It was not until after the middle of the fourth century that Christendom generally celebrated the birth of Jesus with Christmas. Prior to this, the major holiday festival recognized by the early church was Easter, commemorating Christ’s death and resurrection.
Pope Julius I chose Dec. 25 (circa 350 A.D.) to celebrate the Nativity, although the precise reason for this choice is up to debate. The Gospels do not mention an exact birth date and provide scant evidence to help place it otherwise. Ironically, what details they do mention pretty much rule out December. It seems implausible that the census ordered by Augustus Caesar would be conducted in midwinter when mass travel would prohibitively difficult. Nor is it likely that the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks out in fields by night were doing so at that time of year.
It’s commonly believed that Julius chose Dec. 25 to coopt existing and popular pagan holiday celebrations, primarily winter solstice festivals such as Saturnalia and the worship of various Roman gods held to be born on that day.
Ploy or no, it did not take long for Christmas to spread around the world. The holiday was observed in Egypt in the early fifth century and in England by the late sixth. In America, Christmas was celebrated as early as Jamestown. Eggnog, presumably, came along later.
Capt. John Smith famously related an early Christmas celebration shared with the Algonquian Native Americans, “where we were never more merry, nor fed on more plentie of good Oysters, Fish, Flesh, Wild-foule, and good bread; nor never had better fires in England, then in the dry smoaky houses of Kecoughtan.”
Merry Christmas.
