Steven LaChance Blog

You will often hear that Christmas should not be celebrated because it was “originally pagan,” tied to the Roman sun god Sol. Like most things involving history, the truth is more layered than a meme allows.

Jesus was almost certainly not born in December. Most scholars agree that date was chosen later for symbolic reasons, not historical accuracy. At the same time, December twenty fifth was not universally recognized as the birthday of Sol Invictus either. Different cultures marked the winter solstice in different ways long before Rome or Christianity formalized anything.

What matters more than ownership of a date is why humans return to this time of year again and again. The longest nights. The turning of the light. The instinct to gather, to share warmth, to mark survival and hope when the world feels cold and uncertain.

That impulse predates religion. It belongs to people.

Holidays are not fossils. They are living traditions. Meanings change because we change. Whether someone experiences this season as spiritual, cultural, religious, or simply human, that meaning is theirs to hold.

History is not a weapon. It is a story with many chapters.