Who decided what day Christmas was going to be? it's not like we know when Jesus was actually born?
966764
The Catholic Church, eventually, made it official.
877403
That's because now that it's a federal holiday, it has turned into a secular celebration. Christians have stolen practically all of their holiday traditions from pagan ritual.\n\nDo you honestly think Jesus was born on December 25th?\n\nChristmas isn't an exclusively Christian holiday, little miss possessive. Do you want us to stop eating, drinking, having parties, and being merry simply because you don't like the idea of us non-believers celebrating a pagan holiday?\n\nFor a Christian, you sure are spiteful. Tsk tsk.
18335
No one knows for sure when Jesus Christ was born, but many scholars believe it was probably around the first of October. Dec. 25 was formerly celebrated as the birthday of the pagan diety Mithras in the Roman Empire. The Emperor Constantine who legalized Christianity in the Empire in the 4th century A.D., commandeered the holiday for the Christians in his empire. You need not feel guilty, however, if you celebrate the birth of Jesus on this day as this has been a tradition all over the world for centuries and the original pagan meaning of the day has been all but obliterated by time and tradition. Hope this helps.><>Sir Brian
821909
They reinace a period or incident in time.  We have one nearby in December they reinact the night Jesus was born.
858614
Considering that Christmas really has nothing to do with the birth of Christ, or Christianity, why are you ranting. Check out what I'm saying. The Christians just gave it a new name. They adopted the holiday that is originally from Pagans. As far as Santa and the reindeer and the elves and the sleigh rides, I've never taught my children to believe in such lies, because if I lied to them about that, then they may just think that I would lie to them about God. I don't celebrate the holidays because of their origins. Try reading Exodus 32:4-10
931906
Why can't we write Christmas instead of using the X sign for Christ.  Doesn't take that long and is much more appropriate considering it is Christ's birthday we are celebrating.  Merry Christmas shopping.
455844
Isn't there some debate about the calendar system or something?  I'm not entirely clear on this, but I seem to recall several people arguing over what year it really is now, because of the calendar system in effect way back then.\n\nThe only reason I mention this is that someone said Jesus rose on a Sunday, so the sabbath is now Sunday for all Christians.  If the calendar system was different back then from what it is now, how do we know that it was Sunday and not Wednesday or any of the other days of the week?
7496
Christmas is about the birth of CHRIST.  without Christ, there IS NO Christmas.  The holiday has gotten out of hand.  Christmas is a celebratory holiday that we celebrate BECAUSE Christ was born - it's as simple as that - no Christ, no Christmas - It is a religious holiday, not a federal, made-up holiday.
1173621
because christmas was a pagan holiday.\n\nChristmas Dec 25th.  No clue who came up with that date but it isn't correct.  Jesus was born in the spring time with flowers blooming and songs singing, so says the bible.  Even in Israel, that still translates to April-ish not December.  It snows in Jerusalem in December.\n\nBefore Christmas was Christmas it was known as Appollo's birthday as well as Mithras.  Both popular religious sects in Rome, before Christianity was founded (yes I did just say founded, read up some)  There was an old belief that the Holly King and the Oak King were born opposite one another on the yearly cycle.  The easiest way to explain this idea is the winter king and the summer king.  winter king was born in December (or snow) so that his rule would be transfered at the height of summer.  summer king was born in the height of summer so his crown would transfer at the height of winter.  Appollo was thought to be the holly/winter king and his birthfeast was afixed to december.  more than likely around the solstice December 20th or 21st.  As Christianity absorbed these sects the traditions came with them.  the apple was the signature fruit of Appolo.\n\nNow the celebration of Christmas had always been a somber and less than joyful celebration.  In the English area, the commoners celebrated Yule, while the nobils or rather highborns celebrated christmas....they were christians.  Once Christianity became the adopted form of religion Yule was prohibted, but again since Christianity was a Roman creation....it followed the roman ways, adopting things and calling it theirs.\n\nThe Christmas celebration had always been much tamer in the Protestant homes as they concentrated on the sacrifices Jesus made, until....\n\nOne English Queen married a German Nobil and the German Tradition (which was really a leftover from the Viking Era) was the Christmas tree.  This now German born English King refused to give up his winter/yule tradition and thusly the Christmas Tree tradition was born as everyone wanted to be like the Queen.  \n\nThen in the early 18th century, Christmas became a little less formal and more of a family affair about brotherly love and so forth.\n\nChristmas has seen a huge change since it's inception.  Anything to party and have fun, right?  Every reason is a reason to get together.
