autumn-issue-8-december-2015

FEATURE OF THE MONTH
A&B
Dance Ministry
AND PREMIERING
MUSIC VIDEO
HISTORY OF
Christmas
+TO BETHLEHEM: A POEM
*
CHRISTMAS
watch list
BORN TO LOVE AND SERVE:
JESUS IS THE REASON OF THE SEASON
ISSUE 8 | DECCEMBER 2015
www.AutumnMagazine.com
Love, Faith, and Purpose in Life

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THERE!
ISSUE 8 | DECEMBER 2015 | ISSN 2377-9128
IN THIS ISSUE
4
5
6
8
Born
9
Ask
10
12
14
22
Letter From The Editor
Meet The Team
To Bethlehem
By Joann Dance
To Love And Serve: Jesus
Is The Reason For The Season
By Brooke Brown
Autumn
Joy
By Kacey Hartung
Christmas Watch List
By Ivy Villaflores
Inspirational Feature Of The
Month: A&B Dance Ministry
History Of Christmas
By Kevin Brownfield
theme of issue: "CHRISTMAS"

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LETTER
from the
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Ephesians 5:2 Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
I appreciate this season because of the magic and love in the air.
Christmas-time makes me a little nostalgic. When I look back on
my past Christmas’, I’ve realized that I don’t have just one favorite
memory. The fonder moments are of a yard being covered in a blanket
of untouched snow and the smell of the wood burning in the fireplace.
I also enjoyed hearing my mom play Christmas music by Luther
Vandross and The Temptations. The one memory that seems to hold
true despite what location I’m in are the people. I still feel that this
is the season where you never meet a stranger. Hearts are softened
during this time, and an unexpected and unexplainable kindness is
given to one another. During this time, I believe we tend to be more
Christ-like.
Ephesians 5:1-2 reads, Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly
loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and
gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
A simple act of holding a door open for someone or an offer to allow
one to jump ahead in line can make an impact in someone’s day and
their behavior towards others. These acts are contagious. They make
a difference. I encourage you to smile at people, to call a friend or
relative just to say hello, or to compliment others. I promise you that
these small acts of love can be bigger than any present that can fit
underneath the Christmas tree.
My expectation for this season is simple; to be more God-like, to love
on one another, and to continue doing so even after the holidays.
My traditional music may be switched out for a newer rendition of
“This Christmas” and my need for snow can be met with a short
drive, but it’s important to me to treat others with loving intentions
and a kind heart. And in return, I hope to receive love, as Christ loves
us continuously through and outside of this season to make our
Christmas great.
Be blessed!

Wayne and Marilyn Redd
INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTORS
Wayneredd.wr@gmail.com
www.reddcoffee.myorganogold.com
(602) 696-6206
(623) 206-4709
THE
TEAM
CONTRIBUTING TEAM
Every month we have a selection of external talent that contribute
content to make Autumn magazine what it is. We thank them and also
welcome your skills. If you are interested in contributing to Autumn
Magazine contact us at submissions@autumnmagazine.com
Contributing Photographers
JNC Photography (Cover & 14-15) and
Alexandria Marlar (pg 17-19, 21, back cover)
Contributing Writers
Joann Dance, Ivy Villaflores, Kacey Hartung, Brooke Brown,
and Kevin Brownfield
Owner and Editor
Jayme Parkinson
Jayme@autumnmagazine.com
Audio Video Director
Kevin Parkinson
Kevin@autumnmagazine.com
Image Acknowledgments
Article Sources
Image courtesy of John Price at Unsplash (pg 3), Josh Felise
at Unsplash (pg 6&7), Christina Makhlouf (pg 8), Stuart
Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net (pg 10), Liberty Films ©
1947, New Line Cinema © 2006, The Cat and Hat Productions
© 1966, Warner Bros. © 2004, 20th Centruy Fox © 1992,
Lee Mendelson Film Productions © 1965 and Walt Disney
Pictures © 1992 (pg 12)
"Christmas," Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions,
Catullus 14.15 (optimo dierum), as cited by Hans-Friedrich
Mueller, "Saturn," in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient
Greece and Rome, p. 221., The Works of Lucian of Samosata.
N.p.: Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1905. 108. Web. 30 Oct.
2015., Dolansky, "Celebrating the Saturnalia," pp. 492, 502,
David I. Kertzer, The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s
Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism, New York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 2001, p. 74.(pg 22&23)
Art Director
Ashley Gaffney
Ashley@autumnmagazine.com
Senior Journalist
Brittany Clark
Brittany@autumnmagazine.com
AUTUMN MAGAZINE is published monthly by Autumn Magazine, Inc., Office: P.O. Box 46171,
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∙entertainment∙Art∙AND
mlove∙and∙ mlove∙and∙
6
arriage∙6
arriage∙6
to
Bethlehem
By Joann Dance
The star that led the way by night aglow
In all its splendor,
Until at last it showed the way to three
Kings who had surrendered
Their hearts and souls and all within to
Travel where He lay.
This special Babe, our Lord and King,
Asleep on lowly hay.
What a sight He must have been!
This bundle of pure joy.
To see the world awake from sin
By the power from above.
To hear the angels from on high, in
Strains of pure delight,
And see the shepherds kneel in prayer
To Christ on Christmas night.
In our hearts we go again this day
To the town of Bethlehem, in hopes
Of finding our Savior and to hear
The angels’ songs of peace on earth,
Good will to men, the song that’s true
Always for each time we follow younger
Star, Christ is born again today.

