Following on from Keith’s PS3 festive top 10 comes the Xbox 360 list. Remember these are suggestions on what to buy this Christmas so the list is mainly focused on recent-ish releases. Anyway, let’s go. In no particular order these are the Gamesblog Top 10 Xbox 360 games to buy this Christmas…

Fifa 10 / PES 2010
Ah, the great football game debate. I really couldn’t choose between them and which ever one you decide on your footy-loving 360 owner should be happy. Having said that there are some differences. Fifa is slower, more methodical and more realistic. It also has all the right teams and players, even if the likenesses are still scarily off at times. PES has better player likenesses and animations but more importantly plays a faster more fluid game on the pitch. Fifa has more online options, PES has more exciting goalmouth scrambles. I’d still go with PES if I really had to choose but this one is too close to call. (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…)