The holiday of Christmas has its roots in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem in Judea approximately 2,000 years ago. The early Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, as a joyous occasion and eventually began to commemorate it as a religious holiday. As the celebration of Christmas spread throughout the world, it became intertwined with various cultural and secular traditions, such as gift-giving, decorating trees, and eating special meals. Today, Christmas is celebrated by people of many different faiths and backgrounds as a time of love, peace, and goodwill towards all.