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For most of the *pagan* religions the holiday is a agricultural festival. Romans celebrated the harvest, Omega already mentioned the Egyptians, in Northern Europe mid-December represents the birth of the sun-god (after the solstice the sun shines a bit longer each day). Yule logs were specifically burned at these get togethers and fir trees are from germanic myth and the symbol of fertility.
The new church did quite a bit of pagan holiday co-opting in the early days. It was just easier to give an existing festival or holiday a new name. I'd imagine, over the years, the mythology just naturally occured as the real meanings were lost in time's fog.
/thread jack
I don't celebrate any holidays in particular as they were all just *made up.* Christmas seems to have lost a lot of it's religious connotation over the years and become just another manufactured excuse to buy a lot of shit, keep the good stuff for yourself and give the rest away to people you don't really like. Kwanzaa, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, you name it.... are all (at least as far as society is concerned) just a meaningless excuse to eat a bunch of stuff that isn't good for you and take off work/school.
That's not to say that I don't enjoy the Thanksgiving turkey or the Christmas ham, I just don't get all teary eyed and make it a point to say grace.
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