ove∙and∙marriage∙ ove∙and∙marriage∙
l7

personal∙narrative∙
8
By: Brooke Brown
BORN TO LOVE
AND SERVE:
JESUS
IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
At this time of year, it’s one of most easily
recognized Christian “catch phrases” in the world.
One can usually find it posted in bold, artistic
lettering somewhere on the vast majority of church
campuses throughout the month of December. Stop
in any Christian bookstore along your Christmas
shopping route and you’ll see that same statement
printed on every kind of gift imaginable. My family
received a lovely red and white “Jesus is the Reason
for the Season” bulb ornament when I was younger,
and it still gets a place of honor on the tree each
Christmas, nearly twenty years later.
Anyone who shares the Faith understands its
meaning– CHRISTmas is celebrated to remember
that Jesus was born to take on our sin and repair
the broken bridge between God and us, The Father
( John 3:16). No believer can dispute that nothing
surpasses His ultimate gift to His most beloved
creations. Still, while trying fruitlessly to navigate
the utterly chaotic shopping malls and fending off
the circling vultures as they wait for the perfect
opportunity to snatch up all the latest goodies, one
must wonder: Is this how Jesus would really spend
His birthday if He were still walking amongst us
today? It's highly unlikely. Surely He would take
pleasure in all the joyous fellowship with family
and friends, but it’s a safe bet that piling elegantly
wrapped packages under the tree wouldn’t be a
very high priority. Yes, thoughtful presents are a
blessing and a sweet expression of love, but should
only be accessories to the things that really matter.
The Bible describes very few instances (if any)
where Jesus gave material gifts to others. He always
gave of Himself and did it generously, even to the
point of laying down His life for us, His friends
( John 15:12-13). As believers in Jesus, we are called
to serve the Church out of love in the same way He
did. That's why we were each created with unique
spiritual gifts and talents– to be able to give of
ourselves and meet the needs of our communities,
as in 1 Peter 4:10. And what a better time to start
than Christmas?
This may sound simple and obvious, and it often
can be, but sometimes finding a place that needs
your specific gift is extremely difficult, especially
when you must contend with physical barriers or
limitations. As a power wheelchair user who has
somewhat impaired fine motor skills, I can attest
to that. Up until about four years ago, I’d always
felt bad that I could never effectively participate
in many of the service opportunities happening
around me because of the physicality involved. I felt
like my faith was lacking an essential element. So,
I began asking The Lord to show me a way I could
be of use to my church. He simply whispered, “use
your words.” I knew what that meant.
And with a prayer for courage, I asked my best
friend if he would come talk to the worship/arts and
media pastor with me after that Sunday’s service (I
needed someone there to clarify what I said because
my disability includes a speech impairment) and
he agreed. I did my best to concentrate on my
pronunciation as I introduced myself to the pastor,
explained that I was a creative writer and would like
to help the church however I could. I left him my
binder of writing samples to look over and waited
to hear what he thought. A week later, the pastor
handed me back my binder with this proposition,
“our normal playwright is unavailable this year, and
I was starting to worry about what we were going
to do, but would you be willing to help us write the
narration for this year’s Christmas show?”
“YES!” I confirmed immediately, my typing fingers
tingling with excitement. “THAT is something I can
DEFINITELY do!”
The production was aptly titled, “Storytellers”
because it illustrated how we are all a part of Jesus’
Christmas story, but He also desires to be a part of
ours, as well. The show was a wonderful success,
and numerous people sought me out afterward to
relay how moved and encouraged they were by my
words. It was one of the most fulfilling Christmas
experiences I've ever had. I finally understood what
I could give to the body of Christ. My faith was
complete and would only grow stronger because I
found a place to answer the call to serve.
As we celebrate all our favorite Christmas
traditions, let us truly remember Jesus is the reason
for the season and not forget to give the gift of
ourselves back to Him.

