December the 25th may not be the correct date of Jesus' birth, but just acknowledging His birthday is what really counts. He is the reason for the season!
In ancient times, beginning on December 17th during the Saturnalia celebration in honor of the god Saturn all bushiness stopped. The special feature of the festival was the freedom of the slaves. It was a time of goodwill, banquets, visiting and gifts. Since the 4th century pagan customs like mistletoe, holly, Yule logs and wassail bowls were added.