[brent13a]

I'm glad to see someone taking the stage on this other than christians for once.
On a side note:
Originally the Dedication of the Altar the Jewish holiday of Channukah ironically has become almost as unrecognizable as the modern iteration of christmas.
Basically, the Jews of the first century weren't showing up at the Temple Mount to light a menorah and give presents.

The following paper by a Karaite Rabbi gives more in depth historical discussion than your link.....if anyone is interested...... Festival of Dedication or Pagan Fire Festival?

[JewishRighter]

Channuka is only a “modern iteration of christmas” for those who choose to celebrate it that way. However, the lighting of the Menorah does date from very early times, as reflected in discussions dating back to the talmud. True, the Jews didn’t show up at the Temple Mount to light the Menorah and give presents because that was never ordained as the way of celebrating this holiday.

Karaites are a very small minority of Jews (or believed to be Jews) who reject the Oral Law of the Torah (the Mishna and the Talmud, eg.). Traditional Judaism therefore regards their practices as something other than Judaism. Consequently, a Karaite Rabbi is at best a rather dubious source for information on Judaism, even in a historical perspective, since he rejects most of the sources we rely on.

Bottom line: the lighting of the Menorah in Jewish homes to commemorate the miraculous events of the Jewish rebellion against their foreign oppressors and the aftermath, has been around for about 2,000 years. And yes, there are even some customs, predating Christmas, regarding gift-giving, primarily in the form of small amounts of money to children, known as “chanuka gelt”.

[patlin]

Thank you for the link to an unpolluted version of the history of Chanukkah. For someone still young in leaving Christian idolatry, this was a very refreshing historical paper.