Yes, we all know that much of what we consider part of the Christmas holiday comes from pagan tradition, most notably the tree. And many people realize that “Christ” isn’t a last name; it’s a title that means “king.” (The modern version of Jesus’s name would be something like “Joshua Josephson,” or in the Hebrew tradition “Joshua ben Joseph” or something similar.)

But here’s an AP story about a pastor who knows a bit more about the Christmas holiday, and a religious scholar who actually bothered to check out the American Christmas tradition.

In researching his book, “Christmas: A Candid History,” [religious studies professor Bruce] Forbes discovered that major American denominations–Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Methodists and Congregationalists–either ignored the holiday or actively discouraged it until the late 19th century.

That rejection was rooted in the lack of biblical sanction for Dec. 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth, as well as suspicion toward traditions that developed after the earliest days of Christianity. In colonial New England, this disapproval extended to actually making the holiday illegal, with celebration punishable by a fine.

So next time you hear people whining about ‘respecting the Christmas tradition’ or ‘losing the true meaning of Christmas’ or somesuch, take the time to actually get the facts and you might be surprised.

(Oh, and the New Catholic Encyclopedia says most scholars accepted that “the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar …) because … the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti.”)