A Very Old Holiday
When people say,"Merry Christmas" they are conveying good wishes. Some just do not realize that not all are Christians, or for that matter, hold any type of religious beliefs at all. "Happy Holidays" is much better in respecting that not all people are the same.
The Mesopotamians celebrated the winter solstice 4,000 years ago and this celebration may date back as far cave dwellers. It is an astronomical event that has been celebrated for thousands of years.
Many religions attached their stories to this long standing celebration. Christmas varies from the solstice by a few days. This occurred when juluis Ceasar revised the calendar to make it more astronomically accurate. Early calendars needed many revisions before the actual length of an astronomical year was known.
Miracle birth claims are part of almost all relgions, Christians are far from being special in this regard. Just Google 'religions with virgin births' to see a long list.
The signs that state,"Put Christ back in Xmas" would be more historically correct to say,"Put the Stars Back in the Solstice." A good sign might be, "Take the Dollar Out of the Holidays."
Happy Holidays to all.
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