Today is Christmas

December 25, 2024 – Today is the 25th day of December. This is the feast day of Jesus of Nazareth's birth - Christmas. It is a federal and state holiday so banks, government offices, courthouses, schools, and almost all businesses are closed today.

Of all the legal holidays, this is the one based solely upon a religious feast day. Christmas was not originally a formal holiday and government offices used to be open on December 25. Most Christian denominations at the time of the American Revolution did not celebrate Christmas as a feast day. Catholics and Anglicans being the major exceptions to that general rule. The celebration of Christmas as a full blown major holiday however began increasing in the 1820s and 1830s. The state of Alabama is actually the first state in the nation to make Christmas a state holiday. That practice was gradually adopted by all of the other states and the federal government.

While December 25 is the annual celebration of Jesus's birth, there is little Biblical basis for Dec. 25 as being the actual birthday of Jesus.

The Gospel of Luke contains the birth of Jesus account:

Luke Chapter 2: "And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. [2] This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. [3] And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. [4] And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David, [5] To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. [6] And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. [7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. [8] And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock. [9] And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. [10] And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: [11] For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. [12] And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: [14] Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. [15] And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us. [16] And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. [17] And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. [18] And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. [19] But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. [20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. [21] And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb." (Gospel of Luke Douai-Rheims).

The Gospel of Matthew tells of the visitation by three Magi who followed a star to find the child. There is some disagreement among biblical scholars on whether or not the magi arrived at the birth or actually two or three days later; but most people are familiar with the nativity scene that shows both the shepherds and the three "wise men" with their camels at the nativity.

The first Christian Churches did not celebrate Jesus's birthday. Celebrating birthdays is not a Jewish tradition. It however was very much a Roman tradition to do so; so as the Church found more and more converts from paganism in the first and second centuries, the subject of when we should celebrate Jesus's birthday became of greater importance.

Christian churches have been celebrating the birth of Jesus as a feast day since at least 200 A.D. Nativity scenes became a fixture in Christian churches since at least the fourth century. The nativity scene was adopted in Christian churches as early as the Fourth Century. In 1233 St. Francis of Assisi popularized the nativity sets that are so common today. Christians began adding nativity scenes to their homes. It soon became the Christmas decoration of the season. Christmas carols began as Christmas hymns sung in Christmas masses and date to at least the 11th Century.

As Christmas became an increasingly important religious feast day for ancient Christians, the issue over when on the calendar it was to be celebrated became an increasingly contentious topic between the various congregations.

About 200 A.D., Clement of Alexandria wrote that certain Egyptian theologians "over curiously" placed the day of Christ's birth as May 20. Other early theologians placed it as either April 19 or 20. Other Christian communities celebrated it on March 28. Clement tells us that the Basilidians celebrated the Epiphany, and with it, probably, the Nativity, on 15 or 11 Tybi – 10 or 6 January.

At some point the celebration became established on 29 Choiak – 25 December. By the late Fourth Century, that became the standard in the western church where it remains to this day. Some Eastern Churches stuck with 6 January, and generations of theologians have debated whether the feast should be December 25 or January 6. By the time of St. Jerome, December 25 was established in the western church. From the Fourth Century, every western calendar assigns it to 25 December.

Scholars speculate that the popular pagan festival of Sol Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December may have influenced early Christian bishops to adopt Dec. 25 as the feast of Jesus's birth. In ancient Babylon December 25 is the feast of Horus - the Son of the goddess of nature. The pagan holiday was known for heavy partying, feasts, drinking and gift giving. Elements of that much older holiday likely influenced the Roman winter solstice celebration. Sol Natalis Invicti was the Roman celebration of the birthday of the unconquered sun. It has been speculated that an early Pope adopted Dec. 25 as the feast day of Jesus's birth because he wanted his congregation celebrating a mass for Jesus on that day instead of out at Sol Natalis Invicti with their pagan friends and neighbors. The tradition of presents and gift giving at Christmas is likely a holdover from that earlier pagan tradition. After nearly 300 years of off and on persecution of Christians the Roman Empire made Christianity a legal religion in 313 A.D. In 381 it became the official religion.

The Christmas tree tradition likely dates to Germanic people bringing evergreen trees in their homes to celebrate the winter solstice, and in many cases, the birth of the god, Mithras. Christmas trees are not introduced into France and Great Britain until approximately 1840.

Christmas was forbidden in Protestant Churches in England in the Seventeenth Century. In fact Churches doors were locked on December 25 in England to prevent persons from celebrating the holiday with Church services. Christmas however remained a major feast day in Catholic communities.

The influx of Catholic Irish into the U.S. helped hasten the increasing importance of the holiday in the U.S. in the 19th Century.

Christians believe that Jesus is their savior, and that Jesus is God made flesh, thus Christmas to them is the celebration of God joining them in the flesh of the person of Jesus.

"For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him." (John 3:16-17)

For many non-Christian and non-religious Americans Christmas is a secular celebration and modern Christmas traditions increasingly emphasize Santa Claus, Frosty, flying reindeer, gifts, parties, professional sports, and food rather than a savior born in a manger over 2,000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem.

Christmas also coincides this year with the Jewish celebration of Hanukah – which commemorates the rededication of the Temple during the Maccabean Revolt in 167 - 160 B.C.

"Judas Maccabeus and his followers, under the leadership of the Lord, recaptured the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. 2 They tore down the altars which foreigners had set up in the marketplace and destroyed the other places of worship that had been built. 3 They purified the Temple and built a new altar. Then, with new fire started by striking flint, they offered sacrifice for the first time in two years, burned incense, lighted the lamps, and set out the sacred loaves. 4 After they had done all this, they lay face down on the ground and prayed that the Lord would never again let such disasters strike them. They begged him to be merciful when he punished them for future sins and not hand them over any more to barbaric, pagan Gentiles. 5 They rededicated the Temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev, the same day of the same month on which the Temple had been desecrated by the Gentiles. 6 The happy celebration lasted eight days, like the Festival of Shelters, and the people remembered how only a short time before, they had spent the Festival of Shelters wandering like wild animals in the mountains and living in caves. 7 But now, carrying green palm branches and sticks decorated with ivy, they paraded around, singing grateful praises to him who had brought about the purification of his own Temple. 8 Everyone agreed that the entire Jewish nation should celebrate this festival each year." (2 Maccabees 10:1-8)

Whether you are celebrating the birth of Jesus, Hanukah, or you are just enjoying the company of friends and family this holiday season, the staff of the Alabama Gazette wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

(Wikipedia, the New Advent Encyclopedia, a 1995 article in History Today, a 2011 article in BBC History Magazine, and a December 8 article in Investorplace were consulted in the writing of this article.)

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com