Though an overwhelming amount of the U.S. population observes Christmas (documented estimates ranging from 95% to 98% of the population), who really knows what the word Christmas symbolizes? How has it become quite the popular Holiday? And why has it become the world’s biggest economic staple in so many of the world’s nations? CHRISTMAS, in fact, began from a contraction, Christ’s Mass.
In an article simply titled "Christmas" (from The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1949): "CHRISTMAS (the ‘Mass of Christ’) … Clement of Alexandria (about 200 AD) mentions several speculations on the date of Christ’s birth, and condemns them as superstitious… The exact day and year of Christ’s birth have never been satisfactorily settled. When the Fathers of the Church in AD 340 decided upon a date to celebrate the event, they wisely chose the day of the Winter Solstice, which was firmly fixed in the minds of the people, and which became their most important festival."
The article "Christmas" within Encyclopedia Americana (1946) reports a relative account: "CHRISTMAS, the ‘Mass of Christ’… In the 5th century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the Birth of Sol (the Sun)… Among the German and Celtic tribes, the Winter Solstice was considered an important point of the year, and they held their chief festival of Yule1 to commemorate the return of the burning-wheel (the sun)." These two accounts are completely factual and indifferent accounts.
Others try to create havoc, in regard to celebratory governmental allocations, media, advertising and various secular environments, and start controversy by creating disagreement surrounding the celebration or acknowledgment of the Christmas Holiday. Many critics have tried to exploit and condemn, while others have tried to rationalize and sanctify this tradition. Many other critics have tried to discount the heritage of this monumental holiday alike. Aside from the tactless lure of groups and associations who attempt to establish reason to point out fault or otherwise attack the fallacious premise of any other group’s alteration or appropriating of traditional folklore for means of factual knowledge or entertainment, the benevolent theory with the most authority and foundation insists that Christmas is celebrated on December 25th for the sake of it being, or at least within a couple days of being, the shortest day of the year. Since every day after this date will flourish and be longer, this actual celebration is of the "re-birth" that follows; the blossoms spread, and the plants and flowers, fruits and vegetables — in essence, the life of the Earth will begin again — the revitalization will only prosper from here.
That is why this is the date of this celebration. This is the starting point. A new beginning. The alpha, the start of the next count-down, square-one from which all life will prosper and spring forward. This is the point of re-birth, the building block from which everything will flourish until the following August or Spring, when we will begin to long for this holiday once again.
