Dance and sing
Did you know that ‘Carol’ meant to dance to something? Songs that were meant for a dance or a song of praise and joy were common and most popular in the early years! In fact, carols were written and sung through the year. However, the tradition of singing them only during Christmas has survived.
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Trees were used to celebrate winter festivals. Today, the tree is an integral part of the celebrations. The first documented use of a tree was in the town square of Riga, capital of Latvia, in 1510. Fir trees have been used because it is an evergreen and it reminds people of the Spring that is to come. The tree is usually decorated with glass balls, silk threads, angels, and butterfly wings.
Christmas tree balls, twinkling lights, bells, pine cones and artificial snowflakes are the modern additions to the tree.
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Just for you: www.whychristmas.com/fun/decorateatree.shtml
Ho Ho Ho!
He’s big and chubby, red-cheeked and happy. Dressed in a red suit and wearing black boots, he brings gifts for all. Do you know who he is? Yes, Santa Claus.
He is Nicholas or St. Nick and he comes from a city that now belongs to Turkey. He was known for his good deeds.
Just for you: Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Kris Kringle, Santa… has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth.
Hang in there
A poor man had three daughters and did not have enough money to get them married. One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the man’s chimney. It so happened that the bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! Soon the news spread and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought to be from Nicholas.
Just for you: The biggest Christmas stocking was 51m 35cm long and 21m 63cm wide (from the heel to the toe). It was made by volunteer emergency services organisation Pubblica Assistenza Carrara e Sezioni (Italy).
Just think of the gifts you could fit
into that!
Let it shine
In the early days, people used white candles to decorate their trees as a sign of the oncoming spring. Some also used it as a symbol of the bright star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem to see Baby Jesus. Today, however LED lights and bulbs have taken over to make your tree brighter and prettier.
Just for you: Edward H. Johnson was employed by Thomas Edison, as an inventor. During the months running up to Christmas in 1882, he created 80 red, white, and blue electrical light bulbs. When Christmas came, he proudly presented a glimmering Christmas tree to the gawking public.
Cards and gifts
In1843, in the U.K., Sir Henry Cole and his friend John Horsley came up with the idea of sending out cards to greet friends. The idea of gifting is to show kindness, and one of the main reasons the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas is still continued is because of the gifts given to the Baby Jesus by the Wise Men — Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh.
Just for you:
www.allthingschristmas.com/northpole/color/coloring.html