Reply #6: In the words of one of my Christian friends:

[CornField]

"I do not care what the origins of the Christmas tree is... I only care what it represents to our family today." (No, she didn't go on to elaborate what it represents to her family, but I'm guessing it has more to do with presents than with the birth of Jesus.)

If you really want to get into the nitty-gritty of the origins of what many Christians see as Christmas, you need to look closely at the pagan religion (various sects of it too). When the push for Christianity was made, the powers that be understood that they could not subdue the current pagan beliefs without offering alternatives to existing celebrations, rituals and festivals. Thus, many Christian holidays were purposefully placed on or near the same dates as the existing pagan ones. Many traditional pagan rituals, folklore (and we don't really know how much because some was lost forever in the new adaptations) and so-forth are still a part of the Christian holiday known as Christmas.

Kissing under the Mistletoe -- Probably evolved from Druid practices (the plant used for fertility & protection purposes) or Norse myth (The Norse Goddess of love, marriage and fertility - Frigga - had her son, Balder, slain by Loki with an arrow made from mistletoe. When Balder was restored to life, Frigga blessed the mistletoe and gave a kiss to anyone who passed under it.)

Gift Giving -- Common practice during the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia in which is named after Saturn, who ruled over agriculture. The festival lasted several days - typically 7 - and was the greatest festival of the Roman year, marked with great feasting, gift-giving, dancing, playing and relaxing. Homes were decorated, work was suspended and there was general merry-making by everyone.

Birth of the Sun/Son -- In early times, December 25th (the date now recognized as Christmas) was commemorated as the Birth of the Sun God, Mithra, and January 6 (Old Christmas) was a Dionysian festival. In Egypt, a celebration dedicated to Osiris was held at this time.

Wassailing/Caroling -- Traditionally, carolers went from door to door, singing and bearing their "Wassail Cups", to be rewarded with the drink and fruited breads or other sweets. It was a mutual blessing the entire community shared.

Boughs of Holly (Fa-Rah-Rah-Rah-Rah -- sorry, couldn't resist) -- Evergreens were cherished at this time of year as a natural symbol of rebirth and life amid winter whiteness. But holly was particularly prized to decorate doors, windows and fireplaces because of its prickliness -- to either ward off or snag and capture evil spirits before they could enter and harm a household.

But, if you are mostly interested in the history of the evergreen tree, I'd recommend The Solstice Evergreen by author Sheryl Karas.