Poinsettias, with their bright red leaves, are popular holiday decorations. Also known as the Christmas Star, the poinsettia is a subtropical plant best known for its striking red color. It’s often used as a floral Christmas decoration because of its bright colors. The plants are native to southern Mexico and Central America and in...
The Santa Claus we know today has a white beard, wears a red suit and matching hat, flies around in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer, and runs a toy factory run by elves at the North Pole. He is a fantasy loved by children all around the world. But how did this tradition...
The history of the candy cane can be traced back to Germany. In 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral was said to have bent straight white candy sticks into the now-familiar “J” shape to represent a shepherd’s staff. He then gave them to children in the choir to keep them happy during long...
In 1897, a young girl named Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to “The New York Sun” questioning whether Santa was real. Journalist Francis Church wrote the response, and his work quickly became one of the most famous editorials ever written. His words were reprinted in the Sun every Christmas until 1949 when the paper...
by Sherry Law Decorating trees during what has become known as the Christmas season began in Germany during the early 1800s. Nuts coated with sugar and pieces of candied fruit were the first German Christmas tree ornaments. Ornaments cut from gingerbread dough and marzipan also became popular, but these expensive treats were out of...
As the story goes, the German Christmas pickle is an ancient Christmas eve tradition in Germany. Parents would hide an ornament shaped like a pickle somewhere in the the Christmas tree after all of the other ornaments had been hung. If a child found the ornament the next morning, he or she would get...
This interesting article talks about the early Celtic origins of some of our common – and not so common – Christmas traditions. 11 Celtic Christmas Themes By Rauncie Kinnaird Since its early beginnings the Celtic Christian Church drew inspiration on the pagan traditions of the past. Many of our present day customs have their...
