Annie's Christmas History Page

OK! Why do you have a Christmas Page? Isn't it a Pagan holiday too?

Did you know that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th?

You will find some great links on this page that explain all about the holiday.
I will be adding more links and information to this page soon!!!

Please remember to always:
"Prove all things hold fast that which is good."
~1Thes 5:21~

What is Christmas really about?
Is it just tradition? What is the history?
Was Jesus born on Christmas Day?

These are links to other pages that explain some of the history of the Holiday.

They will make you think and reevaluate the "what's" and "why's" of the season. These sites are very thought provoking.

Even though I have these sites listed here that does not mean I agree with all of the information.

Christian Research Institute answers Questions on Christmas. This site is straight text but the information is something I recommend that you read. The questions they deal with concern: "the Christmas Tree", "Santa Claus", "Gift Giving" and "Is the 25th a pagan holiday?". Hank Hanegraaff is "The Bible Answer Man" and has his own radio show. He is also a published author. Here is the Christian Research Institute site.

"Preach the Word; be prepared in SEASON and out of SEASON; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. . ."
~2 Timothy 4:1-3~

Not The Star Of Bethlehem, But This Supernova Yields Answers To Rutgers-Led Astronomy Team

Here are some pages from Answers in Action about Christmas -
Santa Claus And The Gospel
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Celebrate The Birth Of Christ

Pages from Christian Answers Network about Christmas: Was Jesus born in a stable? &
What was the Star of Bethlehem?.

The Plain Truth about Christmas - This page has information from "Herbert W. Armstrong". I do realize that Armstrong has certain doctrines that are not the same as many believe but there is some good information on this page. Some of his information is from the Encyclopedia. Well worth the read.

Christian Apologetics & Research Ministries has a page called What are the origins of Christmas and can a Christian celebrate it?

Christmas - Is it Christian or Pagan? is a page from Exposing Satanism. Lots of great pages at this site. They also have this new page: Yule Log

Is Christmas Christian? from Stewarton Bible School in Scotland

Pages from Gospel Outreach Net - Is Christmas Christian?; In a Little Town Called Bethlehem & Is Christmas Christian? by a different author then the other one.

The True Meaning of Christmas from a Messianic perspective.

Pages from Stand to Reason - The Spirit of Christmas; Christmas and Culture & Is Christmas Pagan?

LookSmart has a great section with TONS of links: LookSmart category - Christmas Symbols and Rituals

John Ankerberg has a page about Christmas called: Should Christians celebrate Christmas when it evolved out of a pagan holiday in the past? Here is a quote from his page: "In conclusion, It is good and proper for the Christian to celebrate the birth of Christ. Each is free to choose the day and manner of his celebration so long as conscience permits and Scripture is not violated. But none of us is free to condemn another where his conscience or convictions differ from our own." Also Alleged Evidence for Astrology in the Bible - Ankerberg discusses the Wise men and whether they were really astrologers or not.

The World Book Encyclopedia Online has these pages: The history of Christmas; How Santa Claus came to be; Advent and the celebration of Christmas; The Christmas tree and other customs; Christmas around the world & Christmas recipes and crafts from around the world.

Taking Christ out of Christmas

Link from CBN - Star of Wonder - (CBN News) -- Was the Star of Bethlehem truly a star? Was it a comet? Or was it an amazing miracle?

Star of Wonder: In Search of the Christmas Star

Please remember that I do not necessarily agree with everything on all of these sites.

The World Book Encyclopedia tells us about the History of Christmas:

The first mention of December 25 as the birth date of Jesus occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar. The celebration of this day as Jesus' birth date was probably influenced by pagan (unchristian) festivals held at that time. The ancient Romans held year-end celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of light. Various peoples in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season. As part of all these celebrations, the people prepared special foods, decorated their homes with greenery, and joined in singing and gift giving. These customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebration.

In the late 300's, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. By 1100, Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe, and Saint Nicholas was a symbol of gift giving in many European countries. During the 1400's and 1500's, many artists painted scenes of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus. An example of these works appears in the Jesus Christ article in the print version of The World Book Encyclopedia.

The popularity of Christmas grew until the Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500's. This movement gave birth to Protestantism. During the Reformation, many Christians began to consider Christmas a pagan celebration because it included nonreligious customs. During the 1600's, because of these feelings, Christmas was outlawed in England and in parts of the English colonies in America. The old customs of feasting and decorating, however, soon reappeared and blended with the more Christian aspects of the celebration.

In the 1800's, two more Christmas customs became popular--decorating Christmas trees and sending Christmas cards to relatives and friends. Many well-known Christmas carols, including "Silent Night" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," were composed during this period. In the United States and other countries, Santa Claus replaced Saint Nicholas as the symbol of gift giving."

What is the truth about the Candy Cane? from www.snopes.com
Urban Legends Reference Pages have a whole section on Christmas Legends so check them out.

About.com has a page with links about: Christmas History, Customs, Traditions and Folklore

Written from an Athiest's point of view: Christmas Without Christ - Part 1: Just how "Christian" is our modern Christmas, anyway?

From a Messianic Perspective:
Holy Torah 'Christmas' Story & Story Behind the Story

Howstuffworks.com's "How Christmas Works - The Complete Guide to Christmas Traditions!"
& How Mistletoe Works & for fun How Christmas Lights Work

NEW - 11/28/01 - If you are looking for information on why some people
don't use Santa at Christmas then check out this great site:
Christmas in CyberSpace - A Christian Perspective

And if you are done looking at Christmas..................

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