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If shepherds were not watching their flock in December then Christ was not born on the 25th of December
Answer to Question 432
Many people say that Jesus' birth couldn't have been in December because in winter Shepherds keep their sheep in the fold or stables. April is usually the time when sheep are kept in the open and watched over because that is when sheep are in labour. I think we all know that the actual date of Christ's birth has been lost to us, but the date doesn't really matter. What is important is that Christ was born and that we celebrate this very special and wonderful event. Originally the Church celebrated Christ's birth on the 6th January together with the feast of Theophany and in the 4th century separated the two feasts placing Christ's birth exactly nine months after the feast of the Annunciation although it has also been suggested that the date was chosen to replace the pagan festival of the sun. The argument with the shepherds doesn't necessarily hold true. If the shepherds were citizens of Bethlehem then they would probably have led their flock to the stables in winter, but if the shepherds were Bedouin who lived in tents then their flock was kept in the open all year round. Also people in the west, who think of all these arguments, should keep in mind that winters in England might be extremely cold at night but winters in our area of the world are usually quite mild and sheep could be left out all night. And one more thing, shepherds do not only keep watch on the flock during the lambing season, but keep watch all year round from thieves and wild animals.
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