Much of the world has been taught that the holiday marks the birth of the Christian savior, Jesus Christ, but that's simply wrong. The two most notable pagan winter holidays were Germanic Yule and Roman Saturnalia. Christian missionaries gave these holidays a makeover and they are now known to us as Christmas.

The story says that St. Nicholas, known for his kindness and generosity, had discovered the family's misfortune and set out to deliver an extravagant gift. On Christmas eve, St. Nicholas tossed three bags of gold coins down the family's chimney, where they landed in the socks that were hung above the fireplace to dry.

Traditionally, mushrooms were dried for consumption by hanging them on pine tree branches to catch the sunlight or, they were hung in front of the fireplace. Both of these methods have become symbolized by hanging ornaments on a pine tree and hanging (red and white) stockings on the fireplace.

Amanita muscaria is a red and white colored psychoactive basidiomycete fungus and mushroom with potent hallucinogenic properties. Popularized images of Amanita muscaria in faery tales and books like Alice in Wonderland had their origins in tribal belief systems pre-dating Christianity. Psychedelic mushrooms played a central role in pagan cultures throughout the Northern Hemisphere such as the Koyak tribe of the central Russian steppes and the Lapps of Finland where the mushrooms grow.

Amanita muscaria has a symbiotic relationship with pine trees and only grows beneath certain species of trees, specifically conifers, such as pines, firs, redwoods and spruces. People bring pine trees into their houses at the winter solstice, placing brightly colored (red-and-white) packages under their boughs, as gifts to show their love for each other. Underneath the pine bough is the exact location where one would find this ‘Most Sacred’ substance, the Amanita muscaria, in the wild.

These tribal cultures believed in the mythology of the World Tree, whose roots span the underworld and branches reach towards heaven, touching the North Star. The tradition of decorating a pine tree is symbolic of this World Tree, and the star placed at the top represents the North Star. The spirit of the shaman would climb this tree, thus gaining access to the realm of the gods. The World Tree was seen as a kind of cosmic axis, or an axis mundi world center connecting Heaven and Earth. On Earth, the axis mundi is located at the poles.

Symbolically, this is why Santa Claus “lives” at the North Pole. Santa is described as a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering plants and fungi to commune with the spirit world.

Up until a few hundred years ago, these practicing shamans or priests connected to the older traditions by collecting Amanita muscaria (the Holy Mushroom), drying them and then giving them as gifts on the winter solstice.

Reindeer, native to arctic and subarctic regions of northern Europe and Siberia, are connected to the shamanic tradition in that reindeer are particularly fond of eating Amanita muscaria. After ingesting the fungi, they prance about whilst under the influence of the psychedelic. This can symbolize reindeer flying, as they accompany shaman on their mystical trance “flights.”

The urine of a reindeer who has consumed Amanita muscaria can be drunk by humans to induce hallucinogenic effects

Jesus Was a Mushroom. There is evidence that Christianity itself was influenced by Amanita muscaria. In the book The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, the claim that Jesus did not exist as an historical figure but was code for Amanita muscaria, a code invented by early Christians tripping on psychedelic mushrooms. Though disparaged at the time, Allegro’s theories are now being re-evaluated, in light of new evidence, and his books are back in print.

The chimney was considered the entry and exit for ghosts, spirits, and ancestors. In order to keep this door clean, and drive out the bad spirits that were kept in the soot, in the dark, a magic broom was needed. The chimney is decorated with boughs of holly so that the Christmas spirit, or Old St. Nick can come in at the midnight hour and bless its inhabitants. It is considered bad luck to bring holly into the house before Christmas.

Elves have a fascinating history that is associated with Germanic paganism. Elves are originally seen to be the creation of Germanic paganism who thought them to be the creatures of light who lived in the heavens. Elves have been depicted as male or female, tiny or dwarf-like, youthful and immortal with magical powers