Dear Reader,
The holidays have always been a big deal in our family. When I was little, one of my earliest memories is of the excitement of Santa's upcoming arrival. We always celebrate on Christmas Eve, a German tradition. That meant that Santa arrived on Christmas Eve, and my big brother and I would have to go hide upstairs to avoid seeing Santa. One of the many magical things was that both our parents were hiding with us as we heard the sounds of Santa's arrival the jingle of sleigh bells and Santa's Ho-ho-ho. And then our presents would be outside (because the previous year Santa had left muddy footprints on my mom's precious Oriental rug so he wasn't allowed in the house after that ) in a sack that Santa must have carried over his back.
To this day, I still get all excited about the holidays. And the Christmas tree! We always had a live tree when I was growing up - the kind with short needles that have that wonderful pine smell. When I got older and had my own live trees, I went for the Scotch pine trees with their full appearance. But a few years ago, we finally gave in to the artificial tree craze - with all the lights already on it. Whatever the tree, the decorations are always special. Things we've picked up during our travels around the world or at various craft shows. Can't you just imagine me as I merrily decorate the tree.
Okay, so maybe it isn't quite that organized. All you have to do it take a look at the cat in my tree last year and you'll see the kind of chaos that usually occurs in our household during the holiday season . I do have fun getting out my two collections --Santas and snowmen -- and setting up creative displays all over the house.
It is indeed a most wonderful time of the year - the house is filled with the yummy scents of freshly baked cookies and the sound of Christmas music. The colorful lights are magical, and the possibilities are endless.
I hope that you and your family have a very happy and healthy holiday this year!
Christmas Trivia
-
Caroling - Caroling also began in England. Wandering musicians would travel from town to town visiting castles and homes of the rich. In return for their performance, the musicians hoped to receive a hot meal or money.
- Christmas Cards - An Englishman named John Calcott Horsley helped to popularize the tradition of sending Christmas greeting cards when he began producing small cards featuring festive scenes and a pre-written holiday greeting in the late 1830s. Newly efficient post offices in England and the United States made the cards nearly overnight sensations.
- Christmas stockings - In the United States and England, children hang stockings on their bedpost or near a fireplace on Christmas Eve, hoping that it will be filled with treats while they sleep. In Scandinavia, similar-minded children leave their shoes on the hearth. This tradition can be traced back to legends about Saint Nicholas. One legend tells of three poor sisters who could not marry because they had no money for a dowry. To save them from being sold by their father, St. Nick left each of the three sisters gifts of gold coins. One went down the chimney and landed in a pair of shoes that had been left on the hearth. Another went into a window and into a pair of stockings left hanging by the fire to dry.
- Christmas Trees - A German tradition. Decorating evergreen trees had always been a part of the German winter solstice tradition. Hessians (German soldiers) were thought to have brought the Christmas tree tradition to the United States in 1776. They became popular among the English when Prince Albert, the German husband of Victoria, brought the tradition to England in 1841. That popularity carried over to America as well. The Douglas fir, Balsam fir and Scotch pine are the most popular of the types of evergreens sold in the U.S. for Christmas trees today. Most fragrant are the two firs, the Scotch pine is popular because it can be neglected and not drop many needles. Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
- Christmas Tree lights - Trees were decorated with wax candles from the early days of Christmas tree tradition. Over the next 20 years, candlelit trees became popular, the lights symbolising rebirth. This was not the safest practice and was in fact a fire hazard.. In 1882, Thomas Edison's laboratory assistants at Menlo Park introduced the first electrically lit Christmas tree; it had 80 bulbs and cost a small fortune. Even when strings of lights were produced commercially in 1903, they cost an average American's weekly wage.
- Christmas Tree Ornaments - Early Christmas trees had real fruit and flowers and candles as decorations, looked good but was very heavy on the branches. German glass blowers began producing glass balls to replace the heavy decorations. In the 1800's the women's publication, "Godey's Lady Book" popularize the making of homemade Christmas ornaments & decorations.
- Eggnog - According to reports by Captain John Smith, the first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in his 1607 Jamestown settlement. Nog comes from the word grog, which refers to any drink made with rum.
- Poinsettias - In 1828, the American minister to Mexico, Joel R. Poinsett, brought a red-and-green plant from Mexico to America. As its coloring seemed perfect for the new holiday, the plants, which were called poinsettias after Poinsett, began appearing in greenhouses as early as 1830. In 1870, New York stores began to sell them at Christmas. By 1900, they were a universal symbol of the holiday.
- Wreaths - Christmas wreaths combine two symbols of everlasting life. The evergreen bough, that stays green all winter and a continuous unbroken circular shape.
- International Greetings
German - Froliche Weihnachten
Spanish - Feliz Navidad
French - Joyeux Noel
Italian - Buone Natale
