Pagan New Year traditions focus on cycles, rebirth, and warding off evil, often centered around the Winter Solstice (Yule) for the sun's return (lights, Yule logs, evergreens), or Hogmanay (Scottish New Year) with first-footing (dark-haired men bringing coal/whisky for luck), fire ceremonies (torches to banish spirits), and feasting on symbolic foods like lentils. Rituals involve cleansing, setting intentions, honoring ancestors, and bringing luck through fire, food, and specific actions for a prosperous new cycle. 

Overview what is yule? 

The  "christmas witch" primarily refers to La Befana, an Italian folklore figure who delivers gifts to children on the eve of Epiphany (January 5th). She is an old, kindly woman who rides a broomstick and fills good children's stockings with gifts, while leaving coal or dark candy for naughty ones. Another, more sinister, "Christmas witch" is Grýla from Icelandic folklore, a monstrous troll-like figure who is said to eat misbehaving children. 

Marie Jørgensdatter's story is a historical account from a 1621 Norwegian witch trial, not a Christmas legend. She confessed to a pact with the Devil on Christmas Eve, which involved attending a witches' Sabbath at Lyderhorn after being transformed into a raven by another witch, Kirsti Sørensdatter.