ASK AUTUMN!
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section. Readers have the opportunity to
ask and submit personal questions. Each
question is read and reviewed by a Marriage
and Family Therapist and answered in the
following issue of Autumn Magazine.
Fill out the form below or email
ask@autumnmagazine.com
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Treasures by
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mlove∙and∙
arriage∙10
arriage∙10
J Y
By Kacey Hartung
Have you seen the commercial where
children are opening presents on
Christmas morning? The commercial
captures the moment of pure joy and
excitement when the child recognizes
the gift under the wrapping is what
they have been asking for. I can’t
help but smile when I watch this
because there is nothing like the
feeling of watching your child, or
anyone for that matter, open a gift
that you’ve picked out and seeing
their excitement. There is innocence
in the moment. No feelings or
emotions are held back. The pure
joy of the moment is contagious;
it’s palpable. There is a physical
reaction that you feel inside of you.
This is the time of year we see “joy”
literally everywhere we turn – on
Christmas cards, in store windows,
advertisements, and ornaments. In
songs, we sing “Joy To The World,”
“Repeat The Sounding Joy,” and
“Tidings Of Comfort And Joy.” The
word joy is unavoidable in the
month of December, but are we
paying attention?
Can you remember the last time
you felt pure joy? When there is
a to-do list a mile long, is there
time to relax enough to experience joy? And sometimes when we are faced with a joyful moment, we often
hold back or resist feeling joy. We’re skeptical. We think that if things are good now something bad must
be around the corner. It’s as if we try to prepare ourselves for the disappointment. Author Brene’ Brown
calls this “foreboding joy” - when we immediately follow up a joyful feeling or emotion with the feeling that
something bad is going to happen. We attempt to “dress-rehearse the tragedy” as if by expecting it, the hurt
of the tragedy will be lessened. What she has found through her research is that the dress rehearsal does not
take away, or lessen, the emotion when something bad does happen. The only thing that happens is that
you’ve missed out on the full experience of the joyful event. She goes on to say that the difference she found
when interviewing joyful people is that “instead of dress rehearsing the tragedy, they practice gratitude.” By
reminding themselves of all that they have to be grateful for, they are able to fully enJOY the moment.
What brings you joy? It’s easy during the holiday season to get so wrapped up in the preparation that we don’t
take the time to feel the joy. The holiday season gives us opportunities each and every day to bring joy to
others and in bringing joy to others we can experience joy within ourselves. Embrace those moments. Take
time to appreciate those moments. My challenge to you is that when you see the word joy you take a moment
to pause and ask yourself, “what have I done today to feel joy?” If the answer is nothing, then commit to doing
something before the day is over. My wish for you this season is that you experience the full joy that Christmas
brings like a child opening their favorite gift on Christmas morning. Now go, and “repeat the sounding joy”!

