In Babylonian-Akkadian texts, there was a Festival to Ea (Enki in Sumerian) that was celebrated with gifts, feasting, evergreen trees and more during the Solstice. Ea/Enki's sign was a both a goat and a fish, the zodiac sign of Capricorn being birthed into Pisces (the fish) . . Likewise, the Babylonian ruler, Nimrod, had a similar festival. The people would bring him gifts to leave under his 'evergreen' tree. All at the Solstice.

NightSky

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On Dec. 21, the northern hemisphere celebrates the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, or the longest night. While it's the darkest time of the year, the day also marks a turning point. From here on out, the sun shines a little longer each day, and we begin the slow march toward spring.

For the ancient Romans, the winter solstice was marked by the Saturnalia festival, a week-long celebration where traditional roles were upended amid feasting and drinking. Masters waited on servants, gambling was temporarily legal, and the social hierarchy was upended.

In Iran, the solstice was marked by the Yalda night, when families gathered to eat, drink and recite poetry with each other. Foods colored red represented the rising sun and the return of life. The Yule celebration, from which the modern Christmas celebration emerged, was observed in Europe by the Germanic people, and involved hearty foods, drinking, decorations and usually some variation of an elf or old man bearing gifts.

Stonehenge

One of the most recognizable monuments in the world, Stonehenge, has been found to mark the arrival of both the winter and summer solstices. On the winter solstice, the stones are perfectly aligned with the setting sun, and a crowd of thousands gathers to witness the occasion.

Thousands gather at Stonehenge for winter solstice https://t.co/RxdV8FXTkXpic.twitter.com/oJtE4hJXJX

— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) December 21, 2016

Pagans, for whom the both the solstice and Stonehenge hold special ritual significance, tend to be well represented.

Temple of Karnak

During sunrise at the winter solstice, the sun shines directly through the gap in the walls seen at the center.

Located in Egypt amidst a vast complex of ruins, the shrine to the sun god is illuminated during the winter solstice. On this day, the rising sun shines between two pillars, casting a bright beam of light through the complex. The Egyptians were keen observers of the sky, and many of their monuments, including the pyramids, are aligned with the sun or the stars. For them, the winter solstice was a celebration of the god Horus, a deity of the sky, sun and moon.

Newgrange

A vast circular monument in Ireland, Newgrange predates Stonehenge. The structure measures some 250 feet across and is around 40 feet high, and was likely used as a tomb. Built around 3200 B.C., the monument features a single narrow passageway leading into its center for about 60 feet, with several small chambers at the end.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Newgrange Neolithic passage tomb in Co Meath to celebrate the winter solstice pic.twitter.com/4p6DP5z8Q6

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 21, 2016

During the winter solstice, the sun shines down the length of the passage and into a chamber through a special hole built into the roof just above the main entrance. The event lasts for less than 20 minutes and is so popular that visitors must enter a lottery for the privilege of attending.

Goseck Circle

This series of concentric ditches was constructed in Germany some 7,000 years ago during the Neolithic period. It measures about 250 feet across and once contained a ring of logs with gates used to measure the movement of the sun. On both the winter and summer solstices, the gates lined up perfectly with both the setting and rising sun, as seen from the middle of the enclosure. Archaeologists believe that the structure functioned as a primitive kind of calendar, allowing its ancient builders to track the course of the sun and the moon. Other, similar rings can be found throughout Europe.

Machu Picchu

The Inca are renowned for their astronomical skill, and they based a complex series of annual rituals on the movements of the sun, moon and planets. Their attention to the sky is embedded into the architecture, and archaeologists have found structures related to both solstices in Inca cities. In Machu Picchu, an out-of-the-way cave reveals a subtle surprise for 20 days surrounding the December solstice (which occurred during their summer) — it is only during this time that light is allowed to enter through a small hole in the wall and illuminate the cave. The rocks surrounding the hole are shaped like a condor, a bird that represented the gods to the Inca, and the timing coincides with the month of Capac Raymi, when boys of noble birth would be initiated to manhood.

