Should we celebrate Christmas in January?

Veronica Zundel believes celebrating Jesus’ birth is vital, but says it doesn’t matter when that happens

No, I’m not confused about which issue I’m writing for. For some countries, Christmas may not yet have happened by the time you get this first magazine of 2026. This is because in the 16th century, when Western nations switched from the old Julian calendar to the new, more accurate Gregorian one, some Eastern Orthodox countries continued to use the old calendar, and so their Christmas fell on what was our 6th or 7th January. In other places, notably Belgium and the Netherlands, the main celebrations and gift-giving happen on 6th December, during the feast of St Nicholas (the original Santa Claus) who was renowned for his generosity (though confusingly, in Eastern Orthodox countries, this feast happens on 19th December!).