Since when people began to celebrate Christmas as a holiday?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Well, Christmas started in pagan and Roman cultures. The day was used to celebrate one of the gods, Mithra, the sun god. And then, when Christianity spread around Europe, these pagan celebrations couldn't be stopped. So they decided to adapt it to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and so December 25th became "Christmas." But the traditions of Christmas, such as "Santa Claus," were inspired by "St. Nick" in the year 260. He was a bishop in the early church who was imprisoned for his faith. He was wealthy and known as a generous man, and he tossed gold through a family's chimneys to help them out. After that, kids would hang stockings in hopes that St. Nick would toss gold through their chimney. The story of Saint Nick is celebrated in different ways throughout the world. Christmas as we know it now started to develop in America in the 1800s. The idea of all these Christmas traditions and gathering together became common for people; sharing meals, giving gifts, and so on.