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Christmas Traditions 61

Christmas Traditions

By Kayla Webley

We do the same things every year: down
copious amounts of eggnog; kill a tree and
cover it in lights; send fruitcake, cards and
cookies to our loved ones; kiss under a leafy
branch; hang colorful socks over the fireplace
and sing off-key demands for figgy pudding at
the top of our lungs. Yes, these are our
Christmas traditions. Much of what we today
consider holiday perennials have been around
for about two centuries. The Christmas tree —
the king of all traditions — is the most obvious,
the centerpiece of many a home. While tree
worship was common in pagan Europe, the
modern Christmas tree originated with German
Lutherans in the 17th century and spread to
Pennsylvania in the 1820s after they began to
immigrate to the United States. When
Germany's Prince Albert came to England in
1840 to marry Queen Victoria, he brought the
Christmas tree with him. The royal family
decorated it with small gifts, toys, candles,
candies and fancy cakes, giving rise to the
modern ornament. Eight years later, a
photograph of the royal tree appeared in a
London newspaper, and ownership of the green
item became the height of holiday fashion in
Europe and America.
on Bob Cratchit's table in the famous film lies in these legends of yore, at the very least, it
The origin of the fireplace stocking
version A Christmas Carol. provides an excuse to kiss that hot guy or gal
owes more to myth than fact. We know, thanks
The origins of eggnog in the U.S. are pal. The tradition of smooching underneath the
to Twas the Night Before Christmas, that
older than the country itself. The first batch was mistletoe began in the Victorian era and was
hanging stockings by the chimney with care
made at Captain John Smith's Jamestown once believed to inevitably lead to marriage. But
dates back at least to the poem's 1823
settlement in 1607. It's said the colonists called it seems to have lost a little of that power. Now,
publication. But the story of how the footwear
their mixture "egg and grog," the latter being a when someone kisses you it might just mean
came to be hung by the fire seemingly is a hazy
then-common term for any drink made with they've had a few too many sips of holiday
one. Legend says the original Saint Nicholas,
rum. The name was eventually shorened to punch at a drunken party — the most modern,
who traveled around bringing gifts and cheer to
"egg'n'grog" and later, eggnog. The adult version sloppy Christmas tradition of them all.
those in need, came upon a small village one
of the beverage contains milk, sugar, beaten
year and heard of a family in need. An
eggs, some kind of liquor (brandy, rum or
impoverished widower, devastated by the The Top
whiskey are common) and spices such as ground
passing of his wife, could not afford to provide
cinnamon and nutmeg. Bottles of the virgin 15
a dowry for his three daughters. St. Nick knew
variety are typically available in stores around
the man was too prideful to accept money, so he Christmas Carols
the holiday season.
simply dropped some gold coins down the
Johnny Carson once famously joked,
chimney, which landed in the girl's stockings,
"The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one 1. Silent Night by Franz Gruber
hung by the fireplace to dry. (Or so the tale
fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep 2. O Holy Night - Adolphe Adam
goes.) Thus the modern tradition was born,
sending it to each other." Regularly mocked 3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Felix
though present-day stockings are commonly
today, the fruitcake dates back to the 16th Mendelssohn
stuffed with tiny gifts and candy, not gold.
century, when it was discovered that fruit could 4. O Come, All Ye Faithful - John Francis
While today we don hats and mittens
be preserved by soaking it in large solutions of Wade
and travel door to door wishing our neighbors
sugar. Since sugar was cheap, it was an effective 5. Christmas Day - William Garnet James
good cheer in song, caroling originally had little
and affordable way for the colonies to ensure 6. Joy To The World - George Frederick
to do with Christmas. The carols of the 12th and
their native plums and cherries would make the Handel
13th centuries were liturgical songs reserved for
journey to Europe without spoiling. By the 19th 7. In the Bleak Mid-Winter - Harold Darke
church processionals. The type of caroling we're
century people were combining all sorts of 8. Once in Royal David's City - Henry John
more familiar with didn't arrive until England's
candied fruits — pineapples, plums, dates, Gauntlett
Victorian era. Many popular seasonal songs —
pears, cherries, orange peels and cheap nuts — 9. Veni, veni, Emmanuel (O Come, O Come,
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!," "The First
into a cake-like form. In 1913, two of the most Emmanuel) - Christmas Traditional
Noel," and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" —
famous American bakeries of the time — Collin 10. Carol of the Bird - William Garnet James
were written around that period.
Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas and The 11. The Silver Stars are in the Sky - William
But let's be honest, caroling takes a back
Claxton Bakery in Claxton, Georgia — began to Garnet James
seat to the most important and beloved
ship mail order fruitcakes. The cake, along with 12. Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen (Lo, How a
traditions — those involving our stomachs.
many other Christmas sweets and desserts, gave Rose E'er Blooming) - Traditional Christmas
Most obscurely, there's figgy pudding, which
rise to the now famous January tradition of Song
while not eaten much today is always tunefully
trading in sugar gluttony for a gym membership. 13. The Coventry Carol - Christmas
requested in the second verse of the song "We
Lastly among conventional holiday Traditional
Wish You a Merry Christmas." In the 16th
institutions is the elusive mistletoe. Celtic 14. O Little Town of Bethlehem - Christmas
century, figgy pudding was eaten at the end of
legend says the plant can bring good luck, heal Traditional
the Christmas meal. The dessert, which very
wounds, increase fertility and ward off evil 15. Shepherd’s Pipe Carol - John Rutter []
simply is a pudding made from figs, can be seen
spirits. While it's hard to say what (if any) truth