Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Born nearly two thousand years ago, Christians believe Him to be the Son of God. Whether Jesus was really born on December 25th, no one can say for certain. It was chosen because it already was a holiday in ancient times -a pagan feast. But pagans did not believe in Jesus. Around the third century there was an attempt to fix the day of His birth by tying it to a festival of the Nativity kept in Rome in the time of Bishop Telesphorus (between A.D. 127 and 139). Some Christmas observances of the Roman Church are said to be of Bishop Telesphorus' appointment. There was also a story of Christians being massacred in the catacombs on the day of the Nativity between A.D. 161 and 180 but the exact year, again is not known. In A.D. 300, a similar event is said to have taken place at Nicomedia in the reign of Diocletian. Neither of these stories seem reliable as a measure of the day Christ was born.

It was believed the Nativity took place, indeed, on the 25th of the month; but which month was uncertain and every month at one time or another has been assigned. During the time of Clement of Alexandria (before 220) five dates in three different months of the Egyptian year were said to be the Nativity. One of those corresponds to the December 25th date. During the third century, it was a common belief that Christ was born on the winter solstice based on an interpetation of some prophetic scriptures and an idea that the Annunciation and the Crucifixion both occured on the same day - March 25th. Another third century set of writings, The Apostolic Constitutions, indicate the Apostles ordained that the feast be kept on the 25th day of the ninth month which, at that time meant December. The works of John Selden, published in 1661, suggested that in the early Christian ages the winter solstice fell on the 8th of the Kalends of January, that is, December 25th, though not accepted universally by modern day students who put the day between the end of July and the end of October.

The Roman Church finally fixed December 25th as the birthday of Jesus Christ after the great persecution that took place around A.D. 310; which connects the visitation of the wise men from the East, being celebrated twelve days later. Though questioned for several generations by the Eastern Church, the Roman day became universal in the fifth century.

The fifth century acceptance coincided with a decline in heathen worship and the adaptation of harmless activities into rich Christian symbolism. These included Saturnalia,the great Roman holiday in remembrance of the supposed "Golden Age"; Sigillaria, the Feast of Dolls, in which dolls and other toys, mostly earthenware, were given to children; and Brumalia, otherwise Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, when the days became longer after the solstice. Finally, there was Kalende Januarii, the New Year's Day, when everyone exchanged gifts and also tied in Juvenilia, the special festival of Childhood and Youth.

All of these days seemed to easily come together into one big Christian celebration and their ancient significance crossed over into the light of the Gospel.

But the year of Christ's birth raises question just as does the day. It, too, is not a definite. The 753rd year A.U.C. ( Anno Urbis Condita- -from the building of the city, i.e. Rome) is agreed upon as the traditional date. But, that is too late if we look at the Gospel of Matthew which distinctly affirms that "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king". Herod died in A.U.C. 750. It suggests that some time must have elapsed between the birth of Christ and the death of Herod for there to have been a visit from the wise men, the retreat to Egypt, and the Slaughter of the Innocents. The Gospel of Luke raises still another matter. It is not clear whether Tiberius Caesar's fifteenth year is counted from A.U.C. 765, when he was connected with Augustus in the Empire, or from the death of Augustus in A.U.C. 767. The real meaning of his remark about the census is not known (Luke 3:1). His information about the Nativity places it around A.U.C. 749 to 753. Matthew's account of the "Star in the East" and then over Bethlehem has been called an atmospheric meteor and at best suggested to astronomers that someone born in Judea at that time was destined for greatness.

We are nowhere told that Christ was born exactly at the time when the "star" appeared; but it is safe to say that His birth took place some time between the middle of A.U.C. 747 and the end of A.U.C. 749, i.e. 7 B.C. and 5 B.C.

The previously mentioned March 25th day was the pagan festival of spring. The church adopted this date as that of Mary's visit by the angel Gabriel, and added nine months to it to come of with December 25th as the day of Jesus' birth. Christ Mass, later called Christmas, was first celebrated in the year 354, December 25th, according to several sources.