Christmas Traditions

The Christmas Tree In the middle ages, the Paradise tree, an evergreen hung with red apples, was the symbol of the feast of Adam and Eve held on December 24th. When I was looking into taditions I found a custom from Denmark that I liked. The family would an elaborate procession that would march around the house until they arrived at the room where the Christmas tree had miraculously appeared decorated with apples. They then told the account of Adam and Eve all the way down to the birth of Christ. The first recorded reference to the Christmas tree dates back to the 16th century. In Strasbourg, Germany (now part of France), families both rich and poor decorated fir trees with colored paper, fruits and sweets. Martin Luther is credited with the introduction of the Christmas tree to the holiday celebration. It is believed that he was walking on Christmas Eve and was so moved by the starlit sky he took a fir tree home and attached candles to its branches to remind children of the heavens. In Victorian times the Germans decorated their Christmas trees with sweetmeats and fruits which couldn't be eaten until the tree was taken down after Twelfth Night- a joyful climax to the season for children. Christmas Cards The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.) As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one half-penny - half the price of an ordinary letter. Hanging A Stocking The idea of hanging stockings out on Christmas Eve is believed to have come from Amsterdam, where children leave out their shoes on St. Nicholas's Eve in hopes that he will fill them with goodies. But where did the people of Amsterdam get the idea? Perhaps from St. Nicholas himself. One of the most popular stories surrounding the saint concerns his generosity to the three daughters of a poor family. It seems the daughters were of marriageable age, but could not marry because they had no dowry. Nicholas heard of their plight and set out to help them. In the middle of the night, Nicholas threw bags of gold coins down the girls' chimney. The bags landed in the girls' stockings, which they had hung out to dry.