{mosimage}Well, Christmas is only six days away, so the question must be considered…why does Christmas take place on Dec. 25?  Why not the 26th?  or even better, July 28?  Obviously the July date would require amending many traditional Christmas songs…

Oh the weather outside’s delightful, 
You just gotta take a bite-full,
And since the sun makes us glow,
Let It Show! Let It Show! Let It Show!

And elves in shorts is just not a pretty picture… But apart from the obvious reasons, why has Christmas traditionally been celebrated on December 25?  The most commonly heard answer is that the Christians, once legitmized by the Roman Empire, chose Dec. 25 to supplant idolatrous pagan festivals already occuring.  Gene Veith in World Magazine recently wrote an interesting article that seeks to demolish that myth.  If you want more in-depth details on the actual dating, consider reading through Calculating Christmas by William Tighe in the December 2003 edition of Touchstone Magazine.