We all have our traditions when celebrating the Christmas time of our year. 
We have the date on our calendars all set for the next year at the turn of our calendar year
in January.  So, we would have to agree in this one thing, Christmas time, or as the world has tried to
rename and try to change our beliefs in "Holiday Season" greetings, is a very important part
of the year.
We Americans are the ones who brought Santa Claus into our society and started
a whole different way of perpetuating gift giving through a man that
didn't exist, but made all children exited for the moment they opened
up their eyes on Christmas morning.  We can thank Coca-Cola for his jolly
face and his red costume.

I love Christmas.  It is one of the most endeared parts of the calendar that I hold dear.
First is "Resurrection Day" that all refer to as Easter.
Traditions make me feel warm and fuzzy, but as of late, the truth has been driving
itself into my head and trying to help my heart accept the truth of the Christmas Celebration.

We all look forward to Christmas, even though we have the pressures of the 'traditions of men' to
follow and that of families own personal ones besides the culture we live in.
We celebrate with Santa and presents.  The tradition of 'mistletoe' and caroling
all in the snow.

We have our presents to buy, our cookies to bake, put up the tree with its lights and
collection of ornaments we have over the years and get the house decorated so
that we show our Christmas participation to the world and be the best our
neighborhood has to offer.
It's important too, for those cards to get out to all we love and care about.

 

For those of us that have mixed the traditions of man with the truthful facts of the
Word of God, have done it from, pure ignorance and innocence.  Never thinking
that we were really participating in perpetuating the empty meanings
of the true accounts of the day that we celebrate the birth
of Jesus Christ Our Lord.
 

On December 22, 2007, I was sitting on the couch and decided to go through the Gospels
to read the Scriptures about the accounts of the birth of Jesus.

I know that what we see on TV and what we are raised with, are not the truth of the
Scriptures and I have been compelled to really stop for my own sake, believing what truly
is not Biblical.  This has been a struggle for me personally, because I love the sounds
and traditions of what I was brought up with in knowing Santa, Christmas trees,
stockings, buying presents and getting together with family to celebrate.

So, I found these truths of what we celebrate as the Christmas story.
We find that the times have been clumped together to make one story that we
use in our art and in our Christmas Cards.
With that, I decided to set this page up with the actual facts of the truth of the
"story" of Christmas that we perpetuate with the season.

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Remember this one thing, the Gospels are written through the power of the
Holy Spirit, working through men with divine power to write the accounts
of historical information of the life of Jesus.
The Gospels work together, not contradict one another like some
want to say.  If we all watched an accident, each one of us would see different
things to report to one another.  Some may see the "man had a red shirt".  "No, No,
The shirt was blue."  We see things that are important that others don't.  Does that
make one's account wrong?  No, just that it was observed differently by each one
that saw the accident.
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I started in Matthew and went to the first chapter where it describes
to us about Mary being betrothed to Joseph and before the "knew" each other
(Mary being a virgin), she was found to be pregnant with Jesus by and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18).
Joseph being a just man decides not to take any action toward Mary and by him
being visited by angels, is told in a dream that Mary is with Child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew1:19-21)
Mary was a strong woman and confident.  She was approximately 14 to 15 years old and
for her to accept this position, she had to be a very strong woman for her age.

Prior to this though, Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel, sent by God and told her that she
was highly favored and blessed among all women (Luke 1:28).  Mary was troubled by it, but
she said to the angel, "Let it be to me according to your word.".
She was told that she would give birth to a child and His name would be called JESUS (Luke 1:31).
In Matthew 1:23, the angel told Joseph in his dream that was prophetic in nature from Isaiah 7:14:
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall
call His name Immanuel, " which is translated "God with Us".

Now, after Joseph and Mary were waiting a decree went out into the all world in the
area, by Caesar Augustus to take a census and this required that Joseph take Mary, his betrothed,
with him to his place of birth, the city of David, Bethlehem, because Joseph was
of the lineage of David, not Mary.  Jesus was to be born of the lineage of David and so
that was the importance of Joseph being chosen by God as Jesus' earthly father.

Now, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be registered.  Mary was at the end of her
pregnancy and there is no where in the bible that states that Mary rode
on a donkey.  That is our perception.  They could have walked or had a cart, too.
So, remember, this is an assumption and the mode of transportation that
would have taken more than a week.
 

In Luke 2:7 it says that Mary had her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling
clothes and laid Him in a manger because there wasn't any room in 'the inn'.

