is Romans 14, which speaks very explicitly about how we can celebrate (or not) whatever we want so long as our conscience permits. For those who celebrate, the command is to walk in love with those who do not. But to those who do not, the command is to avoid judgement. In the passage itself, there is no elaboration, it simply asserts that Christians have liberty, and we are not to judge those who actually use it. But that obviously doesn't apply to non-Liberty issues, like murder, theft, or sexual immorality. No one has the right to do these things, even if they think they do. So, in the second line, I continue to say "don’t judge the brethren by tradition, just like a Pharisee."
The sin of the Pharisees, contrary to popular belief, is not their religious zeal. Rather, it was the way in which they taught the commandments of men (i.e. themselves) as if they were doctrines directly from God. Scripture repeatedly affirms its own sufficiency, forbidding us to add to it. But in order to condemn Christmas, you do have to add human commands to Scripture. Thus, those who condemn Christmas, rather than being content to simply abstain themselves, are acting very much like the Pharisees.
The chorus then heads back to the Christmas tree idea, stating "They ain’t setting up an idol when they set up their tree!" This not only re-contextualises the Jeremiah passage, which does condemn making wooden idols, but also points out the clarity of a Christian's conscience when they set up a Christmas tree. No one who sets up a Christmas tree intends to worship it, whereas the idolators in Jeremiah 10 very clearly did craft their trees into graven images, to which they bowed down, and even prayed. Given the clarity of conscience, Christians who set up Christmas trees are sanctified in this regard.
The final line is perhaps the most loaded, as it not only highlights the intended audience, but also identifies the author. This song is more likely to be enjoyed by those who celebrate Christmas, but "We serve our God in abstinence...". This identifies me as a person who does not celebrate Christmas, speaking to others who do not celebrate Christmas. And so the chorus concludes with "let them have their liberty." In other words, this just isn't worth bickering over. It does no harm to anyone if a Christian celebrates Christmas.
Verse 2 reiterates all of the above, with the first half regurgitating the content of Romans 14. Some celebrate, some don't, we all do it unto the Lord. The only new thing here is I also reference verse 4: "...It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand." This further emphasises the importance (or lack thereof) of liberty issues. If we were talking about impenitent sin, it's unlikely God would make him stand. In fact, Hebrews 10:26 suggests such a sinner is not even a Christian. But on liberty issues, Paul affirms that those who use their liberties are quite safe.
With all of this said, the verse moves into Colossians 2, which becomes increasingly explicit about how utterly useless human-imposed asceticism really is. Verse 8 calls this "...philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ", warning us not to be taken captive by it. Once again, the verse effectively paraphrases the Scripture to which it refers, almost directly quoting verse 21, and condensing verse 22. The part about asceticism never being a part of God's plan further condenses verses 16-23 into one simple line, also alluding to the fact that we don't get to add our preferences to Christianity.
After repeating the chorus, we transition to the bridge, which is dedicated to the man, the myth, and the legend: Father Christmas. Of course he had to feature in a song about the proper view of Christmas, but I still wanted to minimise his presence. So, aside from adding the "ho ho ho"s everywhere, I decided to dedicate the bridge to the historical figure upon which Santa Claus is based. I made myself laugh with the line "He punched an Aryan in the face, that's a story they won't tell us", which was entirely spontaneous, I just needed something to rhyme with "Nicholas". But it's not just a joke, there really is a legend about Saint Nicholas punching (or slapping) and Arian in the face at the Council of Nicaea. What I didn't mention is that this Arian was Arius himself. Whether or not this account is true, it's funny to think (and sing) about. Mozart AI seems to disagree, as I actually had to spell it "ponched" in order to get the line past the filter. My advice to anyone seeking to create AI music about historical events is don't use Mozart!
Aside from being humorous, the bridge also alludes to the actual problem with Christmas: Far too many Christian parents are comfortable with outright lying to their children about this obese beardy weirdy breaking in to their homes once a year. With only one chorus left in the song, I don't dwell too much on this debate, but I do point out that "we don't have to lie". Why? Because the truth is significantly more effective. Saint Nicholas was a fantastic example of a Christian, doing Godly things on the Earth, and ultimately, because of His faith, passing on to his reward: Eternal life enjoying his Lord and Savior. We can still have "Santa Claus", but as I do in this song, he should be used as a spotlight for the Lord.
The final chorus is slightly tweaked, replacing the warning against judging like a Pharisee with a reminder of the true reason for the season: The incarnation. Christmas points us to the time the Lord emptied Himself of all His divine attributes, becoming one of us, in the same way we all became one of us: Starting out as a baby. The Christmas tree is a mere symbol, pointing us to His glory. Thus, the song ends with a final plea: "So let us all worship Him in Holy unity." Such petty issues as times and seasons, which are a mere shadow of what's to come, are not worth dividing over. We all worship one God, and so whether we do extra on special days, or spread it out evenly across all time, we need to love and tolerate each other.
Scripture references
Jeremiah 10:1-16
Mark 7:8
Romans 14:6
Romans 14:4
Colossians 2:16
Colossians 2:17
Colossians 2:21
Colossians 2:8, 22
Colossians 2:23
AI usage
This song was produced using Mozart AI.
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