Could someone explain the whole Christmas thing to me?

Question

I'm Jewish, and honestly, Christmas doesn't make any sense to me. It's basically just the pagan Roman holiday of Saturnalia, combined with a few other pagan traditions. The bible makes it kind of clear that Jesus wasn't even born in winter. And why celebrate the birth of the messiah with commercial ventures?

I don't mean this to be insulting to anyone, and I'm sorry if anyone is offended. I'm just kind of confused.

Answer 1

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. We don't know exactly when Jesus was born, but December has been the time of celebrating for many Christians, etc. Santa is a cartoony figure used to make smaller children who don't understand the complexity of the real meaning of Christmas, to make the holiday something to look forward to.

Answer 2

Many mainstream Christmas traditions stem from original Pagan practices. Though Christian origins and associations have been attributed to many of these traditions, they do in fact pre-date Christianity.
Yule Log - A special log was chosen on the eve of Yule, for the holiday fire. A small piece from last year's log is used to light the fire. The lighting of the fire was a festive family event, to hurry the return of the sun. Charred pieces from the fire would be kept to protect the house through the coming year. The woods most often sought for the Yule log were birch, oak willow or holly. Today, the Yule log is sometimes represented as a log cake instead. Or a small log is decorated with candles. The burning of the Yule log is a well-known tradition, but it's not often done outside of the Pagan community anymore.

Kissing Under Mistletoe - The roots of this habit are unknown, but is likely tied with the fertility aspects of mistletoe and that it was viewed as a bringer of peace by the Druids.

And Santa is the Holly King.

Answer 3

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas combines the celebration of Jesus' birth with various other traditions and customs, many of which were influenced by ancient winter festivals such as Yule[1] and Saturnalia. Christmas traditions include the display of Nativity scenes and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, giving, compassion, and quality family time.

Christmas Day falls on December 25. It is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some countries is followed by Boxing Day on December 26. Some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, which corresponds to December 25 on the Julian calendar. December 25 as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not thought to be his actual date of birth.[2]

Christmas is celebrated in most countries around the world, owing to the spread of Christianity and Western culture, along with the enduring popularity of wintertime celebrations. Various local and regional Christmas traditions are still practiced, despite the widespread influence of American and British Christmas motifs disseminated by film, popular literature, television, and other media.

Answer 4

I'm not insulted or offended, just overwhelmed. It is rather a long story, already more than 2,000 years in the telling and not yet completed. I'm sure you'd love it, even if you found it hard to believe, but there just isn't enough time to tell it to you right here and now and do it justice.

Answer 5

It is a symbolic holiday to celebrate the birth of the son of God. I would encourge you to study where the Jewish traditions come from. They seem very silly to us Christians.

Answer 6

Cause it's easier just to buy stuff for people instead of being a devoted and respectful christian all year around.
Jesus also wasn't overweight.

Answer 7

You are correct. The corporations make a lot of money from it.

Answer 8

Humbug.