Christmas Curiosities 2.0

After writing the last post about Christmas traditions, It occurred to me that there were a few others that begged for investigation. I already have some feedback from friends after the first post, detailing the memorable traditions near and dear to their families, so this list is skewed towards what we do, but I encourage those of you that I've pique an interest in understanding the historical significance of the observances dear to your family to do a little searching of your own. There's boat loads of information out there and quick Internet search offers hundreds of possible sources.

The tradition of decorating Christmas trees can be faithfully traced to our collective Germany roots. The decoration of evergreen trees had long been a part of the winter solstice tradition, with the first trees Christmas-theme decorated and named after the Christian holiday reputed to have appeared in Strasbourg (part of Alsace) in the beginning of the 17th century, according to History.com. By the mid 17th century, Christmas trees began spreading out to other parts of Germany, even more so when Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited Strasbourg and promptly included a Christmas tree is his 1771 novel, "The Suffering of Young Werther." The site goes on to say that for 1000's of years of recorded history, cultures from Egypt to Northern Europe have celebrated the winter solstice by decorating homes with green palm fronds and evergreen boughs to breathe life into the shortest, darkest day of the year. The first Christmas trees brought indoors are credited to 16th-century German Christians, with Martin Luther credited for placing the first burning candles in a Christmas tree to mimic the sparkling stars. It doesn't take a great Leap of Faith to see that the North American preference for a freshly cut evergreen had deep historical roots, but there has been much debate on which variety best serves the purpose. 

My dad was always a Balsam guy ... which one was your family's? 

Although it might seem like this tradition has long been a North American staple, Puritanical American preachers railed against “pagan” trees before the tradition caught on in NA homes in the late 1800's. My father is likely reeling, but I'm pretty sure our entire family has embraced artificial trees over fresh cut, but  to me it makes sense in these times, even though it is a source of income for some. Tightening the embrace just a wee might closer, I recently saw "Evergreen Eggs" at Cabellas so your home can be infused with that fresh-cut evergreen scent. Traditionalists are dying right now.

There was a time, earlier in my childhood, when our Christmas tree decorations included a dozen or so Candy Canes hanging from the branches. For as long as I can recall, I've loved the minty sweetness of a traditional Candy Cane, and I have to confess, it seems blasphemous that they come in a wide variety of soda pop flavours now. To my childhood brain, the long-lasting sugary goodness was Nirvana, no doubt sending my Pancreas into spasm during it's consumption. According to the National Confectioners Association (alwaysatreat.com), candy canes are the #1 selling non-chocolate candy during the holiday season, with 90% sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My wife, God bless her, is not nearly the fan that I am, but thanks to what I can only surmise is genetics, my daughter's eyes light up at the mention, just like her pappy. The two of us bide our days each year until the annual release of the PC version of Candy Cane ice cream. According to the NCA, the biggest single week for candy canes is traditionally the second week of December, stemming from the tree decorating tradition for many families. Susan Benjamin, founder of True Treats Historic Candy (truetreatscandy.com), and author of "Sweet as Sin: The Unwrapped Story of How Candy Became America’s Pleasure", poses that the candy cane most likely took it's shepherd's crook shape in 17th century Europe when pulled sugars, the parent to today’s striped treats, were all the rage, the change in shape intended to connect to the religious overtones of the holiday.

Thanks to Wikipedia, the tradition of leaving stockings hung somewhere conspicuous in hopes that a certain jolly elf would fill them with treats is easily explained. For the Porter clan, thanks to our English roots, the stockings were hung by the mantle, and we were only permitted access to them before Christmas morning breakfast, almost like battle preparations for much anticipated wrapped presents under the tree. Once dumped, they faithfully offered up some small toys, some of our favourite sugary treats, and maybe a puzzle or two, but as the years progressed, and I had my own children, the size of said stockings grew from reasonable dimensions to flour-sack sizes to accommodate indulgences. It's a sad truth that we allowed the commercialism of the holiday to creep into our home, but I confess that the sheer exuberance on my children's faces made it justifiable. My on-line deep dive revealed, however, that it was not always stockings that were left out for filling. In Scandinavia hopeful children leave shoes by the fireplace, a tradition traced to legends surrounding Saint Nicholas. One such story tells of 3 poor sisters who could not marry because they had no money for a dowry, so to save them from being sold into prostitution (Wait .. WHAT?) by their father, St. Nick left each of the three sisters gifts of gold coins. Surely stuff of an active mind, the tale says that one coin went down the chimney and landed in a pair of shoes that had been left on the hearth, while another went into a window and into a pair of stockings left hanging by the fire to dry. 

The astute may share my curiousity ... if St Nick was a true religious figure, what was he doing on the roof so that dropped coins might access the chimney or window? Such is the lure of legends, I guess.

We don't regularly have a poinsettia plant these days, partially because we got out of the habit when were in our cat years ... they're poisonous to kitties who can't seem to resist nibbling ... but I've always thought that they were a beautiful addition to the ambiance. According to History.com, the Poinsettia name comes from Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who fell in love with the Christmasy coloured red-and-green plant and brought it back home from Mexico in 1828.  By 1870, stores began to sell them at Christmas, and in no time, they were a universal symbol of the holiday.

Did your family ever hang Mistletoe? We didn't embrace this particular oddity, but in those years it found it's way to our doorways, I made sure to steal a peck or 2. The custom has its clearest connection with Norse mythology, in which Frigg, the goddess of love, promised to kiss any creature that passed beneath the evergreen sprig after it was used to revive her son, Baldur, from the dead (after initially killing him). 

Another head-scratcher when you try to dissect the info from the story.

The Celtic Druids also saw mistletoe, which blossoms in the winter, as a sacred symbol of vivacity and prescribed it for fertility issues. According to History.com, the modern tradition of meeting under the mistletoe started in England, so it makes sense that it became a staple in NA.

Whichever traditions have squirmed their way into your family's annual celebrations, it's my sincere hope that it makes this time of year a time of gratitude and love. From my family to yours, with whichever holiday you celebrate during December, I wish you health, prosperity, happiness, and peace.