Why Christmas in December?

It sometimes seems to me that Christmas comes at the wrong time of year.  I mean, the year is ending, winter is arriving, money is tight, the calendar is jam-packed (of course it is in May and June too if you have kids), and the days are short.  Wouldn't it be better in the summer, when the days are long, we seem to have more energy, and we think we have more money?  And everybody knows, if they are celebrating the birth of Christ and not just Santa, that He wasn't really born in December.  So why have it now?

The more I think about it though, the more it makes sense.  The year IS ending, so I tend to be more reflective and more receptive to the wonder of His birth.  Winter IS arriving, the "uncomfortableness" of getting around makes me think of how uncomfortable it was for Mary and Joseph to make a trip by donkey at 8 or 9 months pregnant.  Money IS a bit tight, I can appreciate Joseph's dismay at having to take off work to go get counted by the government.  The calendar IS jam-packed, a reminder that it's never convenient to remember Christ, it is my daily choice.

So I guess Christmas is right where it needs to be after all.

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