How much better it would have been if the bishops, at some point, had realized that people ought to be taught that what is written in the Scriptures is allegory and symbolism, because that is the only way that we can approach the Almighty, whom our minds cannot grasp.  If only we had been taught, a long time ago, that the Nativity story was simply theorizing, and based on symbolism and mythology (but good mythology, not bad mythology -- for those of you who are already in a dither).  I think that we could see this holiday in a much healthier light, and it would avoid some of the questions, like the ones raised when we talk about Joseph's dilemma.  Yes, Jesus had to be born, but are the exact details of that birth so important to us?  Is not the symbolism more important?  The fact is that most of us believe that God can do anything that God wills, so why can we simply not be willing to accept some mystery into our spiritual life?