I am a Christian. Considering that the Shepherds were watching their flocks at night... Well safe to say December 25th is not the date of Christ's Birth. The actual date is estimated to be in Spring - around or about Easter time. Yes yes I know, we think of Christmas as Jesus Birthday so Lord forbid if we think of Satan, er I mean Santa and elves and snowmen and all of that other.... stuff. The reality of the matter is that there are two Christmases. The Religious Holiday, and the very secular, very commercial, made in the USA for profit and fun Christmas. Christmas was for a long time a Pagan Holiday - it was Banned in the USA by the Puritans because it was a very "sinful" holiday - more like Marde Gras than anything else. It was "revived" in the Victorian Era by companies, stores to sell products, and Saint Nickolous was turned into a fat man, and The German habit of Cutting down a tree and pulling into the house was spread around the world and a lot of other things to give us the "modern" Christmas. Actually there is the Third Christmas which is perhaps the truest meaning of the holiday. And that is Family. For us relatives from the wide branches of the family tree come together just this one time of the year - our tree has branches in places you have never heard of (and places I even haven't heard of). It is not really a big huge gift giving, buying, breaking our backs sort of thing - it is more of a family reunion sort of thing, instead of waiting for somebody to die to have the get together, we have Christmas. As a Religious Holiday... Again our family tree branches out across the world, cultures, religions, races, sexual orientations, blah, blah, blah. Lets put it this way, its not to hard for one to spin the dreidel, burn a real yule log, look at the baby Jesus in the manger and even light a Kwanzaa candle all at the same time at home for the holidays. Its a family holiday, and if you believe in God one should by all means Thank God as they understand God to be for the gift of family and the gift of life for another year.

Help with what? I'm a Christian, and I see Christmas as multi-dimensional. For those of us that care about the true purpose of celebrating Christ's birth, that meaning runs deeper than the shallow commercialization.

I am not too fussed with the gift giving aspect. AFter all, the Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus.Also, Saint Nicholas, one of the original bases of the present Santa Claus , was renowned for his gift giving to the poor, which is why he became patron of children. Why not share gifts with children, especially those in need? (that is why I support orphanages in Bali) However, the primary reason is Christ's birth. I know December 25 is probably not Jesus' real birthday. I don't know when my father in law was born either (either does he-no one could agree. He was given 3 possibilities!) but the fact is, my father in law was born, and so was Jesus. Dec 25 is the traditional day in Western Europe, not because of pagan solstices, as so many claim, but because it falls 9 months after Mary's Annunciation Day on March 25th. In other Christian traditions, celebrations took place as late as 6th January. The day is not important. The birth is.

As a Christian I don't have a problem with a secularized Christmas, as long as I am free to teach my children that good things come from above--and not from mythological characters who don't exist.

The problem with this whole proposal is that it assumes that Christmas was originally a Christian religious holiday. This is not true. It is pagan in origins, and was adopted and dominated by Christianity. Many pre-Christian, pagan religions celebrated the time around the Winter Solstice with a dying and resurrecting god theme. http://www.origin-of-christmas.com/ If we are going to have a debate about what the season is actually for, and try to "revert" it at all, I think we should revert it to the pagan Yule/Winter Solstice, and let the Christians determine when Jesus was actually born and celebrate that day. Otherwise, people can celebrate the holiday the way that they want and one group of outspoken people can stop pretending to own the season.

No it wouldn't, really. The secular Christmas isn't even called that anymore; it's called the holiday season, and lasts from the end of November until Dec 25th and then suddenly vanishes to be replaced by Valentine's day merchandise in stores. I know people who practically have a nervous breakdown with all the planning an shopping and expense. Anyway, as celebrated in industrialised countries, the day has nothing to do with either Christ or the winter solstice; it's an entirely different holiday (which comes from 'Holy Day', so it's a misnomer, really) concocted by American commercial interests in the late 1800s. Just try and find Christmas cards that actually say 'Christmas!' In December, I still follow Advent traditions and it feels strange to be celebrating anything until we get very close to Dec 25th. Where I grew up, Christmas didn't start until Midnight Mass, and then we had Réveillon, a party in the middle of the night when we could finally end our fast and enjoy all the good food that we had given up. It made it all the more enjoyable because you were anticipating it for 4 weeks, symbolising the anticipation of the birth of the Messiah, as described in the Bible. So I guess my answer would be 'No, it doesn't help because I do not choose to accept that there is any conflict.' Non-Christians have kept the name but not the original spirit and that's all there is to it.

I think that the Christ of Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. I fully enjoy a bright winter holiday, the tree, the presents and the family. As a Christian I would argue the sooner they take religion out of this festival the better.

I am a Christian and quite frankly, I don't see what all the hooplah is about from either side. Christmas actually has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Some Christians make a big deal of people trying to "take Christ out of Christmas" when it is people who put Him in it in the first place. Christ was born into this world just like every other baby...it is only the manner in which he left it that should be celebrated..with his death came the salvation of all mankind.

I am not against celebrating the birth of Christ because although the Scriptures never command us to in a holiday manner(Christmas is a manmade holiday and even has Catholic and Pagan ties to it), they never forbid us to either. I am against Santa Claus(Satan Claus) and Commercialism, and I honestly could care less for Christmas trees even though my family sets them up. I am concerned(as we all should be not just on Christmas but everyday) with the souls of the lost more than anything. -In Jesus' Name. Thank you and may God bless you! :)

No because we'll end up with two outragious over expensive days which shows how greedy humans are