What is Christmas really about?

I find it ironic that some people who celebrate Halloween also want to spread the rumor that Christmas was not originally about Jesus (especially those who do so with a Christmas tree and nativity scene up in their homes).  Christmas has always been about Jesus' birth.  

Christmas has not always been celebrated on December 25th - religious leaders could not agree on a date.  According to the History Channel, Pope Julius I chose December 25th - and the holiday was then called the Feast of the Nativity.  Other sites credit other people with selecting the date, but all the sites I found agree Christmas was originally called The Feast of the Nativity.  

It is commonly held December 25th was chosen for Christmas to absorb the many pagan celebrations that centered around the winter solstice.  However certain sites paint a vastly different scene on why and how the holiday was celebrated than other sites.  The sites I keep seeing people point to say the exact same same thing about how bad Christmas is and the masses don't know what we are really celebrating.  I do not trust various websites that are verbatim because that indicates one person said it and everyone else copied it.  

Other than the verbatim sites, all the sites I found indicate Christmas was an attempt to lead people to Christianity.  While the Middle Ages did not do this well (many Christians did end up following some of the pagan traditions of partying the week leading up to Christmas), I do not think we can assume everyone back then who celebrated Christ's birth on December 25th fell into Satan's snare.  

The fact is Christmas was always meant to point people to Christ.  Yes, it was chosen to be celebrated on the last day or in the middle of many other celebrations.  The day chosen to officially celebrate Christmas was deliberately placed in December to try to bring more people to Christianity.  What better way to show a lot of people Who you worship than to celebrate Him at the time so many of them are out celebrating their god or enjoying their feasts?  

Side note: Saturnalia was not the only pagan holiday held at that time, and it was not even the first.  I wish people would quit saying that Christmas started as Saturnalia; it simply isn't true. Christmas was started as a different holiday intentionally celebrated at the same time as Saturnalia as well as other pagan holidays.

Isn't that what we are supposed to do today - be where the people who need to hear about Christ are?  If we hide in our homes and churches and never venture out where we might see "pagans," we can never share the hope of Christ.  We are to be in the world, not of the world.  That means be where the nonbelievers are but not live like them.  We can love and care for them so they can see Christ in us.

If you choose to celebrate Halloween, that is your decision.  But please don't condemn me for celebrating Jesus' birth in December.  I do not celebrate the ancient pagan traditions, and I know it is highly doubtful that Jesus was born on December 25 - no one knows his birthdate.  I am simply remembering what my Savior did for me and celebrating that He lived and giving gifts to those I love in remembrance of His gift to me at a time that we can all stop and do so together.

Christians should be supporting each other; we are called to encourage and equip each other.  Why do we feel the need to tear each other down and dissect every little detail of what we each do?  Why do we try to get the splinter out of our brother's or sister's eye when we cannot see for the log in our own?

It does not matter how we each choose to celebrate for ourselves the life of Jesus (well, as long as our celebration is not of a sinful nature but rather honors Him).  The point is that we remember that He was born, lived a sinless life, died as a sacrifice for our sins, and on the third day defeated death and rose from the grave and is alive today.