How did December get it's name?
914531
The old Roman calendar began the year in March (spring), and December was the tenth month.  In Latin, decem means "ten".
549370
you are absolutely right that December 25 was not Jesus Christ's birthday. minimal research proves that this date was chosen centuries after his death for various other reasons.\n\nyou are also right about Christmas being totally commercialized. If you ask the average young child about Christmas all they can tell you about is Santa Clause and what presents they want.\n\nThe bottom line is the Bible doesn't give us the exact date so we don't know when it was.\n\ncheck these articles for some more info.\n\nhttp://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1998/12/15/article_01.htm\n(Has Christmas Lost Christ?)\n\nhttp://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1998/12/15/article_02.htm\n(Jesus' Birth—The Real Story)\n\nhttp://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/12/15/article_01.htm\n(Christmas Customs—Are They Christian?)
854098
the do posadas every night in December. and they open x-mas gifts the night of the December 24. weird huh..
244078
Christmas is actually more of a pagan holiday (even though the Christians don't seem to realize it).  The proper term is Solstice or Winter Solstice. . During the year, the position of the Sun seen from Earth moves North and South. When it changes direction it stands still momentarily. So solstices are those moments of the year when the Sun reaches its southernmost or northernmost position, at the Tropic of Capricorn or Tropic of Cancer.  It was traditional to give gifts on Winter Solstice and the passing of the year.  \n\nThats part of the reason gifts are given as it was designated a holiday, however when Christianity came along they designated it as Christ birthday even though no one knows the exact day and the tradition of giving gifts was taken.\n\nChristians would also say its in honor of the three wisemen who brought gifts to the baby Jesus.
407604
It doesn't.  Dec. 25 became Christmas to over ride the Pagan/Wiccan holiday of Yule and do away with that tradition.  That is where the Yule log and Christmas tree came from.  If you look at most Christian holidays they were taken from the Pagan ones to do away with those traditions.  The way the Wiccans/Pagans see it it just justifies our religion because they had to go so far out of the way to do away with them.  We must be right if Christianity fought so hard to get rid of them.
952697
No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th? \n\n\nThe answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast. \n\n\n \nIn Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born. \n\n\nIn northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year. \n\n\nHuge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods. \n\n\nThe tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees. \n\n\nIn 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them. \n\n\nChristmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.” \nThe controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist sects.
18439
The X represents the Greek letter Chi, which looks like an X.  The New Testament was written in Greek and Chi is the first letter in the name Christ.\n\nThe -mas comes from the word "mass" for the Roman Catholic religious service.\n\nSo, Christmas referred to the Christ Mass that was said that day.
617562
December - it was the theme song of a family vacation I took with my sisters and all the kids.  I drove the little kids since I had a van, and when that song came on all the kids would sing 'turn your head just spit MEEE-OOOWW'.\noh well.
960513
December 30th\n\nThis means the third day before (ante diem) the Kalends (1st) of January.  The Romans counted the day itself when calculating dates, so the first of January is day one, December 31st is day two, and December 30th is day three.
62759
January is named for Janus, the god of doors and gateways in Roman mythology.So start of a new year named January
866136
Because it is a celebration (mas(s)) of Christ's birthday. Christ's  +  mas (celebration)= Christmas
715304
December 25 Was the birthday of Mithra. The emperor Constantine ordered that Christians official day of worship be Sun-day and that Christs birthday be celebrated on December 25 Mithra's birthday.\n\nThere are a couple of great links that explain this much better than I did. Email if you want and I will send you a link to them.\n\nLove and blessings Don
776068
The holiday of Christmas is....... the celebration of Christ's birth,\nAmen.
803738
It's called "Dead End" \n\nHope that helps. Merry Christmas!!!
745579
How do you blend wife beating with "Happy Holidays?" I worked at a shelter once upon a time, and we never thought of making Christmas cards that ask "What if Joseph had kicked Mary down seven flights of stairs?"  never occurred to us.  Maybe it should have.
818112
They at the december 25 =D
763388
You're right. The shepherds were tending their flocks outside the night the child was born. In Bethlehem in December it is too cold to keep the flocks outside because the sheep can't take extreme weather. So at that time of year they are indoors. \n\nJesus was born 6 months after Elizabeths baby and that would make Jesus birthday sept-oct\n\nThe people of that day worshipped the God saturnalia and had a feast...and they came from all around to participate.\n\nAlso Joseph was to go to Bethlehem  once a year to register and that corresponds to the sept-oct birth.