The History of Christmas Part 1

Circa 6 A.D. (In the year of our lord)

Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire. He was a brilliant politician and statesman. His wise decision making as a ruler brought unprecedented peace. In fact, Caesar Augustus was also known as the 'prince of peace.'
Rome, if you didn't know, was a conglomerate of peoples. Rome spread throughout the world by conquering and annexing its neighbors. At the time of Caesar Augustus Rome had already annexed Egypt and Syria respectively. In 6 A.D. Caesar Augustus received a request from the land of Judea (Israel) to be formally annexed into the Roman Empire. Judea had already been dominated and controlled by Rome. This request was really to legalize what had already occurred.
Romans did not like the idea of governing Judea due to the constant unrest and disputes between the Jews and the Greeks who populated the land. There were also disputes between the different sects of Jews at that time: Samaritans, Pharisees, and Sadducee's. Judea was a nightmare to govern, and Rome had put off governorship of the area for as long as it could.
Judea represented a strategic area for Rome. Through Judea, Rome could protect itself from attack from the Iranian Empire, which was a powerful enemy. Also, Rome could gain access to valuable Middle Eastern grain through Judea. Thus, Caesar Augustus granted the request and Judea formally became a Roman territory.
Caesar Augustus, being a shrewd leader, would tax all of the Roman territories through a census. Every man would return to his hometown to be counted, assessed and taxed.
All of these facts can be researched and verified. Judea was annexed by Rome. Rome initiated a tax. Every Jew and Greek in Judea went home to be counted and to pay taxes.
Joseph was a Jew living in Judea at this time. His wife Mary was pregnant, but he was not the father. Joseph and Mary travelled to his home town of Bethlehem to be counted and taxed.