The early church was simply not interested in celebrating the birth of Jesus; their emphasis was on His triumphant resurrection. There is not real evidence of the early church celebrating the birth of Jesus. But with heresies that challenged the church, like Gnosticism, which denied Christ's physical body, the church began to focus on His birth as a means to demonstrate His true physical nature.

The Scriptures do not reveal the exact date of Christ's birth (probably about 4 B.C.) and early Christians had no fixed time for observing it. However, by the late 4th century Christmas was generally celebrated in the churches, although on differing dates in different locales. Various methods were used in an attempt to compute the day of Jesus' birth: among the dates were 2 January, 18 or 19 April, 20 May and 25 December.

Why did 25 December become the officially recognized date for the celebration? Probably because it coincided with the pagan festivals celebrating Saturnalia (a pagan festival named after Saturn, the god of plenty) and the winter solstice. December 25 was also the birth of the sun god, Mithra, the date of the winter solstice. The church therefore offered the people a Christian alternative to the pagan festivals and eventually reinterpreted many of the symbols and actions in ways acceptable to Christian faith and practice. Jesus therefore represents the Sun of Righteousness (see Malachi 4:2) and triumphs over the pagan idols and gods. He is God's "true light" conquering the darkness. In AD 274, the Roman emperor Aurelian declared 25 December as "birth of the invincible sun god.[Mithra]" In designating 25 December as the date for the Nativity, Christians challenged paganism directly. Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness, not Mithra!! The date is therefore rich in Christian symbolism.

Other Christmas symbols and how they relate to Christianity triumphing over paganism:

• The Yule log originated in northern Europe among the Germanic tribes. The yule log was a huge log that would burn for as much as twelve days as it looked ahead to the light of Spring. Daylight would increase after the winter solstice, so they were celebrating the coming of this increased light of day. Christians adopted the yule log and associated it in their celebrations with the coming of Christ, the true source of light.
  
  
• The evergreen tree (the Christmas tree) symbolized in pagan northern Europe the fact that life persisted during the cold winter months. The Christian church then adopted it into Christmas celebrations and added holly branches as a symbol of Christ's suffering at Easter. Apples were added as well to the evergreens referencing the Garden of Eden.
  
  
• It was really in 19th century America that promoted Christmas as a special holiday of the year. The Christmas tree became a part of the celebration and was the center of decorating for the season. In 1843 the Christmas card, first introduced in England, became a regular aspect of the season as well. The Poinsettia was named after the American diplomat to Mexico, who brought the plant from Mexico and it too was associated with the season.
  

Christmas then is a holiday steeped in symbolism, all of which point to Jesus Christ and his triumph over paganism. It is a worthy triumph to celebrate, whether He was actually born on 25 December or not.

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THE ORIGINS OF SANTA CLAUS

Santa Claus is a curious Christmas figure, who today is probably more popular than Jesus is at Christmas. Who is he? How did he become such a central figure of Christmas?

The popular image harks back to a historical person, Saint Nicholas, who because of his holiness, was appointed a 4th century bishop of Myra in what is today Turkey. Little is known of his life but many traditions have grown up around him. He was elected bishop as a young man and was imprisoned during the persecutions of Diocletian. One story has it that he persuaded the captain of a large ship to release its entire contents of grain to the starving people of his area. Another story about him is that he secretly provided 3 bags of gold as the dowry for 3 sisters, the daughters of an impoverished merchant. One of the bags of gold, which he tossed through the window at night, happened to fall into a stocking hung by the chimney to dry. The custom of hanging Christmas stockings is said to have originated this way. St. Nicholas is very popular among Eastern Christians and was introduced into Europe by the Byzantine princess Theophano in the 900s. It then spread to England. In the west, St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children, and during the Middle Ages a popular festival developed on 6 December, Saint Nicholas's feast day.

The Dutch people retained their attachment to St. Nicholas whom they called Sinter- Klaas. It was they who introduced him to America. English settlers took it over and called him Santa Claus.

Several publications popularized him in America:

1. Washington Irving's Knickerbocker's History of New York (1809) described Santa Claus as a round, jolly figure, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and smoking a long-stemmed pipe.
   
   
2. Clement C. Moore's pope "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1822), added the reindeer which fly, the sleigh, a twinkling eye, and the "laying a finger aside of his nose." Moore was an Episcopalian minister who wrote the poem for his children and never intended it to be taken seriously. Moore also added to the legend that he came down the chimney to deliver gifts.
   
   
3. The fur suit came from Germany where St. Nicholas was pictured as a furry imp called "Pelz Nichol."
   
   
4. Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, developed the popular image of Santa Claus in 1881.

In short, the real St. Nicholas was a man who lived for the Lord. He gave gifts to the less fortunate out of his love for God. He is alive today in heaven with his Lord. The legends that have grown up around him are fun and enjoyable but they are myth. Enjoy the stories but focus on the true meaning of St. Nicholas's life he gave it to others in the name of his Savior.

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