“I’d pray to stay strong. I’d pray to soften hearts of our captors. I’d pray for God to lift the burdens we couldn’t
handle. And I’d pray that our moms would know we were OK” - James Foley
We started our journey with a simple goal; we wanted to
offer support to the children in our community so they
can have a quality future. Initially, we were going to offer
support in the form of a single scholarship to honor of
our dear friend James Foley, Award-winning American
journalist who was kidnapped on November 22, 2012 in
Syria and publically murdered by his captors on August
19, 2014 after 636 days in captivity. However, with the
help of former students, colleagues and friends of James
Foley, our humble goal grew into the mighty vision of
The Foley Foundation of Arizona.
Eddie Martinez
Kristen Martinez
Today, we are proud to say we are a formal scholarship program as well as a registered 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization.
We also have a diverse Board of Directors to help us bring our vision to life. The mission of The Foley Foundation of Arizona
is to preserve the spirit and legacy of James Foley by providing financial assistance to those of economically disadvantaged
backgrounds. Specifically, The James Foley Scholarship Fund (JFSF) works to ensure that financial constraints do not
hinder a young person’s ability to obtain a quality educational experience. By giving students this opportunity, The Foley
Foundation of Arizona is making a difference in the lives of children and their families in our community.
Despite our enormous amount of passion, our journey is not easy. This journey to provide hope and a future to the children
in our community is dependent on support from those who can donate their time, money and skills to our foundation.
Together, we can continue to grow and make a scholarship program like no other in Arizona.
Join us on this journey,
Eddie and Kristen Martinez
Co-Founders, The Foley Foundation
Website: http://www.foleyfoundationaz.org/

watch list
By Ivy Villaflores

d v
l13
ai f e∙ a n d∙
i c e∙
CHRISTMASTIME is HERE! What better way to get into the spirit
of good cheer than a great movie with your loved ones? Here is a list
of movies to help bring in the spirit and the Christmas feel-goods that
celebrate our faith and values, along with accompanying verses.
7. The Muppets Christmas Carol
A favorite of many, this film depicts the familiar
tale of Scrooge in only that special way the
Muppets can. Seeing Scrooge being able to face
his ghosts is reminiscent of how we should mirror
our own past, present, and future, and how just a
little faith, especially around Christmas time, can
change it all.
Accompany verse: 1 Corinthians 6:12 CHANGE
SCRIPTURE
6. The Polar Express
Many would think that this movie doesn’t have
Christianity in it all – and perhaps on some level,
it doesn’t, but there is a theme in here that we can
all relate to; the power of believing. The children’s
innocence and unwavering faith is a reminder of
our Christian roots, and this movie makes for a
heartwarming takeaway.
Accompanying verse: Matthew 18:3
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas
What is the true meaning of Christmas? While the
movie doesn’t ultimately delve into the history
of Christmas and why we celebrate it, the movie
leads up to a heartwarming ending that lets
us reflect on what it’s truly all about. And who
doesn’t love singing along to the classic songs
with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Company? Add
something about Linus line about what Christmas
is about.
Accompanying verse: Luke 2:8-10
4. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York
The follow-up to the classic original, Home Alone
2: Lost In New York carries a popular theme
that resembles a very popular parable in the
Bible. Remember the Prodigal Son? Set during
Christmas time, the movie resembles many points
from the Prodigal Son that are important to reflect
on during Christmas.
Accompanying verses: Luke 15:11-32
3. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The transformation on a Grinch made the list? Yes,
believe that there is a Christian element we can
take from this film! Little Cindy Lou’s character
and ability to see the good in the Grinch is
something we as Christians try to do with others.
That, along with the Grinch’s ability to find love is
something to be embrace!
Accompanying verse: 2 Corinthians 5:1
2. The Nativity Story
This is a powerful film that truly tries to depict
both a Biblical and historic venture into the
birth of Jesus Christ. While not as whimsical as
the other films listed, it’s a poignant one that
provides a deeper look into the heart of Joseph
and Mary’s journey as they prepare for the birth
of Jesus Christ.
Accompanying verse: Matthew 1:21
1. It’s A Wonderful Life
This is an ultimate film favorite of many
households and may be on your traditional list
of movies to sink into already. When you watch it
again, consider their family values, their struggle,
along with their faith. An uplifting film that is a
sure family classic!
Accompanying verse: Matthew 5:3

