Well, one way to put it is that the overall probability of a false negative is 0.27%, which doesn't seem too bad, but the conditional probability of a false negative given that it's Christmas is 100%, which is horrid. -- IByte ( talk) 22:37, 2 December 2019 (UTC) In America, interest in Christmas had been revived in the 1820s by several short stories by Washington Irving which appear in his The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and "Old Christmas". Irving's stories depicted harmonious warm-hearted English Christmas festivities he experienced while staying in Aston Hall, Birmingham, England, that had largely been abandoned, [144] and he used the tract Vindication of Christmas (1652) of Old English Christmas traditions, that he had transcribed into his journal as a format for his stories. [106] A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph Tidemand

All Jewish people had to be counted so the Roman Emperor could determine how much money to collect from them in tax. Those who had moved away from their family homes, like Joseph, had to return to have their names entered in the Roman records. The Romans also held a festival to mark the Winter Solstice. Saturnalia (from the God Saturn) ran for seven days from 17th December. It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants. The festival also involved processions, decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles and giving presents. By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. Well it’s been proven that putting up Christmas decorations makes us happier (with the nostalgia of our childhood memories raising our spirits). And many believe that thinking about the cold when it’s hot, or vice versa, can help balance our internal temperature. So we could argue there’s a scientific basis for Christmas in July celebrations..! Local businesses come together to organise the annual Christmas in July festivities in Ormond Beach Florida. With shopping and dining offers aplenty, family friendly activities and a visit from Santa himself, there’s more than enough festive spirit for any Christmas enthusiast! For more information, head to Ormond Beach Main Street. Put-in-Bay, Ohio Christmas In July

What's Open or Closed?

It may be Randall uses Server-Time, and not client-time like isitchristmas.com - Also, in the official Calendars, there are two Christmas days, first and second day of Christmas. I think Randall went only for the gifting day, which is different in many countries anyway. My kids get there presents on Christmas eve (24 December), their friends mostly on 6 December (Sint Nicolas) (or the evening before). 141.101.77.62 07:45, 3 December 2019 (UTC) Based on his 99.73% accuracy comment, I assume the comic is a static image, and will always show "NO", even on Christmas day. I think that is the whole joke, that his comic is correct 364 (+ leap days) of the year, when it is not Christmas. 172.69.34.158 08:23, 3 December 2019 (UTC) In fact, in most settings where a single outcome is a lot more common than any other one, predicting always that most common outcome would yield very high accuracy without any usefulness. It isn't hard to find examples even more accurate than Randall's: Some jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, including those of Russia, Georgia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Jerusalem, mark feasts using the older Julian calendar. As of 2023, there is a difference of 13 days between the Julian calendar and the modern Gregorian calendar, which is used internationally for most secular purposes. As a result, December 25 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 7 on the calendar used by most governments and people in everyday life. Therefore, the aforementioned Orthodox Christians mark December 25 ( Protests against consumerism have been made by Christians and non-Christians such as 'Buy Nothing Christmas', encouraging people to spend time with their families instead of spending money on them.

Poinsettia plants are named after Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who brought the red-and-green plant from Mexico to America in 1828. Some traditions surrounding Father Christmas pre-date Christianity. His sleigh, pulled by reindeer, is left over from Scandinavian mythology. The practice of leaving mince pies and a glass of milk or brandy for him on Christmas Eve may be a remnant of Pagan sacrifices made to mark the end of winter and the coming of spring. Some early Christians marked Jesus's crucifixion on a date they deemed equivalent to the 14th of Nisan, the day before Passover in the Hebrew calendar. This feast was referred to as the Quartodeciman (Latin for "fourteenth"). Some early Christian writers equated the 14th of Nisan with the equinox on March 25, and made the date of his conception or birth the same as that of his death. [71] Tertullian (d. AD 220), who lived in Latin-speaking North Africa, dated Jesus's death to March 25. [72]

Also this flowchart: 1723: Meteorite Identification - I am currently to absent-minded to get a proper wording for the relation right. -- Lupo ( talk) 14:57, 3 December 2019 (UTC) Transcript [ edit ] No* *99.73% accurate [Caption below the panel:] xkcd.com presents a new "Is It Christmas" service to compete with isitchristmas.com Trivia [ edit ]

In addition to "Christmas", the holiday has had various other English names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter", [31] [32] or, more rarely, as Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās below). [31] [33] " Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās. [34] In Old English, Gēola ( Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January, which was eventually equated with Christian Christmas. [35] "Noel" (also "Nowel" or "Nowell", as in " The First Nowell") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs) meaning "birth (day)". [36] Interestingly, isitchristmas.com has a link to this XKCD at the top. Is this worth noting? 173.245.54.43 01:16, 26 December 2019 (UTC) Make a trip somewhere it’s Christmas all year long. Whether it’s a trip towards the Arctic, to a year-round Christmas shop for some early browsing or even to a Christmas Cottage!The Church attempted to curb Pagan practices and popular customs were given Christian meaning. Carols that had started as Pagan songs for celebrations such as midsummer and harvest were taken up by the Church. By the late medieval period the singing of Christmas carols had become a tradition.

No. There is nothing statistic here. It is just 1/365 giving the error percentage. That the explanation goes into statistics to tell how bad this version of is it x-mas is, does not make the comics topic statistics -- Kynde ( talk) 21:01, 3 December 2019 (UTC) Post-classical history The Nativity, from a 14th-century Missal; a liturgical book containing texts and music necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year Steven Hijmans of the University of Alberta wrote: "It is cosmic symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the southern solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the northern solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception". [58] The Christian treatise De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae ('On the solstice and equinox conception and birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ and John the Baptist'), [59] from the second half of the fourth century, [60] dates John's birth to the summer solstice and Jesus's birth to the winter solstice. [42] [61]Various factors contributed to the choice of December 25. It was the date of the winter solstice in the Roman Empire, [42] [16] [53] [54] Christmas emerged during "the peak of state-sponsored sun worship" in the empire. [55] where most Christians lived. Since AD 274, the Roman festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of Sol Invictus, the 'Invincible Sun') had been held on December 25. [42] The early Church linked Jesus Christ to the Sun and referred to him as the 'Sun of Righteousness' ( Sol Justitiae) prophesied by Malachi. [51] [56] The early Christian writer Lactantius wrote "the east is attached to God because he is the source of light and the illuminator of the world and he makes us rise toward eternal life". It is for this reason that the early Christians established the direction of prayer as being eastward, towards the rising sun. [40] A late fourth-century sermon by Saint Augustine explains why the winter solstice was a fitting day to celebrate Christ's birth: Today, only around 60 percent of people in the UK are Christian but Christmas remains the biggest holiday in the calendar. It is a largely secular holiday, with the main element the exchange of gifts on Christmas day. Later in the day, people may attend special church services, even if they do not usually go to church. Nearly everyone prepares and eats a special meal. This often includes roast turkey, potatoes and parsnips, and other vegetables. After the main course, Christmas pudding is often eaten. This is a heavy steamed, dense, cake-like pudding filled with dried fruit and nuts. Burning brandy is often poured over it as it is served, giving a spectacular effect. Mince pies are also popular on Christmas Day. They are sweet pastry cases filled with a mixture of dried fruit, fat and alcohol. Public Life