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As far as I understand it, most theologians I have heard of attribute Jesus' birth to late March/early April between the years 7-4 BC. This is from astronomical data having to do with the alignment of the planets or some such creating the really bright "star" that was told of.
This isn't to say that can't fit in with someone who believes he is the Son of God - who's to say God did not plan the planets to create a really bright "star" for people to follow, etc, and since man created the calander, there's no reason to believe it's exactly accurate.
On top of Christmas being conveniently placed to avoid conflict with converting pagans, the placement also avoids it coinciding with a much more important Christian holiday - Easter - which is placed at the correct location in the year (using a lunar calander).
Regarding Santa, it's just another bastardization of something that originally had a emotional/spiritual meaning, just like has been done to Christmas as a whole.
Even Christians rarely know these days that the ACTUAL colors of Christmas are purple and pink.
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Le temps détruit tout
"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
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