Theme of the Month
Christmas

l
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A&B DANCE
MINISTRY

FEATURE OF THE MONTH
A&B
DANCE MINISTRY
BLESSED, ANOINTED, & GODSENT
Birthed out by Apostle Marie Mosley, Anointed and Blessed (A&B Ministry) was started 15 years ago at
Glory House International Church. Now, Autumn Magazine sits with four members from A&B Ministry,
Candiece King, Amanda Landingham, Toisi Newton, and Ola Cohens to discuss what Christmas means
to them and how their moving word ministry and calling affects others.
Give me a little background about where each of
you comes from?
Candiece – I am born and raised in Phoenix,
Arizona. I’ve lived here all of my life. I have one
beautiful six-year-old daughter. I went to Tempe
high school, and I graduated from University of
Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. I’ve loved Arizona
since I was a baby and I don’t plan on leaving. I
come from parents who are teachers, and I am
also an educator.
Amanda – I was born in South Carolina but
raised in Michigan with my mom and my sister.
I moved to Arizona about seven years ago and
I love it here. This is my home and I plan on
raising my family here. Right now I am currently a
student hoping to become an educator one day.
Ola – I come from a family of 8 and have
five beautiful children of my own. I moved
to Arizona 5 years ago and joined the dance
ministry five years ago. I also have my own
clothing design, Sheebella.
Toisi – I am newly married this year. I was born in
Hati and adopted at four years old, but I’ve been
in the states for most of my life. My brother and I
do gospel rap, SLS-Sleeplessouljaz.
What type of bond do you each share with each
other and did you know each other before the
dance ministry?
Candiece - We didn’t know each other, other
than being in the same church, Glory House
International and that was how we met each
other. Once we started to be in the ministry of
dance is when we created or better yet God
created this bond between us. We are not sisters
by blood, but you couldn’t tell the difference.
Where do you usually minister?
Toisi - At any church functions that we are
invited to or where our Apostle goes to minister
and preach. Sometimes we’ll be invited out to
conferences and special events.
Can you describe the ministry in three words?
Ola – Godsent or Call of God. I believe we were
rightfully chosen, and it was a calling and we
answered and said yes.
Amanda - Are name is anointed and blessed.
And those words by their selves are amazing. We
strive to do everything with God’s anointing. We
have truly been blessed by submitting our lives to
the call.

Alexandria Marlar
Toisi – Amazing because what God will do
through you when you submit yourself fully to
whatever He has.
What do you all hope to achieve with the
dance ministry.
Ola - The bible talks about how David danced
out of his clothes and that dancing is a form of
worshipping unto God. Even before the battle
the dancers would go out and depending on how
they danced it would rally up the troops. So, when
we go out, that’s what we are trying to achieve.
We are getting the grounds ready for the word,
we are getting the grounds ready for deliverance,
for healing, we are getting the grounds ready for
seeds to be planted. So, we don’t take it lightly.
How does the ministry help spread the word of
God or help others?
Ola – We are God’s moving word. And we
demonstrate his word through dance. Teachers
and Evangelist are his mouthpieces. We
demonstrate God’s deliverance, healing, God’s
power, His grace, His mercy through our dance.
So, we are truly his living word through movement
in our dance.
What are your favorite songs?
Candiece - Israel Houghton, Moving Forward,
that’s my favorite song. There have been times
that it has brought me through a lot of trails
in my life. I believe that no matter what God
has created this earth to continue to rotate. It’s
important to know whatever you go through you
have to move forward.
Amanda- Tasha Cobbs, Do You Still Love Me.
It talks about how you just don’t feel worthy
sometimes, and I know throughout life there are
days you feel like you’ve done things and don’t
feel worthy of God’s grace, but he continues to
give it to you day after day. So, that song speaks
volumes to me.

