Wikipedia has information about the origin of the celebrations of the Pagans. The day was later taken over by the celebration of the birth of Christ (which was NOT on December 25th). That is the reason we still celebrate this day.

I don’t think that anyone owns Christmas and gets to decide what it’s “really about”. I’m not Christian, but I find that if you can get beyond the crass commercialism (a big “if”), there’s beauty in how Christmas gets us in the mindset of thinking about what we can do for others. Whether or not you attach a religious narrative to that, it’s a truth that we tend to be happier when we look outside of ourselves and consider ways to make others happier. It would be great if we could do that all the time, but we need to be prompted every now and then. I can’t imagine that Jesus would have objected.

I am not religious and don’t believe in God but I still celebrate Christmas. To me, it’s about giving to others and appreciating the loved ones you have already in your life.

Each year, I give my time to either picking up the holiday shifts at the hospital that no one wants or I’ll volunteer at hospice. That is my way of giving back.

@seekingwolf @thorninmud That’s the true importance of Christmas. Giving back and helping others.

It is a Christian celebration and acknowledgement of the birth of Jesus Christ.

As stated above, nobody knows for sure when Jesus was born, or even if he was. Most of the original record was destroyed by natural decay of papyrus, or burning. Most of what we know about what happened 2000 years ago comes from copies, and copies of copies, of the originals. Many of these were subject to error, or editing, depending on the politics of the time, and the attitude of the scribes that did the copying.

It was incorporated into a Roman pagan Winter Celebration, which is where the partying,decorations and gift giving comes from.

Possibly, because of the mix of mysticism, and the nature-centered paganism, there is a distinct secular componant to Christmas.

Lots of non Christians, like me, celebrate it because it is family oriented and fun.

Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. While some symbols of Christmas are derived from other festivals of that time from cultures through the ages, most of the songs, traditions and symbols of Christmas are related to the celebration of Christ’s birth (such as the star on the top of the tree representing the star the wise men followed to Bethlehem, and gift giving is a representation of the gifts given to Jesus by the wise men).

The exact date of Christ’s birth is unknown, but it has come to be celebrated on December 25th. While that date somewhat coincides with other ancient festivals (some of which were considered ‘Pagan’), the true dates of those celebrations are also unknown and any correlations between the two are just as speculative as surmising Christ’s birthday.

But the date and corresponding mish-mash of secular infusions to the holiday are all only peripheral to the central focus of Christmas which is encompassed well in one verse concluding the Christmas story in the Bible: “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, peace and good will toward men.” – Luke 2:14

The cynic in me thinks its an excuse for people to spend vast quantities of money on gifts to keep the economy going.

I won’t go into the personal religious significance.
I think ritual in society is important. It grounds us. It ties us to our ancestors, it adds a rhythm to life.
In ancient cold hard winters when the harvest had been stored it gave people something to prepare for and do. A reason to celebrate in the midst of an unproductive time of year. I’m not familiar with medieval rituals but I’m assuming that the winter feast was a time to consume all the food that would not keep for the rest of the winter. A time of feasting. It offered a light of hope in the darkness of winter.
Today it has been hijacked by capitalism but still, seasonal traditions, in my opinion are important to tying us to our history and maintain our need for family (tribal) bonds.

Many old school Christian protestant denominations do not celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday. It’s about being anti-Catholic, as Christmas is a huge Catholic holiday and does not actually correspond to the time people believe that Jesus was actually born. (People say it was closer to Easter)

I went to a church that didn’t believe in celebrating it as a Christian holiday, but we celebrated it as a secular holiday. No nativity scenes, no baby Jesus ornaments. Some people wouldn’t even put a star on their tree because of the significance of a star in the religious Christmas story. Christmas was not mentioned at church, even.

I read somewhere that the Church of England was VERY anti-Catholic and did not celebrate Christmas at all until Queen Victoria made a big to-do with it because of her German husband. (I assume he was Lutheran, but I don’t know.)

I do not celebrate Christmas and it holds no importance for me. I was raised in a devout Christian household, and we participated in the church’s activities around the holiday. Now that I am a non-theistic agnostic and my child is an adult, I choose to forgo the religious and commercial aspects of the holiday, and enjoy a day off to relax.

Christmas got it’s name from the celebration of the birth mass for Christ, but over time, it grew to prominence by advertising/sales pressure to buy gifts and decorations.

This same pressure is spreading to other holidays, with decorations growing more and more prevalent. In my neighborhood, people are now decorating the outside of their houses for many different holidays, plus hanging flags for each month or season.

That love is stronger than hatred. That forgiveness is healthier than revenge. That generosity is better than greed.