So yesterday marked the end of Saturnalia, one of the Roman holidays that Christmas is based upon. Saturnalia normally runs December 17th to December 23 – the Romans knew how to throw a party for their gods. And being that Roman is part of my ancestry – I thought it appropriate to acknowledge the god Saturn and the celebration that ensued.
Now you know I’m an atheist. The above is tongue in cheek. But it goes to show how much Christians hijacked from the Romans, the Pagans, etc. The trees and lights – the Pagans. The gift thing comes from the Romans.
So happy Holidays to everyone, and joyous and prosperous new year.
Spewing Truth in the face of Lies 
Christmas wasn’t even much of a Christian holiday until the mid 1800s. Prior to that, at least here in the US, it was considered vulgar, even irreligious to celebrate it. The Puritans and other Christian faiths tried to stop the celebration completely because they felt it was an excuse for people to engage in inappropriate behavior. In the late 1600s the celebration of Christmas was actually banned in some communities like Boston. Most of the Christmas “traditions” were either adopted from pagan festivals as you point out, or were originally marketing scams to entice the new middle class to spend money
I’ve struggled with Christmas, as an Athiest, but ultimately decided it’s a cultural thing for me, so we celebrate it with abandon and without apology, acknowledging it not as a Christian holiday, but an amalgam of many holidays and celebrations. At the end of the day, we should all celebrate (or not) as we see fit, for whatever reason, and have fun, without needing others to acknowledge, support or understand why or what we do. Hope your Saturnalia was fabulous!
May you have a prosperous new year as well.