Zagmuk

Zagmuk, which literally means "beginning of the year", is a Mesopotamian festival celebrating the New Year. The feast fell in December and lasted about 12 days.(The 12 Days of Christmas) It celebrates the triumph of Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon, over the forces of Chaos, symbolized in later times by Tiamat. The battle between Marduk and Chaos lasts 12 days, as does the festival of Zagmuk. In Uruk the festival was associated with the god An, the Sumerian god of the night sky and Father to Enlil and Enki. In some variations, Marduk is slain by Tiamat on the winter solstice and resurrected on the vernal equinox.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagmuk

The Tammuz Legend (Dumuzzi in Sumerian/Akkadian)

Tammuz, the son of Nimrod and his queen/mother, Semiramis, was identified with the Babylonian Sun God and worshiped following the winter solstice. As the days became shorter and shorter through the winter, they become the shortest at the winter solstice, about December 22-23. Tammuz was thought to have died during the winter solstice, and was memorialized by burning a log in the fireplace. (The Chaldean word for infant is yule. This is the origin of the "yule log.") His "rebirth" was celebrated by replacing the log with a trimmed tree the next morning. Sound familiar? (Jeremiah 10 contains an interesting verse which talks about trimming trees, etc.)

There are numerous other examples. The wassail bowl, the mistletoe (a fertility rite), and others are documented in such works as Alexander Hislop's, The Two Babylons. When Babylon was conquered by subsequent empires, this entire religious system was transplanted, first to Pergamos under the Persians, and then to Rome. As the pagan Roman (Babylonian) religious system was integrated with Christian ceremonial observances, many of our current traditions surrounding Christmas emerged. And it appears that an "ecumenical" integration of all the world's religions, including the ancient Babylonian occult forms that presently masquerade as the "New Age," is destined to be the final religious climax.

Mithra, god of the sun, was born on December 25, day of the winter solstice

On the night of 24 to 25 December it is celebrated in the West the birth of Christ. But it was not always so and today it is not in the whole Christian world; until the fourth century it was celebrated on January 6 and it continues so in the east, among the Orthodox.

The winter solstice occurs on December 25th; It is the time when in the northern hemisphere the days are shorter and the nights are longest. But from this moment the day begins to grow and "dies natalis solis invicti" “the birthday of the unconquered sun", is celebrated on this day .

That invincible sun is the god Mithra, whose worship and devotion competed with Christianity with which has certain similarities.

I have dedicated an article to this issue in this blog: http://www.antiquitatem.com/en/christ-was-born-before

I also spent another comment on some aspects of ritual and celebration of our Christmas, including the episode called "Three Kings".

http://www.antiquitatem.com/en/christmas-birth-of-jesus-mithras

http://www.antiquitatem.com/en/wise-men-tiridates-nero-wizard-epiphany

Mithraism and Christianity have many similarities and many differences. This is demonstrated by some Christian parents and polemicists, who curiously give us often many details of these secret or semi-secret religions of salvation . Otherwise Christianity also takes elements from religion and worship of Isis and Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, Attis, Dionysus.

http://www.antiquitatem.com/en/mithraisme-christianity-winter-solstice/

Egypt

Ancient Egypt (3100BC-30BC):

Like many ancient cultures, the Egyptians celebrated the Winter Solstice for 12 days starting on December 21st.
Using Palm Branches for Decoration

They actually had a special celebration on the 25th December for the re-birth of the sun. The Egyptian sun god was called Ra. For the three days prior to the 25th, the sun (Ra) would barely be visible during the daytime because it was at its lowest point in the sky. On the 25th of December, the sun would finally rise, leading to the Egyptians celebrating the re-birth of the sun god Ra (or as it would later be known; the birth of the Sun of God – sound familiar?).

During the Winter Solstice, the Ancient Egyptians celebrated by decorating their homes with lush plants such as palm leaves and branches. These trees were green all year round (much like the evergreen fir tree regularly used for modern-day Christmas trees) and were used to show triumph over death during the darker days of winter. Decorating their homes like this was thought to bring a prosperous year.

https://www.imagininghistory.co.uk/post/ancient-origins-of-the-christmas-tree

Vikings (793AD-1066AD):

The Vikings (and other Scandinavian & Germanic people of this time) celebrated the Yuletide Festival for 12 days starting on December 25th. The festival was primarily a celebration of the re-awakening of nature brought on by the returning of the sun after the Winter Solstice.

During this time, the Norse god Odin would fly across the sky on his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, delivering gifts to children (remind you of anyone?). The children would leave their boots by the fireplace (much like we do today with stockings) for Odin to pop the presents into.
Odin on his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir

Norse people believed that evergreen plants had magical properties that would protect them from the evil spirits that would come out at the darkest time of year. They hung branches of evergreen trees, holly, and mistletoe over their doors and windows as protection. During the Yule Festival, the Vikings would also decorate a “Yule Tree” with small statues of their gods, clothing, and food.

https://www.imagininghistory.co.uk/post/ancient-origins-of-the-christmas-tree