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THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS: Christmas is a holiday commemorating of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25th. According to the Bible, Jesus was born to Mary, as*isted by her husband Joseph, in a stable surrounded by fa*m an*mals in the city of Bethlehem. Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger (a feeding trough) because there was no room for them at the inn. The word Christmas originates from the term Christ's Mas*. Some people use the abbreviation Xmas, which is an based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in the Greek word for Christ: Khrīstos (Χριστός). The December 25th date is actually just an estimate of when Jesus was born, the Bible does not give an exact date. It is believed the date for Christmas was chosen in the 4th century by the Church due to the popularity of various ancient winter festivals around that time (less agricultural work needs to be done during the winter so people had more free time), in the hopes of replacing those festivals and encouraging the spread of Christianity through celebration. The first Christmas celebrations were just a simple mas*, but over time Christmas grew in popularity overtaking many of the other cultural holidays throughout the world. Many modern Christmas customs were influenced by the winter festivals it replaced, with traditions such as gift giving, greenery, lights, charity, merrymaking, various foods, and Yule logs (Yule was the name of a Scandinavian winter festival). The first commercial Christmas card was produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843. The name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, in modern-day Turkey, during the 4th century. He was noted for his saintly attributes, such as the care of children, his generosity, and the giving of gifts. His feast on December 6 came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts. He traditionally appeared in bishop's attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about the