Alexandria Marlar

inspirational∙woman∙
19
People come
outside of
their selves to
be generous
and to give
and love on
each other.
THEY
START
TO BE
CHRIST
LIKE
Ola – Tamela Mann, I Can Only Imagine. For me,
that is the end of a promise that we’ve been
told. If we do what God has called us to do and
we run this race, wedo get to see Him. What will
you do when you see Him? What will you do
when you stand before the King? It messes me
up every time.
Toisi – This is very challenging. I have a lot. One
that will always put me in awe is Addison Road,
What Do I Do With Holy. It just makes me think
who God really is and how big He is and how
small you are. One of the lyrics is about being
a piece sand on his ocean, and literally God is
so much bigger than we are. I’m like, yes God;
you’re big.
What does Christmas mean to you?
Candiece – I believe that all of us have grown up
thinking that it’s more so about giving and loving
one another and about it being a great season.
For me Christmas has been about being grateful.
Grateful that God chose for His son to come here
and be birthed and save us from the things we
know not of or the things that we are going to
do. So, for me Christmas is about being grateful
for what I have and who I am and who I’m
becoming. Also, I have a six-year-old daughter,
Harmony. I am really trying to instill in her that
Christmas is about the love of Christ and how do
we give unto others and create that gratefulness
in ourselves.
Amanda – Christmas means to me the spirit of
giving, the birth of Jesus, and most of all love.
During this time of the year, I enjoy seeing people
loving on one another. It's not just about getting,
but about how we can love and give to others.
Ola – Mine would be an opportunity to teach
my children what Christmas really means and
the birth of Jesus Christ. During that time, we
get to love on each other. It’s a time to get really
intimate with your family and friends. It’s a
remembrance of who Christ is in our lives. It’s a
day of remembrance.

Toisi – Learning when the real birth of Christ
was and knowing that it wasn’t in December
was interesting to me. People come outside of
their selves to be generous and to give and love
on each other. They start to be Christ-like. I love
that. It’s too bad that we can’t be that supportive
and loving towards each other and help others
all year around, but I love Christmas because
these actions and feelings do happen around
this time.
Do you have a favorite scripture and quote
you’d like to leave with our readers?
Toisi – Luke 10:19 he has given us all power
over serpents and all power over the enemy and
that means nothing by any means can hurt us.
Whenever I read that it doesn’t matter what I
am going through or facing, I know that God has
already given me the power and tools to handle
whatever I am facing. Also I know whatever it is
He has strengthened me and prepared me for
it. Whatever it is, He has given me the victory. I
just have to keep my mind at that shift towards
Christ. I just have to continue to trust and have
faith in Him and to know whatever happens I’ll
be able to get through it.
GoodMark
Ola – God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear but
power of love and a sound mind. For me I think
the enemy will creep in and try to instill fear in
us, so we don’t move forward and pursue the
things that God has placed inside of us. Fear is
something that could stop us.
Amanda – Philippians 4:13 I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. It’s my
favorite scripture because as long as I keep
Christ at the forefront of everything I can do
anything. Life is hard but if I put Christ first I can
do it.
Candiece – Mine is not really scripture base. It’s
what I believe. Right now we are learning about
“I Am.” And how God is “I Am.” My firm belief
is that God is Alpha and Omega, and there is
nothing in between that He can’t do. So, all of
those scriptures, and the beliefs, and the word of
God is Alpha and Omega. God is all.