This is a manger that the animals would have eaten out of.
www.padfield.com
Now, if you notice in Luke 2:7, it says that 'she brought forth her first born Son'.
This implies that there were more children.  Mary was not a perpetual virgin.  In Matthew 1:25,
it says "and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son."
And he called His name JESUS. (NKJV)
This says that Mary and Joseph did finish out their life together "knowing" one another
in a sexual way and had marital relations and went on to have other children.
In Mark 3:31-32, says that his brothers and his mother came looking for Him.
The people even say to Jesus that his mother and brothers are waiting
outside the place Jesus was sitting.
If Mary had only had Jesus and these were just relatives, then the bible would state
that Mary brought forth her one and only Son.  But it didn't, it said 'her firstborn'.
 

In Luke 2:7, it states that she laid baby Jesus in a manger, that would be a place
that is dug out in stone where they put the food for animals in the
place where they housed animals.
Note:  In Luke 2:8, it says that the shepherds were out in the fields guarding their
flocks.  This is what the shepherds do, through the night when lambing
(birthing) is taking place and they are out all night to protect the
mothers lambing.
Not in Luke 12, it says:  NKJV: "And this will be the sign to you:  You will find
a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
So, we see that this is when Jesus was a baby.
At this time, in Luke 2:15 and 16, the shepherds in the fields were visited
by angels and said to them, "Glory to God in the hghtest, and on
earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  (Is. 57:19).

Verse 16, in Luke 2, it says that the shepherds came hurriedly and
found Mary and Joseph and the BABE lying in the manger.
The shepherds were rejoicing and returned to the fields glorifying
and praising God for what they and seen and heard as it was told to
them by the angels in the field.

Then, in verse 21, it refers to the "Child" for his circumcision.
This is reference to a description, not a chronological description.  Not referring to
age but to the fact that it is THE Child.

Now, after the time of Jesus birth, some Magi (Magicians) saw in the sky, a star.
They were men of wisdom and intelligence that studied the sky and were far
away from where Jesus was born.
They were drawn to the star and decided to follow it.  This trip was started probably, not long
after the birth of Jesus.  The trip probably took a long time, since travel was treacherous
and arduous and there were no roads like we have today.
This trip may have taken the wise men 2 years to travel. 
Now, getting to the wise men.  We have always seen in the pictures and such, 3 Wise Men.
In the bible, there is no reference to the amount of Wise Men there were that
started on that journey and ended up at the place where Jesus was living.
King Herod, knew that it had been prophesied that there would be a King born
and so, he wondered about these Wise Men that had traveled far from the East.

Matthew 2:2-6 says:
2) saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4) And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of
the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5) So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
       6) ‘ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
      For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” (NKJV)
 

If you go to now to Matthew 2:3  You will see the term:  young Child used.  No more
are the following scriptures referred to "a Babe".  He is now referred to as young Child.
Herod, in his panic and paranoia, had a decree to go out and kill all the young male
children under 2 years of age.  This would ensure him of Jesus not surviving.
But, an angel again came to Joseph and in a dream told Joseph to flee to Egypt
to save the life of Jesus from Herods slaughter.
Herod deceived the wise men and told them to search for the young child (Matthew 2:8),
and when they found him, come back to tell him so he too could go and worship him.
Matthew 2:9 refers to:  "the young Child"
Matthew 2:11 says, "And when they had come into the house, they saw the
young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when
they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were also prophetic, speaking of our
Lord's offices of king, priest, and savior.
Gold speaks of His kingship
Frankincense was a spice used in the priestly duties; and
Myrrh was an embalming ointment anticipating His death.)

In Matthew chapter 2, verses 13, 14, 19 & 21there is more reference to Jesus as "young Child".
In Matthew 2:16 there is the reference to Herod killing all the male children
under the age of 2 years old.
So, the Nativity is about the Baby Jesus' birth with the shepherds coming to join in
the celebration of the birth told by the angels and the story of Jesus goes
on 2 years later with the Wise Men, which we have no number of, coming to
worship the Christ Child that was born and laid in a manger, but was now
in a house with Mary and Joseph, living as a toddler.
 

 

in Wrapping up this information, I just want to say, I'm concerned with the way our Christian
Truth's are being eroded slowly from the true meaning of Christmas being named after
our Lord and also being directed so much to materialism and rushing around, taking all
the focus off of Christ and onto men being something for one day of the year that
should be lived out 365 days.
In another way, I think that we only have to blame the men of years past, trying
to override a pagan holiday of the Winter Solstice and trying to cover it with
the story of Christmas taking on some of the pagan traditions.
So, please...remember Christ on this day and make it a purpose in your heart to
bring Christ into every day of your life.  Don't leave your traditions, but remember Christ
in the center of it all and make Him Lord of your life for all the other 364 days
that are left ahead.
Look to the resurrection of Our Lord and know that His birth brought Him down
to this earth from His throne in Heaven to live with us and die for us.

Here are some links that explain the way Christmas was worked in on top
of a Winter Solstice Pagan celebration and other information