The shepherds would not have been in the fields with their flocks at that time of year because of the cold weather, and the date of "Christmas" is actually the anniversary of the birth of Tammuz, son of Simaramus, wife of Nimrod, builder of Babel, where Simaramus said her son was a god and of supernatural birth. Either way, however, the sentiment certain people have had in the past has now been adulterated and commercialized to the point where people today spend money they do not have to buy things nobody really needs in order to try to impress or feel close to people many of them do even really like...and I stay as far away from all of that as possible.