inspirational∙woman∙
21
Alexandria Marlar

∙and∙media∙culture
22
The History Of
CHRISTMAS
By: Kevin Brownfield
6-4 BC
Birth of Jesus
527 and 565 AD Christmas
recognized as an official
Roman holiday
6 - 4
BC
33 - 33
AD
527 - 565
AD
1466 1620
30-33 AD
Death of Jesus
1466, Pope Paul II forced Jews to run
naked through the city streets for the
amusement of the Roman people
Christmas, the day of giving, the birthday of Jesus
Christ, and only day Dad and his mother-in-law could
look past their differences by dipping into glasses
of the “adult” eggnog. Christmas has long been one
of my favorite holidays. As a child in the 1990s, my
entire extended family would get together at my greatgrandparent’s
house to exchange presents and eat a
giant dinner before the kids would fall asleep in front
of the fireplace while the adults watched Jeopardy and
talked about whatever adults talked about. At church,
we would all listen to the story of how Jesus was born
in a manger. I could recite the story by heart by my
third Christmas, and it never lost its magic.
With Christmas just around the corner, my love for the
holiday led me to start researching its origin. I started
my research with simple questions, but the answers
I found were far more complex than I expected. The
fact is, the earliest evidence of Christmas comes from
Rome in 336 AD1, nearly 300 years after the death of
Jesus; whose death, according to historical evidence,
is placed somewhere during the rule of Pontius Pilate
between 26 AD and 37 AD. However, it wasn’t until
between 527 and 565 AD that Christmas would be
recognized as an official Roman holiday. But we’ve
all heard of the Roman persecution of Jews and
Christians, so why would they have made it a holiday?
And why on December 25th?
Many of the biggest celebrations throughout the
ancient world took place around the time of the winter
solstice. These celebrations were in honor of new
beginnings and the end of the worst parts of winter.
The tradition of December 25th started with the Pagans
of Rome and a festival called Saturnalia. Saturnalia
was in celebration to the God and its namesake, Saturn
(the Greek equivalent of Cronus), and was celebrated
from December 17 to the 25th. During this time, Roman
law allowed for Rome to turn into something along the
lines of “The Purge,” with nobody being punished for
crimes during the festivities. The festival also seems
to be the origin of caroling, according to the historian
Lucian, who wrote in his dialogue Saturnalia:
“...Drinking and being drunk, noise and games and
dice, appointing of kings and feasting of slaves, singing
naked, clapping of tremulous hands, an occasional
ducking of corked faces in icy water,--such are the
functions over which I preside...”
These were all interesting things to learn, to say the
least, but why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th
and why do we hold all these Pagan traditions? In the
4th century, to spread Christianity, the early Christian
leaders allowed for Christians to celebrate Saturnalia,
with December 25th being reserved for the celebration
of Jesus’ birth in attempts to make the festival more
Christian.
While ancient feasting, singing, and exchanging gifts
mirror today's practices, there were activities during
the early celebrations of Christmas that were less
“Christian” than others. In fact, some of these practices

∙and∙media∙culture
1620 violence of
early Christmas
celebrations led to its
banning by English
pilgrims
1775-1783 Christmas unfavor
Christmas during the American
Revolution, as most English
customs were abandoned
1870 Christmas declared
a holiday by the
federal government
23
1659 -
1681
1775 -
1783
1819
1870
1659 and 1681 Boston had
outlawed the holiday and fined
those who celebrated it
Washington Irving, who in
1819 wrote The Sketchbook of
Geoffrey Crayon, Gent
were downright evil and were perpetrated by none
other than the Catholic Church. In 1466, Pope Paul II
forced Jews to run naked through the city streets for
the amusement of the Roman people5. The violence
of early Christmas celebrations would lead to it being
banned by English pilgrims in 1620. For the twenty-two
years between 1659 and 1681 Boston had outlawed the
holiday and fined those who celebrated it. Christmas
would fall even more out of favor after the American
Revolution, as most English customs were abandoned.
Christmas wouldn’t be declared a holiday by the
federal government until June 26th, 1870.
What changed America’s mind about Christmas? It
could be said that the reinvention of Christmas can
be attributed to the author Washington Irving, who in
1819 wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
Irving’s stories painted Christmas as a day to bring
people together no matter their social standing. This
was a big idea at the time, as clashes between the rich
and poor, as well as riots, were regularly occurring. As
Americans started to celebrate Christmas once more,
they would adopt traditions from various immigrants
coming into the country. Thus, began Christmas as we
know it today.
So this raises the question, should Christians be
celebrating Christmas? A holiday whose roots are
in paganism and violence. The answer is for you to
determine. What does Christmas mean to you? And
does its past change that meaning? For me, while what
I learned was interesting, it doesn’t affect how I feel
about the holiday. My memories aren’t of Pagan rituals
and violence, but instead of family, both immediate
and extended, getting together to share our love for
one another. Isn’t that all that matters?
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