At the same time, writers such as Charles Dickens reshaped the cultural meaning of the holiday. Dickens’s works, especially “A Christmas Carol,” emphasized themes of family, generosity, compassion, and moral renewal. This new vision of Christmas as a warm, domestic, and socially conscious celebration helped transform public attitudes and largely erased memories of its earlier excesses and controversies.
One of the most enduring questions about Christmas concerns the choice of December 25 as the date of Jesus’s birth. The Bible does not specify a date, and early Christians proposed many alternatives. Around the year 200, Clement of Alexandria noted that different Christian groups suggested dates ranging from March and April to November and January. The eventual selection of December 25 appears to have been influenced by a combination of theological symbolism and cultural adaptation.
In the Roman calendar, December 25 was associated with the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, after which daylight gradually increases. This period was already marked by popular pagan festivals celebrating the rebirth of the sun. One such celebration honored Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun,” whose cult was widespread in the Roman Empire. By choosing December 25, Christian leaders may have sought to reinterpret existing solar symbolism, presenting Christ as the true light of the world who overcomes darkness.
