Criticism, refutation, and replacement are also the principles behind modern holidays being celebrated to a limited extent around the same time as former pagan holidays. In actuality, reports of Christian holidays coinciding with pagan ones are often inaccurate (Christmas does not occur on Saturnalia, for example). However, to the extent the phenomenon occurs at all, Christian holidays were introduced to provide a wholesome, non-pagan alternative celebration, which thus critiques and rejects the pagan holiday.Think so, huh??? And Catholics countered that Pagan winter celebration with Christmas trees and decorations???
Your article does not refute Hislop...All it does, numerous times, is claim 'it is not necessarily so, if'....