www.history.com has a history of how Christmas has been celebrated through the centuries. It is divided into 5 parts, An Ancient Holiday, Saturnalia, Outlaw Christmas, Irving Reinvents Christmas, and A Christmas Carol.

Few people know December 25th was first celebrated as a pagan holiday. The Scandinavians celebrated December 21st through the Winter Solstice with the Yule Log that burned to celebrate the return of the Sun.

And in Germany mid-December honored the Pagan God Ogden, who would decide who would prosper or perish in the next year.

The ancient Romans also celebrated December 25th with Juvenlia, a feast honoring children. Our word juvenile is derived from it. And Saturnalia is another pagan holiday that occurred during that time, honoring the God Saturn. Yes, Saturn is also a planet.

The early Church didn't celebrate the birth of Jesus. Easter was the main holiday, or Holy Day. Our word holiday is derived from Holy Day.

The exact date of the birth of Jesus was never mentioned in the Bible, but tradition, holds it in the spring. Why else would shepherd be herding lambs, and sheep? Lambs are born in the spring. Also the Roman census, the bright star, and astrological markers by tradition place Christ's birth in the spring.

Why then is Christmas celebrated December 25th? The Roman Catholic Pope Julius I(yes, the month of July comes from Julius) decided to choose December 25th to Christianize the pagan holidays, and he hoped to put an end to the drinking and decadence associated with this date. It didn't work; however.

The Greek and Russian Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas; however 13 days later. They chose a different date.

Christmas was first called the Feast of the Nativity for the new Holy Day, but since Mass was celebrated on Christ's birthday, Christmas came from it. Get it Christ's Mass, ChristMas, Christmas.

Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity spread throughout Egypt by 432 and into England in the 6th century. By the Middle Ages it came into Scandinavian but those Norseman had trouble giving up the pagan roots of Christmas. They partied heartily, but hey they went to Mass first. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

Well, too much decadence led to... you guessed it Christmas being cancelled. Yes, few people also know that Christmas had been outlawed in Jolly Old England. The Protestant Puritan forces known for their religious discipline took over England in 1645 and the politicians outlawed any celebration of Christmas. Charles II when restored to the throne brought it back!

In American in the 1600's Puritans pilgrims and their descendants were also busy outlawing Christmas, and the celebration fell out of favor, again until Christmas in America was declared a federal holiday in 1870.

Well what happened next in the fate of Christmas. In the early 19th century Americans were beginning to see Christmas in a new light, not as a rowdy celebration full of drunkenness, and feasting but a warm family time.

In 1819 Irving Washington wrote The Sketchbook of Geoggrey Grayon a work of fiction detailing an idyllic Christmas reaching across the classes spreading peace, warmth, and brotherhood.

In 1843, Charles Dickens in London also revised Christmas as a time for charity, peace from class warfare, warmth, family time, and brotherhood with the publishing of the novel, and now Christmas classic A Christmas Carol. It epitomized England’s, and America’s new Christmas spirit, and brought about huge social, and labor reforms, but it was critized by the Church for not specifically mentioning the birth of Christ.

This is where the www.history.com History of Christmas ends, but as you know I think there are many more chapters. I believe we are in a new era of Christmas, with materialism, gift giving, gluttony, and even Atheism leading the change. Think of all the news articles you have read over the public display of Nativity sets in America. And remember we used to all say "Merry Christmas!", and now it is the more poticially correct (pc) "Happy Holidays!" I think we can guess from about the when, and where the "Merry" part came in at! And of course, the history of Santa Claus in the American Christmas story is a subject for another Xombyte.

Let’s keep our labor and social reforms with a remembrance of our American Christmas past, present, and future, but wouldn’t it be nice to go back to a Charles Dickens’ Christmas, with a spirit of peace, family, warmth, and brotherhood.
As Mr. Scrooge from A Christmas Carol would say, "Merry Christmas!".

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