“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Gift giving, family gatherings, school breaks, days off from work and the college bowl season starts. Americans have fallen in love with the season. But, with the good always comes the bad. During this season suicides and crime increase. Then don’t forget about the commercialization, greed, and envy that rules this season as well. Fights in stores over towels and toys. Stabbings and shootings in store parking lots have become all too common. One could write a series of books of all that is wrong with this season. Then don’t forget about all the false doctrine or untruths in which the season is even built on. Here is a list of four falsehoods about this season.

First, Jesus was not born on the 25th of December: The one whom we know as Jesus was not born on the 25th of December at year 1 AD. This date was adopted as the official birth date of Jesus by some in 336 A.D., and it was a 6th-century monk named Dionysius Exiguus who came up with the idea of splitting history into B.C. and A.D. at what he thought was the year of the birth of Christ. About the date, there is simply no historical evidence that suggests Jesus was born then. Matter of fact when the church in Rome in 354 held their first “Christmas” feast, it was not the birth of Jesus they celebrated but the baptism of Jesus. Anyhow, there is no evidence when Jesus was born, and the little evidence we do have typically pretty much rules out the month of December altogether. About the year, the Bible teaches us that Herod the Great was king when Jesus was born, and historical records prove that Herod died in 4 B.C. The Bible also teaches that a census was taken when Jesus was born, Luke 2:2. Historical documents prove that the census took place during the governorship of Quirinius in 6/7 B.C.

Secondly, There were not three wise men: Matthew is the only gospel account that records the visit of the Magi. And in Matthew’s account in chapter 2, no number of wise men is mentioned at all. The assumption is this tradition started based on the number of gifts given to our Lord’s family.

Thirdly, The spelling “Xmas” for Christmas is not taking Christ’s name out of Christmas: Christmas has been spelled Xmas by religious scholars for way over 1,000 years. X is indicating the Greek letter “Chi” which is the first letter in the Greek name of Christ, Χριστού. Scholars have spelled Christmas and Christians as Xmas and Xians for centuries as a form of shorthand. Nothing malicious about the use at all. Maybe in recent history, some, in their minds, have perverted the usage of “Xmas” to “X” out Christ from Christmas. But, just because someone misrepresents something good doesn’t mean we should drop what is good.

Fourth, Christmas is not a religious holy day: The New Testament does not command, nor does it give an example of the early church celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was not until almost 300-400 years later that geographical pockets of the church recognized and celebrated His birth in some form. In the New Testament, we read it is His death, burial, and resurrection we are to commemorate. And the Bible teaches us that is what the early church did, and they did upon the first day of the week, Acts. 20:7; 1 Cor. 11.