why is christmas celebrated on december 25th

The origins of Christmas date back to the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which was celebrated on December 17th and symbolized the return of light after the winter solstice. As Christianity spread, December 25th was chosen as the date to celebrate the birth of Jesus, as it coincided with the winter solstice. This is also around the time that many ancient pagan traditions, such as the Yule Log and Christmas trees, began to be incorporated into the holiday.