When was Christmas first celebrated? How did December 25 become its date? How did the Bible's "magi from the East" become three kings named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar who rode camels from three different continents to venerate the newborn Christ? Why did medieval and Renaissance artists so frequently portray Joseph as an old man? When did the first Christmas music appear? Who was the real St. Nicholas, and how did he become the most famous of all Christian saints? Professor Kelly ably answers such questions in this concise and readable account on the origins of Christmas. Book jacket.