Saturnalia was a public holiday celebrated around December 25 in the family home long before the common era and the cult of Saturn survived in Mediterranean locale such as the province of Constantine, somewhere in present day Algeria until the third century CE. The Saturnalia celebrations were annual events well into a century after Constantine's, the first 'Christian' Emperor's reign. During its popularity, the length of the celebration ranged from two to seven days.
The earliest known reference to December 25th commemorating the birth of Christ is in the Roman Philocalian calendar of 354 CE. The same day also appears in the Philocalian calendar as a Roman civil holiday honoring the cult of sol invicta, originating in Syria and relating to the cult of Mithras.
Buying gifts to celebrate Christmas is steeped in tradition, dating to the 1820s when newspapers began to advertise items for Christmas presents.
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