re: #49 HillJack

Yes it is. It was more than likely begun by the early church to coincide with either the Roman feast of Saturnalia which occured on Dec 17 or the winter solstice. The word Christmas derived from “Christ Mass”. Over time it has evolved into not only a Christian holiday but a sectarian one as well. So for some people it is not a celebration of the birth of Christ but it certainly began that way.

Mandy is correct, however, that there isn’t even a clue as to the season Jesus might have been born in. The connection with the solstice and festivals surrounding that event is obvious - the time, a few days following the solstice when the sun’s reversal and upward ascent would be obvious to anyone is just too loaded with symbolism that dovetails tightly with Christian themes that it was an obvious choice, but there’s no historical evidence to support the idea that Jesus was actually born at this time of year.