No celebration, religious or secular, dominates western society as thoroughly as Christmas. For nearly two months of the year we find ourselves awash in all the trappings of the season: Christmas cards, Christmas music, Christmas trees, Christmas lights — even Christmas postage stamps! Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus dot the landscape, and images of Santa Claus are inescapable during the two-month long advertising blitz mounted by purveyors of merchandise. A celebration so venerated, so long-lasting, and so ubiquitous — rich with traditions of both religious and secular origins — could scarcely avoid creating a rich legacy of folklore and legends. Here is but a sampling of some of the many tales we associate with Christmas and the holiday season.