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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote] Helios didn’t have anything to do with kids or gifts. Why are you using him as an example?
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He’s a Greek god flying across the sky, pulled by several animals.

The visual goes way back. 
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I can’t find any Greek or Roman gods that fly across the sky with reindeer or deer, who bring gifts to children.

Helios was the sun god. The sun is in the sky. How does Helios relate to Santa?

HELIOS (Helius) was the Titan god of the sun, a guardian of oaths, and the god of sight. He dwelt in a golden palace in the River Okeanos (Oceanus) at the far ends of the earth from which he emerged each dawn, crowned with the aureole of the sun, driving a chariot drawn by four winged steeds. When he reached the the land of the Hesperides in the far West he descended into a golden cup which bore him through the northern streams of Okeanos back to his rising place in the East.

Once his son Phaethon tried to drive the chariot of the sun, but he lost control and set the earth ablaze. Zeus struck the boy down with a thunderbolt.

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Ok. No one said Santa is an exact replica of a previous god. ??

Certain themes carry over across the years. Dude flying across the sky pulled by animals isn’t new. 
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DP. Santa doesn't share much in common with Helios, as pp pointed out. Who knows, maybe the flying reindeer were added so parents could explain how one guy made it to everybody's houses.

But in the larger scheme of things,
1. St. Nicholas was a real person around 300AD.
2. The three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, this is in the gospels.
3. Santa doesn't seem to have much in common with Helios or Saturnalia. Those are real stretches.
4. Christians don't worship Santa or trees. These things aren't in scripture or liturgy. They're just fun traditions.
5. Pagans don't have a monopoly on traditions. As your own posts show, similar but not identical traditions sprang up in places as distant from each other as Norway and Mongolia.

And 6. Why do you care how other people celebrate?[/quote]

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