My favorite holiday and time of year. A holiday created by the early Christian Church to celebrate the birth of
Jesus in Bethlehem, around 6-3 B.C. This is the REAL meaning of the holiday and it has NOTHING to do with an old, fat geezer giving gifts to kids.
Jesus was NOT born on December 25th, as many
people believe. That is just the date that was selected by the early Church to remember his birth. He was actually born sometime in the Spring, to fulfill prophecy.
Christmas is a time
people present gifts to each other to commemerate God's gift to humanity--
Jesus, God's begotten Son. The Christmas tree represents Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The red colors we see signify his
shed blood.
The legend of Santa Clause is almost entirely pegan and has almost NOTHING to do with
Jesus. The idea of Santa Clause came from Saint
Nicholas in the Middle Ages, who gave gifts to children at Christmas. The idea of flying reindeer guided by one that has a red
nose as a light is complete hogwash. And I have no idea how the sleigh came about. Santa Clause is depicted as an old, fat man with a white beard and likes to eat snacks left by children on Christmas Eve. According to urban legend, Santa Clause will not drop by until all all children are asleep.
I have no idea how the idea of stockings and coal came about.