Santa's Silly Sayings

Kernowyouth looks at some of the common misconceptions people have about Christmas in the UK.

"Jesus was born on December 25th"

No he wasn’t. The historical accounts say the shepherds were out on the hillside looking after their sheep. It’s most unlikely they would be on the hills above Bethlehem on a winter’s night when temperatures in Palestine plummet. The most useful piece of information that would help us estimate the time of year is that Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, was most likely to have been serving in the temple in the month of Tebeth (June/July), when his wife Elizabeth conceived. Jesus was conceived when Elizabeth was six months pregnant (i.e. December/January). Nine months later is Tishri (September/October). It has been suggested by some scholars therefore that Jesus was born in early October. The shepherds would still have been on the hills then.

"Jingle Bells is a Christmas carol"

No it isn’t! It’s a simple sleighing song. It’s about a journey in the snow and says nothing about Christmas and the birth of Jesus. A carol was originally a song that was danced in church telling the message of Christmas. It was only the Victorians who turned carols into the serious sober hymns we know today. Written by James Pierpont in 1857, and republished in 1859, Jingle Bells memorializes the 'cutter' drag races in Boston, where spiffed out sleighs would race between Medford and Malden Squares, and the drivers would try to pick up the local chickies.

Young James was a rogue; he abandoned his family several times, took up arms for the Confederacy (his father was a Boston Abolitionist minister), and, after his first wife died, he abandoned his children to take another wife, who may or may have already been pregnant with Pierpont's child. He was living the fast times in the horse and buggy days. Here's the original lyrics:

Dashing thro’ the snow, In a one-horse open sleigh,
O’er the hills we go, Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob tail ring, Making spirits bright,
Oh what sport to ride and sing A sleighing song to night.

Chorus:
Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago, I thought I’d take a ride,
And soon Miss Fannie Bright Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank; Misfortune seemed his lot,
He got into a drifted bank, And we, we got upsot.
Chorus

A day or two ago, The story I must tell
I went out on the snow And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie, But quickly drove away.
Chorus

Now the ground is white Go it while you’re young,
Take the girls to night And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob tailed bay Two forty as his speed.
Hitch him to an open sleigh And crack, you’ll take the lead.
Chorus:

"Wise Men came to the stable"

If you examine the historical texts carefully you will see that they state “When they came to the house”. Even if Jesus was born in a stable (see below), it is most unlikely Mary and Joseph would keep him there. The visit of the wise men was obviously some time after the birth. Why else would Herod have all the baby boys of two years and under massacred in an attempt to remove the “newborn king”?

"Jesus was born in the stable of an inn"

That’s most unlikely. The historical account says that while Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem the time came for her to give birth. You would think that if they were going back to the place where their forefathers had lived they would have had relatives there. You would think that Joseph would have been kind enough to consider his pregnant fiancée and not dump her there the night before without any previous consideration.
   From what the Bible says it’s almost certain that Mary and Joseph had been there for some time, possibly several weeks. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. The next sentence says, “They placed him in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn”. If you think about that sentence carefully it doesn’t make sense. You would expect it to say, “They put him in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn.” But to put him in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn doesn’t add up. In fact the Greek word for “inn” that’s used here is only used one other time by Luke where it is translated “guest room”. In another place where he does mean “inn” Luke uses a totally different word.
   According to historian Kenneth Bailey (pictured left), in those days a peasant’s house would have been one big room with a lower section at one end where the animals would sleep at night. A slightly wealthier family would also have had a guest room. Having the animals inside would have increased the warmth of the whole building. At the bottom end of the main room there would have been a section cut out from the wall in which the food for the animals was put. This food trough was the manger. Incidentally, when the angels came to the shepherds, their message was that Jesus would be found in a manger, they didn’t say he would be in a stable.
   What the Bible says is that they laid Jesus in a manger because there was no room for him in the guest room.

"Britain is still a Christian country"

Hmm – well have a look at your Radio Times or other tv listings magazine and see how many films the BBC are showing in the week running up to Christmas that are about the occult, witchcraft or satanism. Or have a thumb through the pages of the Christmas edition of New Musical Express and see how much anti-Christian sentiment there is. Even the U2 interview is only a brief interlude from the stream of hostile insults, cheap jokes and blasphemous comments.

"Christmas celebrations are getting better"

Try telling that to the people of Bury St Edmonds where their councillors have banned tree lights in case they fall on someone’s head! Or in Tower Hamlets where the council holds a “festive lunch” rather than a “Christmas” one. The Department of Work and Pensions has told Job Centres not to display decorations. The Red Cross hit the headlines last year with its ban on any religious symbol from its 400 shops. Luton Council calls its celebrations “Luminos” to avoid using the dreaded “Christmas” word. Police have been given new powers to crack down on binge drinkers and anti-social behaviour. In Wales field hospitals have been set up in city centres to cope with the medical emergencies caused by alcohol abuse.

"Jesus is no longer relevant"

For many young people Jesus is only a swear word. Many do not know the basic outline of the traditional Christmas story, and very few will attend a church service this Christmas. Yet this teenage generation are the most spiritually sensitive thus far. TV shows like the X-Files and films like The Matrix and Lord of the Rings suggest that we are all searching for some deeper meaning in life. Young people are looking for love, meaning, purpose and fulfilment. The message of Christmas is that it can be found in Jesus who was born to be our Saviour and to save us from hate, a meaningless existence, sin, a distorted self-image and to give us forgiveness and life with a capital L. Jesus is relevant today – it’s just that the church often fails to communicate that in a radical and dynamic way into teen culture.

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