Oh Jaysus Ron, I read up on all that back in high school, for goodness sake.

To equate Roman Saturnalia and the Victorian Anglophile/Norman Rockwell holiday we celebrate today is silly!

All cultures have gift giving traditions. But to claim some descendancy from Roman times to contemporary Xmas is stretching it way too far!

Same with the birth of Jesus theory most Xtians will cite you. Now historical evidence to support it, but hey--when has that stopped the retailers and advertisers?