Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions

Christmas has been a central event on our calendars as far back as 596 A.D., when St. Augustine landed on the shores of Britain to spread the message of Christianity. Some of the more common traditions we have at Christmas, however, have a more checkered past. So how did we get to have Christmas gifts, cards, holly and mistletoe?

The giving of gifts oh Yes ;-)

How, exactly, the act of giving each other gifts at Christmas time came to have such an important role in the whole festive season is unclear. What is known is that St. Nicholas, a wealthy merchant from Italy, Greece or Turkey (depending on the version you read) went around giving gifts to children. Although this tradition now holds such an important role in our Christmas festivities, we cannot even be sure that St. Nicholas gave out his free gifts at Christmas time. What is known is that he now has the esteemed position of being the patron saint of children.

Christmas cards

Sending Christmas cards is a relatively new tradition, given the history of most Christmas traditions. The first known Christmas cards were sent in England some time during the 1840s, but the tradition didn’t really catch on until the 1860s, when the post office began to charge discounted postage prices for cards that were sent in envelopes that had not been sealed.

Today of course millions of Christmas cards are sent annually, both via snail mail and email.

Holly and Mistletoe (xx haha)

One of the more fascinating traditions at Christmas time is the role that both the holly and the mistletoe play. In fact both of these traditions pre-date Christianity and are both from the days when the Druids were laddies .

At that time, holly was seen to be giving extremely good luck on the house where it was hung. As such, with the wish to offer continued luck and prosperity during the festive season, this tradition continued.

Mistletoe has an even more fascinating history than holly. Again, however, the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe dates back to the days of Druids. At that time, it was believed that mistletoe was the bestower of life and fertility – and was more commonly used during wedding parties. However, the act of kissing under the mistletoe must have been a pleasant one, as we now go to great lengths to include this fun activity in modern festivities.

take care
Ronnie