5. What evidence is there that Jesus was not born on December 25?

⁵ In many parts of the world, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, which most people think is the date of Jesus’ birth. The Bible does not tell us on what day or even in what month Jesus was born, but it does tell us something about the time of year. Luke wrote that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, “shepherds [were] living out of doors,” caring for their flocks. (Luke 2:8-11) In the month of December, Bethlehem is cold, rainy, and snowy, so shepherds would not have been staying outside with their flocks at night. What do we learn from this? Jesus was born when the weather was mild, not in December. Both the Bible and historical evidence indicate that he was born sometime during the months we now know as September and October.

6, 7. (a) How did many popular Christmas customs begin? (b) What should be our reason for giving gifts?

⁶ So how did Christmas begin? It came from pagan festivals, such as the Roman festival Saturnalia, a celebration dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Encyclopedia Americana says: “Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December, provided the model for many of the merry-making customs of Christmas. From this celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and the burning of candles.” Also, the birthday of the Persian sun-god Mithra was celebrated on December 25.