The Timing of Christmas and the Criticism Surrounding its Celebration Date

DAY 299 CHALLENGE “Christians are wrong to celebrate Christmas on December 25. Jesus could not have been born then—it would have been too cold for the shepherds to keep their flocks outdoors (Luke 2:8).” DEFENSE There are several problems with this challenge. First, the Catholic Church celebrates Jesus’ birth on December 25, but this is a matter of custom rather than doctrine. It is not Church teaching that this is when Jesus was born (note that the matter isn’t even mentioned in the Catechism). Second, although most Christians today celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, this was ...