The Christmas Question, another obscure documentary I find online, tackles a lot of the same topics as A Christmas to Treasure but makes for a far more awkward, difficult watch. In this 2019 effort, various ‘experts’ from around the world offer their thoughts on the origins and significance of many of our popular festive traditions like carolling, mistletoe, tree decorating and whatnot. However, this time around, they seek to answer the controversial question of whether it’s actually a sin to celebrate Christmas the way we do, what with so many nods to Pagan traditions and our focus on materialism. It’s provocative but not exactly a barrel of laughs.
Watching this it’s very easy to see how the original ‘meaning’ of Christmas has transformed over the centuries and that most of our beloved contemporary traditions don't come from anywhere in the holy book but from Paganism. Director Luke Abaffy’s film questions whether we should really be cool with this - is it essentially a sin to celebrate Christ’s birth by doing a whole load of stuff that has very little to do with Christianity? Are we even celebrating Jesus anymore, or is it something else we’re doing now? The film offers no easy answers, though I find myself thinking that the way people celebrate the birth of Christ is surely up to them. To me, it’s a bit like pizza - it’s essentially the same basic foundation for everyone but then we can put on it whatever we want, as long as it’s still yummy.
Abaffy lets us hear from plenty of comically stuffy old university history professors and religious ‘experts’ who point out a lot of what I already learned yesterday - that most of what we now see as ‘Christmassy’ actually stems from various mid-winter “Saturnalia” celebrations and worship of the Sun from various non-Christian cultures, many of which pre-date the birth of Christ. There’s some talk of how a lot this is maybe, sort-of, kind-of okay, with some of these guys taking the easy route out by arguing that God is everywhere and in everything, so it’s fine to worship Him/Her in any way we want. Others seem far more uncomfortable with the Pagan influences but are happy enough to go along with it as long as the church does.
Then we meet some Christian families who have decided to stop celebrating Christmas altogether. It seems drastic but I can see their point. If none of this stuff is mentioned in the good book, would the Lord really appreciate it? Still, you have to feel for their kids, with one couple explaining the difficulty they had telling their brood that Santa’s not coming anymore.
The film acts like it’s taking a neutral stance on things but the fact that it was commissioned by “The 119 Ministries” and that they even ask “The Question” in the first place hints heavily that the filmmakers are not best pleased with what Christmas has become. Who are the 119 Ministries? Well, they’re a “non-profit ministry that desires to be only focused on the truth of His Word and not on any other person or organisation.” So, not neutral at all.
There’s a particularly icky bit where an old, English professor dude explains in far too much detail about how mistletoe could be considered sinful as it’s a powerful pagan fertility symbol. He really doesn’t have to mention that mashed up mistletoe resembles human baby batter but he goes there. Thanks, pal.
To me, though, this all seems silly - yes, the roots of many of our traditions stem back to old cultures that did some mad stuff that might seem sinful today. But decorating your house with decorative things that have wonderful, joyous feelings for us today? That’s something else entirely. The meanings and connotations of things change over time and if we’re doing these things now in the name of celebrating Jesus, then who cares?
I get that a handful of devout followers might be worried about how this holiday has moved far away from just being a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but he’s certainly not ignored. I agree, if watching over 170 of these films in a row has taught me anything, that Christmas is about a lot more than just Christ these days - but, then again, it always has been. This film’s look at ancient traditions actually shows us that mid-Winter has always been about celebrating warmth, love and fun during the coldest, bleakest time of the year.
The filmmakers remind us that Jesus likely wasn’t even born in December so it’s “technically” wrong to celebrate on the 25th. However, I doubt that’s going to change many people’s minds. Is it also “wrong” to celebrate Jesus’ birth with lots of colour, fun and things that cheer people up at a dreary time of year? Who knows? The bible is a pretty weird book, after all. It also tells us not to sit where a menstruating woman has sat, not to wear clothes made of both linen and wool and also not to eat shellfish, so I guess I’m going to hell anyway.
Kudos to these guys for putting the effort in to unearth a lot of hard scientific and archaeological evidence. They’ve put the work in, like Rick Larson and his “star”, but they don’t sit back and act all smug about it. They just really want us to consider “The Question”. It’s a bloody interesting film but, like most of these sorts of docs, probably won’t change a lot of folk’s minds. You try telling the kids Christmas is cancelled. I’d rather take my chances.
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