Below, a 1920 news clipping:
From the Witch Way Blog, we have this:
THE CHRISTMAS TREE
In pagan tradition, namely the Germanic paths which celebrate Jul or Jol (pronounced like Yule or Yole), trees were seen as being inhabited by the gods.
Because of this, they often brought a tree into their home during the winter season to keep their god(s) warm and protected.
This tradition spread with immigration throughout time.
It actually wasn’t until the turn of the century that Christmas trees began to take root as a holiday tradition due to vast popularity.
HOLLY, IVY, EVERGREEN, PINE, & MISTLETOE
There are many myths surrounding these winter plants in paganism.
In Norse mythology, Frigga’s son Baldur is poisoned by mistletoe (thanks to the mischievous Loki), but then resurrected by Odin.
Frigga then declares mistletoe a symbol of love (not death). In other myths, namely British and Celtic, the Holly and Oak King battle during the winter and the Holly King is defeated (then rises again at Beltane). Holly and ivy were also widely used during the Roman Saturnalia celebrations as well. There are many more, but you get the gist!
LIGHTS & YULE LOG
Pagans cannot rightly lay a claim on “lights” or “candles,” but candles have certainly played their part in winter rituals for thousands of years.
Many religions place value on light in darkness during this cold time of year.
Because our ancestors heavily depended on the sun to grow their crops, the fear of darkness and the long dark days certainly held great weight to them.
Yule logs are a massively popular symbol among several pagan paths.
It stems back to the whole “Christmas tree” as being a tree inhabited by the gods.
Largely, the Yule log is recognized as being derived from Germanic pagan traditions, but it’s widely practiced these days.
The burning of the Yule log symbolizes the return of the Sun God.
Various Christmas traditions have pagan origins to them.
GIFTS & SANTA CLAUS
Gift giving during this time is a very pagan rooted tradition.
In many paths, there are gods whom travel around gifting children with candies or presents during this time. Many historians suspect Santa Claus is a mixture of Saint Nicholas (Christian bishop in 4th century Turkey) and the Norse god, Odin, and his mighty horse, Sleipnir (sound suspiciously like a reindeer).
