That Christmas

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Christmas comes just after the middle of winter. The sun is strengthening and the days are beginning to grow longer. For people throughout history this has been a time of feasting and celebration. With the advent of ‘That’s Christmas’, a few shifts in channel numbers across different platforms are bound to happen – and, as usual, it’ll be especially confusing for Freeview viewers. Many Pagan traditions had been brought to Britain by the invading Roman soldiers. These included covering houses in greenery and bawdy partying that had its roots in the unruly festival of Saturnalia. That’s Christmas will be featured on Sky Channel 188 (in place of That’s 70s, and moving from Channel 366).

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke give different accounts. It is from them that the nativity story is pieced together. And, as always – this will require a retune on Freeview (unless your Freeview device does this automatically). That’s TV Channel Changes In previous years, That’s Christmas brought with it The Benny Hill show, Kenny Everett’s New Year Specials, Mike Yarwood’s Christmas Specials, festive musical specials and more. Mike Yarwood (Photo: That’s TV)The festive season is upon us and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with another dedicated Christmas channel? The telling of the Christmas story has been an important part of the Christianisation of Christmas. One way that the Christmas story has been maintained is through the crib, a model of the manger that Jesus was born in. The Gospels do not mention the date of Jesus' birth. It was not until the 4th century AD that Pope Julius I set 25th December as the date for Christmas. This was an attempt to Christianise the Pagan celebrations that already took place at this time of year. By 529, 25th December had become a civil holiday and by 567 the twelve days from 25th December to the Epiphany were public holidays.

Advent wreaths are popular especially in churches. They are made with fir branches and four candles. A candle is lit each Sunday during Advent. The arrival of ‘That’s Christmas’ isn’t just a one-off; it mirrors a broader trend within the broadcasting landscape where channels adapt their programming or introduce new channels to celebrate the festive season. Matthew tells us about some wise men who followed a star that led them to Jesus' birthplace and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Luke tells how shepherds were led to Bethlehem by an angel.Medieval Christmas lasted 12 days from Christmas Eve on 24th December, until the Epiphany (Twelfth Night) on 6th January. Epiphany comes from a Greek word that means 'to show', meaning the time when Jesus was revealed to the world. Even up until the 1800s the Epiphany was at least as big a celebration as Christmas day. Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives and because of this they had a great reverence for, and even worshipped, the sun. The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. It was from the word for this wheel, houl, that the word yule (another name for Christmas) is thought to have come. At Winter Solstice the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale. Motayor, Rafael (June 14, 2021). "Simon Otto to Helm Animated 'That Christmas' Adaptation, Based on Books by 'Love Actually' Writer". Collider. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021 . Retrieved June 14, 2021. For the tree to look as good as it can on Christmas Day, buy it as near to Christmas as you can - although this year a lot of people seem to be putting them up much earlier than before.