280798
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! SOMEBODY IS BRAVE ENOUGH TO SPEAK OUT IN TRUTH! You are 100% CORRECT! ALL of the so-called "holidays"(holydays) were NEVER commanded in the Bible-EVER!!! Jeremiah Chapter 10 directly mentions a "christmas tree" as an IDOL! Astarte (Easter) is mentioned many times in the Old Testament as an ABOMINATION TO GOD!!! Tammuz is also in the Old Testament! And not in a good way! People simply follow what the "crowd" says to follow! DOES THAT MAKE IT RIGHT??? Borrowing Pagan traditions and somehow transforming them into "holy days" is unacceptable worship to GOD! DON'T BELIEVE A NOBODY LIKE ME--READ YOUR BIBLE!!! Please see for yourself! Then you will know what God REALLY feels about man-made traditions.....
435171
Christ's birthday, but most people think of it as a holiday getting together with family and friends...presents....unfortunately people get so tied up with that that they miss the true meaning of Christmas =(
753990
Ther is no evidence that Christ was born on december 25
682929
Jesus Christ: The Real Story\n\nWas Jesus Born on Dec. 25?\n\nMost people assume Jesus was born on Dec. 25. After all, that's the date celebrated throughout the world as the day of His birth. A careful analysis of Scripture, however, clearly indicates that Dec. 25 is an unlikely date for Christ's birth. Here are two primary reasons:\n\nFirst, we know that shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at night at the time of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:7-8). However, shepherds did not remain in the fields of Judea at night during December due to lack of forage and the bad weather. According to Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays, Luke's account "suggests that Jesus may have been born in summer or early fall. Since December is cold and rainy in Judea, it is likely the shepherds would have sought shelter for their flocks at night" (p. 309).\n\nSimilarly, The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary says this passage argues "against the birth [of Christ] occurring on Dec. 25 since the weather would not have permitted" shepherds watching over their flocks in the fields at night.\n\nSecond, Jesus' parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census (Luke 2:1-4). The Romans would have known better than to have taken such a census in the dead of winter, when temperatures often dropped below freezing and roads were in poor condition for traveling. Taking a census under such conditions would have been self-defeating.\n\nSo if Jesus Christ was not born on Dec. 25, does the Bible indicate when He was born? The biblical accounts point to the autumn of the year (in the northern hemisphere) as the most likely time of Jesus' birth, based on details of the conception and birth of John the Baptist. \n\nSince Elizabeth (John's mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived (Luke 1:24-36), we can determine the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born. John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke 1:5). Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year (The Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200). \n\nIt was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child (Luke 1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (verses 23-24). Assuming John's conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John's birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus' birth.\n\nAlthough it is difficult to determine the first time anyone celebrated Dec. 25 as Christmas, historians are in general agreement that it was sometime during the fourth century.\n\nThis is an amazingly late date. Christmas was not observed in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, until about 300 years after Christ's death. Its origins cannot be traced back to either the teachings or practices of the earliest Christians. To learn more about the origins of Christmas, request or download your free copy of the booklet Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?\n\nHolidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?\nTHIS PUBLICATION IS NOT TO BE SOLD. It is a free educational service in the public interest, published by the United Church of God, an International Association.\n\n© 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006 United Church of God, an International Association\nAll rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.\nScriptures in this booklet are quoted from the New King James Version\n(© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers) unless otherwise noted.\n\nAuthor: David Treybig Contributing writers: Scott Ashley, John Ross Schroeder\n\nEditorial reviewers: John Bald, Roger Foster, Jim Franks, Bruce Gore, Paul Ki
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Ironically, all evidence shows that early Christians did not celebrate the anniversary of Christ's birth at all, and did not even feel the need to record the month, much less the date. In parts of the 13 colonies of the United States, Christmas was outlawed as a pagan celebration with no connection to true Christianity.\n\nToday, there are some Christians who recognize the true nature of so-called "Christmas" and imitate the example of the apostles and other early Christians. Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians; they teach that Christ was and is divine and of the same nature as God.\n\nJehovah's Witnesses teach that no salvation occurs without Christ, that accepting Christ's sacrifice is a requirement for true worship, that every prayer must acknowledge Christ, that Christ is the King of God's Kingdom, that Christ is the head of the Christian congregation, that Christ is immortal and above every creature, even that Christ was the 'master worker' in creating the universe!\n\nJehovah's Witnesses love and respect and honor Christ.\n\nBut Christmas does not celebrate Christ; it celebrates the pagan Saturnalia. Jesus was not even born in December. Nearly all so-called Christmas customs dishonor Christ.\n\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/19981215/article_02.