Christmas is that time of year where most people seem to go over the top on food and drink. It is also that time of year when children look forward to that man in red coming down the chimney pot with a sack full of gifts.
In my house when i was younger Christmas was all of these things (with out the drink) and it was probably the same as many homes across the UK, with a tree in the corner and light up at the window. But there was something different about our family Christmas, not a unique thing but maybe a rare thing.
Being a Christian home we would always know the true meaning of why we celebrated Christmas in our house. It wasn't because we all got a week off, or that it was a time for partys and lots of nice food. No in our house it was about the birth of Jesus.
Christmas is a christian festival and I know many will disagree with that saying its a Pagan thing and that where it comes from. OK I agree the 25th of December was a date for Pagans to mark
the birthday of the unconquerable SUN god, (variously know as Tammuz, Mithra, Saturn, Adonis or BAAL) centuries before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.
However, Willian Booth (Founder of the Salvation Army) but music high on the list of things he enjoyed, he introduced music into his church and it played an important part of worship. One day at a service at a theater a man stood up on stage and sang a song ''bless his name he sets me free'' Wiliam Booth enjoyed it so much he went to talk to the man after the service ''Whats the tune'' asked Booth, the man hung his head almost in shame infront of General and founder William Both. ''Champagne Charlie'' replied. ''THATS IT'' Cried Booth, ''Why Should the Devil have all the best tunes''.
The words ''Champagne Charlie is his name'' had been replaced with ''Bless his name he sets me free'' and William Booth had heard and seen people responding to this tune with new lirics and it didn't mater what the tune was because the liric's where the most important.
So what difference does it mater what time of year it is. Christians have made 25th of december a Day to celebrate Jesus being born, the son of God entering this world. If the Pagans did take Christmas day as there own then Christians Took it back and good came from it. ''Why should the Devil have all the best dates''
It doesn't say a date in the bible when the whole nativity came together in that stable, infact Jahovah Witnesses celebriate the birth of Jahovah around April time and celebrate the whole life of Jesus to co inside with the Death of Christ at Easter, but hey what the Pagans did was pick a date that became well known for the Christians to make it their own and for good..
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