Among the many deities rolled into...ah, well, let's just say Santa Claus is the Roman sun god known asSol Invictus,

The Romans held a festival on December 25 of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun." December 25 was the date after the winter solstice, with the first detectable lengthening of daylight hours.

Emperor Constantine, who called the First Council of Nicaea, where Christianity in something resembling its current form was cobbled together, is said by some to have been a member of this cult. According to the Wiki article linked above,

Constantine decreed (March 7, 321) dies Solis—day of the sun, "Sunday"—as the Roman day of rest.

In its first part, the movie Zeitgeist argues that Christ is an allegory for the sun.

Oddly, the romans also worshiped Julius Caesar (curious initials, no?) for awhile. A relic of those days is preserved in the term Caesarean section. You see, Caesar was so holy he not only was the product of a virgin birth, but also didn't emerge via the vagina, either.

Religious hang-ups with sex are nothing new.

In fact, there's nothing new under the sun.

S