I found no reason to accept the divinity of Jesus, as expressed in the Bible or as interpreted by those who contend that Jesus was real. I rejected his divinity, and his historical accuracy. Then, as I read more and more of the myths and legends of the world, and learned about the psychological and social necessity for myths, I discovered the ever-elusive Real Meaning of Christmas. As I learned to embrace myth and symbol, and to separate myth and symbol from superstition I discovered Christmas. Daylight is scarce.
Nights are long and cold, and darker than usual.
The harvests are in. The flocks and herds are gathered. But the Waiting was okay because the folks of 4000 years ago knew that the world would restore itself. To honor that, our ancestors embraced the symbols of life in the face of death, of light in the face of darkness. Great fires were lit on mountaintops and in fields to ward off the darkness and the cold, not as a physical shield, but as a psychic or spiritual shield.