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The Origins of 12 Christmas Traditions 65

cardboard greeting showed a happy group of O Little Town of Bethlehem
The Origins of 12 people participating in a toast, along with the

Christmas Traditions printed sentiment, "A Merry Christmas and a O little town of Bethlehem,
Happy New Year to you.” A thousand of them How still we see the lie!
were printed that first year, and because it cost Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
Continued from Page 64 just a penny to mail a holiday hello to friends The silent stars go by;
and family (the card itself was a shilling, or 12 Yet in thy dark streets shineth
times as much), the cards sold like hotcakes and The everlasting Light;
a new custom was born. Today, Americans send The hopes and fears of all the years
9. ADVENT CALENDARS
around 2 billion cards every year. Are met in thee to-night.
Technically, Advent, a religious event that has SOME ALL TIME For Christ is born of Mary,
been celebrated since the 4th century, is a four- And gathered all above,
week period that starts on the Sunday closest to FAVORITE CHRISTMAS
the November 30 feast day of St. Andrew the CAROLS While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
Apostle. Traditionally, it marked the period to
O morning stars, together
prepare for Christmas as well as the Second Proclaim the holy birth!
Coming. These days, it’s mostly used as a Silent Night
And praises sing to God the King,
countdown to Christmas for the religious and the
And peace to men on earth.
non-religious alike. Silent night, holy night,
The modern commercialized advent All is calm, all is bright
How silently, how silently,
calendar, which marks the passage of December Round yon virgin mother and child.
The wondrous gift is given!
days with little doors containing candy or small Holy infant so tender and mild,
So God imparts to human hearts
gifts, are believed to have been introduced by Sleep in heavenly peace.
The blessings of his heaven.
Gerhard Lang in the early 1900s. He was Sleep in heavenly peace.
No ear may hear his coming,
inspired by a calendar that his mother made for
But in this world of sin,
him when he was a child featuring 24 colored Silent night, holy night,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
pictures attached to a piece of cardboard. Today, Shepherds quake at the sight,
The dear Christ enters in.
advent calendars contain everything from candy Glories stream from heaven afar,
to LEGOs. Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Where children pure and happy
Christ the Savior, is born! Pray to the blessed Child,
10. EGGNOG Christ the Savior, is born!
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the mother mild;
It’s hard to imagine why anyone would be Silent night, holy night,
Where charity stands watching
inspired to chug a raw egg-based drink, but Son of God, love's pure light
And faith holds wide the door,
historians agree that 'nog was probably inspired Radiant beams from thy holy face,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
by a medieval drink called "posset," a milky With the dawn of redeeming grace,
And Christmas comes once more.
drink made with eggs, milk, and sometimes figs Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
or sherry. These were all pricey ingredients, so Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
O holy Child of Bethlehem!
the wealthy often used it to toast with. Descend to us, we pray;
Eggnog became a holiday drink when Do You Hear What I Hear?
colonists brought it over from England, but they Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
found a way to make it on the cheap, nixing the
Said the night wind to the little lamb, We hear the Christmas angels
figs and substituting rum for sherry. And how
"Do you see what I see? The great glad tidings tell;
about that weird "nog" name? No one knows for
Way up in the sky, little lamb, O come to us, abide with us,
sure, but historians theorize that "nog" was short
Do you see what I see? Our Lord Emmanuel!
for "noggin," which was slang for a wooden cup,
A star, a star, dancing in the night
or a play on the Norfolk variety of beer also
With a tail as big as a kite,
called nog (which itself may be named after the With a tail as big as a kite."
cup).
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
11. MISTLETOE
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Mistletoe has been associated with fertility and
Do you hear what I hear?
vitality since ancient times, when Celtic Druids
A song, a song high above the trees
saw it as such because it blossomed even during
With a voice as big as the the sea,
the most frigid winters; the association stuck
With a voice as big as the the sea."
over the centuries.
It’s easy to see how fertility and kissing Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
can be linked, but no one is quite sure how "Do you know what I know?
smooching under the shrub (actually, it’s a "What are the names of all 10 reindeer
In your palace warm, mighty king,
parasitic plant) became a common Christmas mentioned in 'Rudolf the Red-Nosed
Do you know what I know?
pastime. We do know the tradition was popular Reindeer'?"
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold--
with English servants in the 18th century, then
Let us bring him silver and gold,
quickly spread to those they served. The archaic "Well, let me see. There's Dasher, Dancer,
Let us bring him silver and gold."
custom once allowed men to steal a kiss from Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner,
any woman standing beneath; if she refused, Said the king to the people everywhere, Blitzen, Rudolf, and ... and... There are only 9
they were doomed with bad luck. reindeer mentioned in the song."
"Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
12. CHRISTMAS CARDS "Nope. There's 10. You forgot 'Olive'."
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
Exchanging holiday greetings via mail is a "'Olive'? There's not a reindeer named 'Olive'."
He will bring us goodness and light,
surprisingly recent tradition, with the first
He will bring us goodness and light."
formal card hitting shelves in 1843. Designed by "Yes there is. '♫ Olive, the other reindeer.♫'
an Englishman named J.C. Horsley, the