The Germans Invented Christmas? And Why?

If one takes the Bible at face value it is quite clear that Jesus was not born anytime near December 25th. So why did Julius I of Rome pick December 25th as Christ's birthday in 350 AD? For a brief moment last weekend I understood.

A colleague told me the one thing I had to do in Europe was visit a German Christmas Market. "It sounds kitschy," he said, "but it's really wonderful."

He's right, and the problem is I can't describe it in a way that doesn't sound kitschy. But it reminded me why Christmas is the season of wonder.

John Eisenbrey's college roommate Greg Hayes lives in Holland so we met up in Cologne. Despite numerous travel delays we ended up arriving within 5 minutes of each other, and 5 minutes later we were drinking a beer in the snow gazing up at the Cologne Cathedral.

We walked to our hotel (tiny!) and set out for Barberossaplatz (too bad I had shaven). We had trouble getting into clubs but found a meter (of beer)!

and another one...

and maybe some more but there aren't any pictures.

We set out the next morning and wandered around the City- fortunate to have sunny 25-degree weather. It was weird being with a friend of John's who didn't make fun of me for drinking a cappuccino.

We stopped at the Neumarket first. Imagine dozens of wooden stalls selling mulled wine, sausages, holiday ornaments (nothing religious), electric trains, scarves, hats, woodfires burning, lights, music, snow, smiles, cold.

We then headed to the Cathedral, more tourists there.

Sorry- borrowed this picture. No way to get this angle

After a few more meters we headed home.

Walking to the train station the next day we came upon the Alstadt Christmas Market- my favorite yet. I didn't have time for pictures and can't find any on the internet but it was all raw dark wood and ice rinks and evergreen. A good reason to go back.

Christmas is a lot of things to me- some I like, more I don't. I love singing in church with my sister. The lit up arcades in London make the commercial side less galling. Watching "Love Actually" and singing along to Mariah Carey and enjoying how this time of year makes people do crazy, heart-warming, silly things. My cousins picking charities that all connect back to family members.

I haven't missed inflatable reindeer and how Christmas brings out the worst in some families. Or that horrible feeling of waste and over-abundance when all the presents are opened and everyone sits around wondering where they're going to put all the unnecessary crap that their loved ones so carefully selected.

The real reason Christmas is December 25th is bc there were such strong pagan rituals associated with Yule and the Winter Solstice. Those holidays were all about finding a reason to get together and create warmth during the darkest time of the year. For a few brief moments in the NeuMarkt as I wondered at all the happy Germans braving 25 degree temperatures to drink mulled wine and savor light- I felt that most atavistic element of Christmas.

And it's a very good reason to celebrate.