Do you hang Christmas stockings by the fireplace?
According to legend, a kind nobleman in despair over the death of his wife, squandered his fortune and left his three daughters without dowries, which meant they faced the life of a spinster.
St. Nicholas, yes the one and only, heard about the girl’s problems. He rode his horse by the nobleman's house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were miraculously captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry. They awoke to find stockings full of gold and their problems were solved.
Do you hang mistletoe?
The ancient Celtics believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward of evil spirits. The plant was also seen as a symbol of peace. It is said that among Romans, that enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace.
Do you place Poinsettias around your home?
The poinsettia is a native Mexican plant named after the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel R. Poinsett, who brought the plant to America in 1828. Poinsettias were likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ child. He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. Though the other children mocked him, when the leaves were laid at the manger, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch. The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant.
What about the ever present candy cane?
Perhaps you might be familiar with this strategy…legend has it that candy canes were given to children to keep them quiet during religious ceremonies and the custom worked so well that it rapidly became a custom throughout Europe.
Urban legend tells us that the candy cane's symbolism hold that the color white represents Christ's purity, the red the blood he shed, and the presence of three red stripes the Holy Trinity. There are also stories that indicate the candy cane is actually a letter J to represent Jesus. There is no evidence to support either of these stories but it doesn’t really matter to families who enjoy them year after year and adorn their Christmas tree with the sweet treats.
Do you send Christmas cards?
Sir Henry Cole is purported to have s credited the first Christmas card. As the story goes, Sir Henry, the first director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, was too busy to create individual greetings for his friends so he commissioned an artist, John Calcott Horsley, to illustrate a card and inscribe it with a holiday greeting.
Do you have a Christmas tree?
While a decorated Christmas tree can be traced back to the ancient Romans who during their winter festival decorated trees with small pieces of metal in honor of Saturnus, it is really credited to Martin Luther. Luther, after an inspiring evening walk through a forest of evergreens, attempted to describe the starry scene to his family. Unable to express in words what he had witnessed, he brought a tree into his home and decorated it with candles.
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