Page 19 - 200912 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - December 2009

The Silent Night 19 The Silent Night 19 The Silent Night Christmas Superstitions Who Started The Christmas Superstitions Who Started The The Silent Night A true Christmas miracle About Trees Christmas Cards About Trees Christmas Cards A true Christmas miracle born from the horror of Tradition? born from the horror of Tradition? world war and the unifying Unusual Christmas world war and the unifying Unusual Christmas music of Christmas superstitions about Why We Send Christmas Cards music of Christmas Why We Send Christmas Cards superstitions about During the Holiday Season everyone's favorite During the Holiday Season everyone's favorite In any conversation about Christmas decoration! The Christmas miracles, someone usually refers to the true decoration! The Christmas This year while you're preparing all of Tree story of a Silent Night during 1914 when an Tree the Christmas cards that will be going out to unlikely truce between opposing German and friends and family you may take a moment to British forces demonstrated the true spirit of It's hard to write too many articles about wonder why you do it and who started it all. Christmas in a way unlikely to be forgotten Christmas superstitions involving your tree -- After all, it's not like the apostles took it upon there are literally hundreds of stories, legends, themselves to send each other greeting cards to The Beginnings and myths about trees. So no matter how much remember the birthday of Jesus. Hey, Hallmark of a Christmas buff you may be, there might be didn't even exist back then! So how did People associate the song Silent Night a few superstitions you have yet to encounter. Christmas cards become a part of this Christian with the so-called "Christmas Truce" because holiday? Here's where it all began... it's the first song known to have echoed across 1. Spring, Spring, Come Around! the war-torn battlefield and also because for that Let's Travel Back in Time night the rifles went silent. On that Christmas Long before anyone set up the first Eve, German soldiers began decorating their Christmas tree, people brought winter greenery Let's go back in time to 1840s Britain. trenches and singing the famous song. Inspired, into their homes. The superstition was that if The first postal deliveries were being sent the British soldiers returned carols in English, you forgot this custom, spring might forget to thanks to the brand new “Penny Post” that had and one of the most famous Christmas miracles return next season! Of course, that's not the only been set up. of modern history was born. magic of the tree: winter greenery is thought to Now that the Penny Post enabled people keep away witches, spirits, and other evil to send Christmas greetings to one another it The Truce forces. became customary to do so. However, many People would actually decorate greenery people found it tedious and time consuming to By December 24th, soldiers on both long before Christmas superstitions came about, hand write all of their Christmas letters. In sides were discouraged and dispirited, and it's but they'd decorate the bushes outside their 1843, the first Christmas card was safe to say no one wanted to spend Christmas in homes. Why? Because they figured those evil commissioned. a trench, far from family and friends. So it spirits were looking for shelter (I guess they makes sense that both sides were ready for a don't like winter, either) and they didn't want Christmas Cards Come to America truce. them moving into their homes. Once the carols had been sung, soldiers For about 30 years, Americans had to began to shout greetings across the field. 2. The Yule Log import their Christmas cards from Britain. It Several of the German soldiers spoke English, wasn't until 1875 that the first Christmas cards allowing the sides to communicate freely. Soon, There are enough Christmas would be printed in the United States. brave soldiers began to visit across the neutral superstitions about the Yule log to fill their own And the Christmas cards sent back then zone in the middle of the field (also known as book -- but one of the sweetest says that if you really didn't mirror today's popular cards at all. "No Man's Land"). They exchanged gifts of want good luck, you should cut the Yule log The Christmas cards of yesteryear tended to whatever they had: whiskey, jam, cigars, from this year's tree and let it cure until next depict flowers and faeries. It wasn't until later chocolate and uniform buttons or pieces. Christmas. Of course, if you let that log go out years that Christmas cards took on a “holiday One of the more painful but important during the twelve days of Christmas you're theme”. part of such Christmas miracles is the emotional ruined: bad luck for the rest of the year. Keep impact, and the truce allowed both sides to adding wood but make sure a section of the And the Evolution Continues... retrieve soldiers whose bodies had fallen in the original Yule log keeps burning. middle of the field. Prior to now, it had been too What the Penny Post did for Christmas dangerous to emerge from the trenches to claim 3. Light up your Life cards back in the mid 1800s, the Internet is the bodies. Now, soldiers were given the chance doing today. The way we greet one another at to bury the bodies of their fallen brothers. The original candles were placed on Christmas is changing once again. Thanks to the In fact, in some cases German and trees to frighten away the devil and evil spirits wider acceptance of “e-cards” all it takes is the British soldiers joined together to hold funeral long before the tree was called a "Christmas click of the mouse to send your friends and services for their friends, reading verses from tree." Romans started this tradition, and they family Christmas greetings. Who knows what the Bible, particularly the 23rd psalm. took it a step further by attaching pieces of tomorrow brings... metal so the added reflections would further All Good Things... terrify those evil presences. Unfortunately, Christmas miracles are often all 4. Apples Galore too fleeting. In this case, the war had to resume, and while some soldiers refused to fight, If you've ever seen apple decorations on understandably reluctant to resume killing their a tree, you probably didn't realize they were part new found friends, army officials intervened, of Christmas superstitions. In the eleventh and by New Year's Day, the truce was over in all century, before the official "Christmas tree" as areas -- but not in the hearts of those who we know it, people would decorate trees with experienced it. apples on Christmas eve to encourage luck and The last surviving veteran of the plenty in the coming year. Christmas truce died in Scotland at the age of If you love Christmas trees -- and really, 109, but like all Christmas miracles, this one who doesn't? -- these Christmas superstitions will survive those who experienced it for many should help you enjoy your holiday season to its years. [] very fullest.[]