No, it is not funny but profound!
The feast of Christmas in the Christian sense, predates 353AD, for we have record of it being celebrated by the Donatists, and they split with the Catholic Church in 312 AD. So it is older. The Pope merely made it official.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Julius picked the date of Dec 25, supposedly from census records. The actual feast that Jesus was born on is much older than that, in fact approx 1500 years older. He was born on Sukkot or the feasts of booths or tabernacles, as John the apostle tells us, "And the word was made flesh and tabernacled among us".
The Christian view of The Feast of the Nativity (Christmas is another strange word that comes from English, and like Easter, has no real connection to the Catholic culture....the official name for Christmas is the "Feast of the Nativity" in the Catholic Church).
It doesn't? I was always taught that it meant Christs Mass, and the Catholic church is the only church I know of besides Orthodox that has a mass. Some interesting things about Christ mas can be found here http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm
This feast followed upon Passover (which has always been observed by Christians, again the official latin Catholic word is "Passover" not Easter another dumb word, pagan, coming from our English roots!!).
Passover to this day always occurs in the same week as Jewish passover....the 14th of Nisan.
The Passover has never been observed by Christians, in fact if you were caught doing so it meant death in 135CE, also included was celebrating the feast of unleavened bread which exemplified the sinlessness of the Messiah was also forbidden by the church. Passover by the word of G-d is always on the 14th of Nissan, it doesn't matter which day of the week it is.
In 150AD, Victor, Bishop of Rome, in the famous Quarto Deciman controversy, decreed that "Easter" Sunday or the feast of the Resurrection, should be observed on the actual Sunday following Jewish Passover, rather than Passover itself. The Hebrew - Catholic custom from the Apostles themsleves in some regions, had been to observe it on the actual Jewish passover holiday, according the Jewish custom with which the apostles had been familiar. Remember St. Paul when he says "Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed, therefore let us keep the feast".
They observed it then because it was commanded to be observed when G-d said to. It was not a "Jewish custom" it was obedience to a commandment of G-d, Jesus followed this commandment every year. Yes, Paul said to keep the feast, he never said to change the day.
Anyhow, the movement of the feast to Sunday, more adequately reflected the Biblical account of the "Lord's Day" and is in hindsight more appropriate than celebrating an "Easter Tuesday" or such....lol....as Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, regardless of the calendar at the time and the actual date of Passover. According to the Bible, Jesus was actually crucified on the day of Preparation for Passover, which is significant in itself, as that is the day the lambs for the passover sacrificial meal were sacrificed in the Temple.
Regardless of the day? or actual date? Instead it is OK to change G-ds appointed times? That is not what the word says.
How this relates to Christmas, is that since Jesus rose from the dead in spring, when the sun was at its vernal equinox (as historially that is when Passover is celebrated).
Not historically, but Biblically, by the law G-d gave in the Torah of when to celebrate his feast of redemption and salvation.
Christians viewed this as God having nature reflect that the "true light" of the world began that Easter morning. Hence from the Resurrection, light begins to overtake darkness in the amount of daylight surpassing darkness each day!
Since Jesus, lived a perfect life, and is Son of God, his life of 33 years did not contain any fractions. (This was early Christian idea). Hence Jesus had to have been conceived on exactly March 25th.....
He then would have have been born on December 25th. Exactly nine months later!
Also, since Christ came into the world at a time of utter darkness, the feast of his birth, should coincide with the darkest period of the year, when the light just begins to increase amid the pervading darkness!
Quite deep really.....this is also why the ancient feastday for Saint John the Baptist is June 21st!
John said, "He must increase, while I must decrease"....hence "John's" light mirrored in the sun, also begins to decrease after June 21st!
cool, eh?
Sounds pretty and nice but it is not Biblical. We know that Jesus was born six months after John and by knowing the courses of Priests in the Temple it can be determined when John was conceived and thus Jesus date of birth can be determined. G-d made specific times of the year and set specific feasts for them in order to teach his plan for the redemption of mankind. By changing it around it is obliterated and all but forgotten.
John was born during Passover, and six months later on the feast of Sukkot or booths or tabernacles, Jesus was born. This is the most happy of all G-ds feasts, it is called the season of our JOY! What more joyous thing could there be than Messiah to be born during this time? It is a commandment that for seven days we are to rejoice before the L-RD in this week. 
Matt
