The dark and mysterious history of Christmas is rarely told beyond Santa and candy canes. This episode of Religion Camp details the history of Christmas and it's connections to the winter solstice, pagan rituals, and the Roman festival of Saturnalia. We’ll also look at how Christian traditions shaped the holiday, the evolution of Santa Claus, and the rise of gift-giving as a central part of the season. Merry Christmas and Welcome to CAMP 🏕️🎄 Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:28 Significance Of Winter Solstice 4:57 Zagmuk 9:26 Fertility Rituals 11:58 Ancient Egyptian Christmas 15:30 Celtic and Druid Christmas 21:24 The Yule 27:44 Psychedelic Christmas 36:24 Mithras 38:16 Saturnalia 42:35 Biblical Christmas 50:21 Saint Nicholas 56:03 Merry Christmas!!!