Christmas wasn't celebrated by the early church until the fourth century. In the fourth century, the church decided to try to redeem a Roman pagan winter solstice festival: the festival of Saturnalia. This December holiday was considered the "birthday of the unconquered sun." Romans danced in the streets with gifts under their arms and greenery atop their heads.  Various peoples in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season.  As part of all these celebrations, the people prepared special foods, decorated their homes with greenery, and joined in singing and gift giving. These customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebration.  Today, Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.  The story of Christmas comes chiefly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New Testament.  According to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus' birth. Matthew tells how the wise men, called Magi, followed a bright star that led them to Jesus
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas.  It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.  Admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends.  It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick.  One of the best known stories of the St. Nicholas is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married.
Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites.  Mistletoe has power to bestow fertility and also possess "life-giving" power.  Mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up.  At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed.  Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill.
Many believe the origins of Christmas trees revolves around the winter solstice.  In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice.  Ancient peoples believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak.  They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well.  Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.  The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens.  When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death.

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