I cannot imagine a better topic for a final pre-Christmas post than to simply highlight this utterly delightful BBC debate between the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer and Professor Ronald Hutton, a professor of Pagan history at Bristol University, regarding the true nature of Christmas (the discussion begins around the 6:30 mark):
Christmas is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in many countries around the world, even in those whose populations are majority non-Christian.
So what does Christmas actually mean to people in the 21st century?
Has it been secularised in the name of commerce, with people losing the Christian meaning of the festival?
And how many of ancient traditions, both Christian and pre-Christian, are still upheld?
The BBC's Julian Marshall discusses these issues with Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis at the American Family Association, an organisation which promotes the Christian message, and Professor Ronald Hutton, a professor of Pagan history at Bristol University.
If the contrast between Fischer and this erudite, endlessly polite British historian doesn't just make you laugh, then I don't know what will.
