Fundamental to Christianity is the concept of God becoming man. The eyewitnesses to Christ, His disciples who later were the apostles, walked with Him and could testify that He was, in fact, a flesh and blood human being. He bled (John 19:34), He cried (John 11:35), He got tired (John 4:6), He sweat (Luke 22:44), He ate food (Matthew 9:11), He got thirsty (John 19:28), and endured everything else that human beings endure.
But as the church began to grow and spread out, it is undoubtedly so that people who had only heard of Jesus were curious about how He had come to the Earth. And certainly some were in the business of discrediting Christianity and coming up with ideas that Jesus did not really come in the flesh. We can see the growing interest of the early church in the birth of Christ by the number of details included in the gospel accounts as they were written.
Mark, the first written gospel account (ca. early 50s A.D.), does not mention the birth of Jesus at all, but the narrative does note that Jesus had a mother and brothers and a hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:1-4). John, written next (my personal belief, in the late 50s A.D.), mentions the Word (the Christ) was with God and was God in the beginning, but the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14). The gospel also notes that the people knew the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (John 7:42). Matthew wrote next (ca. 60-65 A.D.), giving the account of how Christ came to Earth and of Herod's wicked actions against Him. Luke, written lastly (ca. 65 A.D.), gives the most detailed account, telling us about not only Christ's birth but also about that of his cousin John.
It was not until the beginning of the 3rd Century that Christian commentators noted in their writings the growing interest in the time of Jesus' birth. Around A.D. 200, Clement of Alexadria (Egypt) mentioned the interest and noted a few different dates suggested in his day (and he preferred May 20 as the date of Christ's birth) but did not mention December 25 or any celebration associated with the birth of Christ. Origen in Alexandria perhaps a few years later called the practice of celebrating birthdays 'pagan', indicating such a celebration for Christ was unheard of in his day.
It appears that Hippolytus, in his early 3rd Century work, Commentary on Daniel, was the first to advocate December 25 as the Anointed Jesus' birthday, but he was simply trying to work out the chronology of Daniel's prophecies. He believed Christ was conceived on the spring equinox, March 25, and concluded Jesus was born nine months later--December 25. About the same time Julius Africanus as well suggested that Jesus was born on December 25 while others, including Tertullian, believed Jesus was born and died on March 25.
By the late 3rd Century, Roman Emperor Aurelian brought the celebration of several pagan "savior gods" together under one celebration on one holy day--December 25. This further cemented this date as Christ's birth as Christians who were already celebrating Christ's birth that day undoubtedly saw this as a sign and stood up against paganism by declaring December 25 to be the date that the only begotten Son of God was born. By the mid-4th Century, Christ's birth was celebrated in spots on both December 25 and January 6. Writings from the end of the 4th Century show celebrations of the birth of Christ occurred in Constantinople, Rome, Antioch, Nyssa and Iconium. In the mid-5th Century, Sixtus III, the bishop of Rome, instituted a midnight mass the morning of the feast on December 25, and Leo I, his successor, expressed his desire to increase the importance of the feast.
In the 6th Century, Dionysius Exiguus was commissioned to extend the Alexandrian Easter tables as they were set to expire in a few years' time. He set the conception of Jesus on March 25, 753 years after the founding of Rome (1 B.C.), the birth of Jesus on December 25 of that same year, and noted his own year, the year of the consulship of Probius Junior, as anno domini (Year of Our Lord) 525--525 years after the nativity of Jesus. Byzantine Emperor Justinian soon after declared December 25 a legal holiday.
To the church from the 6th Century, March 25 was New Year's Day. In some spots, however, December 25 became the first day of the year. England and northern Europe began their year on December 25, and both Charlemagne (800) and William the Conqueror (1066/67)* were crowned on December 25, the first day of the year. By the time of Gregory (who implemented the Gregorian Calendar that we use today), New Year's Day had moved back to March 25, but, of course, December 25, continued with increasing pomp and circumstance to the present day.
There is evidence for and against December 25 being the actual birthday of Christ, but instead of getting all bent out of shape about whether or not December 25 should be celebrated as such, especially with Christmas trees and lights, and instead of getting upset and suing for our rights when the atheists want us to move our nativity scenes from public property, why don't we take this great opportunity, while the world is so focused on this time of year, to demonstrate the love of God through Jesus Christ to a broken and dying world. December 25 may not be the actual date for the birth of Christ, but it is still a day on which we can celebrate His birth.
* December 25 was the first day of the year 1067, but William immediately moved New Year's Day to January 1, meaning 1066, according to the English of his day, had two December 25's in it.
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