Throughout the 20th century, the United States experienced what became known as the Christmas controversies over the nature of the day, and its dual status as a religious feast day and a secular holiday of the same name.

The importance of the economic impact of the secular Christmas holiday was reinforced in the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed moving the Thanksgiving holiday date to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy during the Great Depression.

Religious leaders protested this move, with a New York Times roundup of Christmas sermons showing the most common theme as the dangers of an increasingly commercial Christmas.

Some considered the U.S. government’s recognition of Christmas as a federal holiday to be a violation of the separation of church and state. This was brought to trial several times, recently including in Lynch v. Donnelly (1984) and Ganulin v. United States (1999). (more…)

The Nativity of Jesus refers to the Christian belief that the messiah was born to the Virgin Mary. The story of Christmas is based on the biblical accounts given in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18-Matthew 2:12 and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26-Luke 1:56.

According to these accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem.

The birth took place in a “stable”, surrounded by farm animals, and the infant Jesus was laid in a manger. Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child.

Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfilled many prophecies made hundreds of years before his birth. (more…)

What do the doors of Advent calendars conceal ?

Chocolates, sometimes, or toys. Sometimes there are illustrations of chocolates and toys.

And holly. And snow. Things that make Christmas Christmas.

Derek McCormack’s Christmas Days is an Advent calendar in words and images.

The chapters are doors, each wittily illustrated by Seth, and each offering a behind-the-scenes look at the making of something quintessentially Christmassy.

Wrapping paper, toy stockings, tree stands. When did they become part of Christmas ? Where were they made? Who made them ?

A blend of history and reportage, Christmas Days includes a cast of incredible characters and a sampling of festive holiday treats from the past and present.

During the Reformation, some Protestants condemned Christmas celebration as “trappings of popery” and the “rags of the Beast”. The Roman Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in an even more religiously oriented form.

Following the Parliamentary victory over King Charles I during the English Civil War, England’s Puritan rulers banned Christmas, in 1647.

Pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities, and for several weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans.

The Restoration of 1660 ended the ban, but many of the Nonconformist clergy still disapproved of Christmas celebrations, using Puritan arguments. (more…)

Pre-Christian origins

A winter festival has been a traditional festival in many cultures due to the winter solstice. In part, the Christmas celebration was created by the early Church in order to entice pagan Romans to convert to Christianity without losing their own winter celebrations.

Most of the most important gods in the religions of Ishtar and Mithra had their birthdays on December 25. Various traditions are considered to have been syncretised from various winter festivals.

Christian origins

It is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became associated with Jesus’ birth. The New Testament does not give a specific date. Sextus Julius Africanus popularized the idea that Jesus was born on December 25 in his Chronographiai, a reference book for Christians written in AD 221. (more…)

Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus’ birth with various secular customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. The date as a birthdate for Jesus is traditional, and is not considered to be his actual date of birth.

In most places around the world, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25. Christmas Eve is the preceding day, December 24. In the United Kingdom and many countries of the Commonwealth, Boxing Day is the following day, December 26.

In Catholic countries, Saint Stephen’s Day or the Feast of St. Stephen is December 26. The Armenian Apostolic Church observes Christmas on January 6, while certain old rite or old style Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, the date on the Gregorian calendar which corresponds to 25 December on the Julian Calendar. (more…)

Since he’s inevitably the most difficult person to buy electronics for, we’re doling out suggestions for him first, hopefully giving you enough time to drop numerous hints and have potential gift ideas rejected.

And if you’re the him in question, well, feel free to pass this guide along to friends and family with a wink and a nudge.

Microsoft Sidewinder mouse - The venerable Sidewinder gaming brand returns this year, as Microsoft’s new high performance gaming dons its mantle, along with variable DPI settings up to 2000 (with LCD), macro buttons, 180 degree turn, and the usual weights. (more…)