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/20001215/\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/20041215/article_01.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/19981215/\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm\n\n\nBy contrast, it's tragic that the one holiday Christ actually *DID* ask Christians to commemorate is entirely ignored by almost all of Christendom. It is, of course, the Memorial of Christ's death, sometimes called "the Last Supper" or "the Lord's Evening Meal".\n\n(1 Corinthians 11:23-25, NWT) The Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did likewise respecting the cup.. Keep doing this... in remembrance of me.” \n\n(1 Cor 11:24, 25, NEB) "Do this as a memorial of me.” \n\n\nChrist Jesus himself personally celebrated and explained the significance of that Last Supper to his followers (see Matthew 26:26-29). Christians who commemorate the Last Supper have done so on the same Jewish calendar date as Jesus did, Nisan 14, which generally falls between late March and mid-April. Interestingly, Christians in the centuries immediately after Christ's impalement were sometimes called "Quartodecimans" which literally mean "Fourteen-ers", because the early Christians were well-known for this true holy day.\n\nHow would Jesus feel to learn that the holiday he commanded was widely ignored, while his so-called followers chose to celebrate a pagan false god and their own traditions of men? We don't need to wonder.\n\n(Matthew 15:6-9) You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. 9 It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”\n\nLearn more:\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/lmn/article_08.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/20041215/article_02.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/20011115/article_02.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/jt/
1172436
True Christians do not celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ but His conception,  We also do not celebrate easter but celebrate Passover as Jesus Christ became our  Passover.  Its all contained in the volume of the Book.\nIn His Service.
912652
I see this question so much. I have wondered myself when the correct time is. I for one have not been able to celebrate Christmas for the past 20 years, and this will be my first one. I am SO excited and can barely stand to wait. And then I stopped and thought about it. Why is there a "correct" time? Why do we care so much about what others think? And why do people have such a fit if someone puts their decorations up early? What if that person only had a few weeks to live? No one knows anyone elses circumstances, we shouldnt judge! The correct time is any time we want to. It hurts no one. Life is short. Sometimes far too too short. Put your tree up when you want to. Turn up the Christmas carols and enjoy! Celebrate!
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Date of the celebration\n\nM’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia says: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N[ew] T[estament] origin. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N[ew] T[estament], or, indeed, from any other source.”\n\nLuke 2:8-11 shows that shepherds were in the fields at night at the time of Jesus’ birth. The book Daily Life in the Time of Jesus states: “The flocks . . . passed the winter under cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that the shepherds were in the fields.”\n\nThe Encyclopedia Americana informs us: “The reason for establishing December 25 as Christmas is somewhat obscure, but it is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the ‘rebirth of the sun.’ . . . The Roman Saturnalia (a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the renewed power of the sun), also took place at this time, and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration.”\n\nThe New Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges: “The date of Christ’s birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month . . . According to the hypothesis suggested by H. Usener . . . and accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun). On Dec. 25, 274, Aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and dedicated a temple to him in the Campus Martius. Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome.”\n\nWise men, or Magi, led by a star\n\nThose Magi were actually astrologers from the east. (Matt. 2:1, 2, NW; NE) Although astrology is popular among many people today, the practice is strongly disapproved in the Bible.  Would God have led to the newborn Jesus persons whose practices He condemned?\n\n. Regarding the date for Christmas celebrations, the Enciclopedia de la Religión Católica frankly states: “The reason that the Roman Church decided to assign this date to the festival seems to be its tendency to replace pagan festivals with Christian ones. . . . We know that in Rome at that time, the pagans consecrated December 25 as the celebration of natalis invicti, the birth of the ‘invincible sun.’”\n\n“Christmas has been celebrated on December 25 in all Christian churches since the fourth century. At that time, this was the date of the pagan winter-solstice festival called the ‘Birth (Latin, natale) of the Sun,’ since the sun appeared to be reborn as the days once again became longer. In Rome, the Church adopted this extremely popular custom . . . by giving it a new meaning.”—Encyclopædia Universalis,\n\nZenobia’s Legacy\n\n  Upon returning to Rome after defeating Zenobia, the queen of Palmyra, Emperor Aurelian built a temple to the sun. In it he placed the statues of the sun-god that he had brought back from her city. Commenting on further developments, the magazine History Today says: “The most reverberant of all Aurelian’s actions is perhaps the establishment, in AD 274, of an annual festival of the sun falling on the winter solstice, December 25th. When the empire became Christian the birthday of Christ was transferred to this date to make the new religion more acceptable to those who enjoyed the festivities of the old. It is a curious thought, that it should be ultimately due to the Empress Zenobia that . . . [people] celebrate our Christmas.”