Saturnalia was likely not the holiday that became Christmas. Or at least that’s not the complete story.

Part of it is that solstice celebrations were pretty common. Modern Christmas just owes most of its pomp to more Celtic and Norse traditions.

Also, the timing of picking December 25th as Christmas has more to do with a bit of rabbinical superstition than anything else. See, there was this firmly held belief (based on nothing) that great men would die on the date of their conception.

So since Jesus died in late March or early April, he had to have been born nine months later, or at the end of December, Because that’s how the logic went.

And yes, it’s the exact same sort of logic that Monty Python made fun of with the “does she weigh as much as a duck?” scene.

Most come from the pagan yule festival actually. Bonfires (now in fireplaces usually), decorating with holly, mistletoe, and evergreen trees, feasts, and gift-giving are all from yule (we’re missing ritual sacrifices from Christmas though, unfortunately). Saturnalia is primarily feasting, drinking, and gift exchanges. There’s definitely some overlap between the two, but yule has a much bigger influence (which isn’t surprising since almost all the other Christian holidays are also pagan based rather than Roman)

Yeah!

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saturnalia-Roman-festival

The influence of the Saturnalia upon the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year has been direct. The fact that Christmas was celebrated on the birthday of the unconquered sun (dies solis invicti nati) gave the season a solar background, connected with the kalends of January (January 1, the Roman New Year) when houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and presents were given to children and the poor.