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What is the history of the Christmas feast?

Though there is no evidence that the first Church celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, verification gleaned from homilies by St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ephraim the Syrian, St. Ambrose of Milan, and other early Church Fathers of the 4th century reveal that the celebration of the Nativity Feast began in the first few centuries. 
 
After her pilgrimage in search and discovery of the holy cross in Jerusalem in the 4th century, tradition reveals that St. Helen the empress built a church at the Cave of Bethlehem, which was recognized as the birthplace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The righteous emperor Constantine, her son, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century, and later beautified this church after her death. Other documents reveal that Emperor Theodosius, 438 AD, and Emperor Justinian, 535 AD, made the celebration of the Nativity of Christ universal decreed by law. Nicephorus Callistus, a 14th century writer, acknowledged that Emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout the world by the 6th century.
 
The actual, conclusive date of the Lord’s birth is still unknown. Some in the early Church believed it was in May, while others, predominantly in the west, supposed the date to be in the winter. Nevertheless, the early churches all over the world reached an agreement and decided to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ on December 25th, which coincided with the 29th of Koiahk in the Coptic calendar. This date also concurred with a pagan feast, and thus, was most probably replaced by the early Christian community. The fact that December 25th and January 7th fell on the same day is very significant. The Julian calendar, which is also the Coptic calendar, was introduced in 46 BC. The exact calculation was precise in days, minutes, and seconds. Pope Gregory XIII of Rome introduced the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century, which continues more in popularity till this day. When the reconfiguration of the dates occurred, the two dates for the Nativity Feast varied by two weeks apart. 

Here are two articles, one from the Coptic Orthodox Church, and one from another Orthodox site:
- http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/148/the-glorious-feast-of-nativity-7-january-29-kiahk-/
- https://nativitymonastery.com/home/the-nativity-feast