How Many of These Christmas Traditions Do You Know?

Before kitschy aluminum trees became the rage in the mid-20th century people made their artificial Christmas trees out of goose feathers. Instead of buying or cutting down their own trees, people in Wisconsin in the 1880s started with a small tamarack trunk and stuck goose feathers to it. Making these trees took a lot of time and effort, which meant that most of them were only a few feet high. They were made rarer still when only a specific type of goose feather proved strong enough to use for the project.

In the 1600s, Boston was primarily populated with Puritans, who believed the holiday adopted too many traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. On May 11, 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted a law stating “that whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like ... shall pay for every such offence five shillings." The law was repealed in 1681, but the holiday was still deeply unpopular with the Puritans.

Take a look at the lyrics and you’ll realize that “Jingle Bells” doesn’t actually mention Christmas or any of its traditions. The rumor is that the songwriter, James Pierpont, wrote it for a Sunday school Thanksgiving performance. People liked the song so much that the children sang it again at Christmas, and a tradition was born. Some think the lyrics are a little too racy for a church pageant, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most popular Christmas songs in the world.

Gingerbread houses became all the rage in Germany around the same time as the story of “Hansel and Gretel.” In the fairy tale, two children find a house made of candy in the woods, which popularized making these houses in real life. Decorating candy gingerbread houses is now a Christmas tradition, and many stores sell gingerbread house kits so you don’t have to bake them yourself.

In 800 CE, Pope Leo III decided that "the whole salvation of the church of Christ" rested in Charlemagne's hands, so on Christmas of that year, he consecrated Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor. A surprise to most of the world, including Charlemagne himself, the coronation would change history, leading to the rise of the Holy Roman Empire and deeply intertwining Charlemagne and his successors with the papacy.

Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell seemed to be the Grinch of the 17th century. With the assistance of the British Parliament, he passed an ordinance in June 1647 that banned celebrating Christmas. The notoriously puritanical Cromwell viewed elaborate Christmas festivities as wasteful, overly decadent, and sinful practices that threatened what he saw as the foundations of Christianity.

Despite Christmas being celebrated as the date of Jesus' birth, the Bible doesn't ever actually mention the date. The first official mention of December 25 as Jesus' birthday is found on a Roman calendar from 336 CE, hundreds of years after Christ is said to have lived. Most historians believe that the 25th was chosen to coincide with existing pagan festivals to more easily convert people to Christianity.

The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which honored the agricultural god Saturn, is the source of many modern Christmas traditions. To start, Saturnalia was celebrated during the winter solstice, which at the time fell on the Julian calendar's December 25. During the festival, Romans decorated their homes with greenery, didn't work, exchanged gifts, and feasted, all of which are part of Christmas celebrations today.

In 1843, Henry Cole commissioned his friend J.C. Horsley to design a holiday image, printed off 1,000 copies, and mailed them to his loved ones. The illustration, which featured three images of domestic life, wished its recipients "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You." It would be a while before Christmas cards hit their stride in popularity, but Cole's creation is considered the first.

St. Nicholas was born in 280 CE in what is now Turkey, though back then, the towns he grew up in were part of the Roman Empire. Saint Nicholas became a bishop of early Christianity, and stories of his pious gift-giving were popular in Europe after his death. This legend grew, and when combined with the 18th-century image of Father Christmas, helped create our modern Santa Claus archetype.

Eggnog originated with “posset,” a hot, creamy, English drink resembling ale. At the time of its creation in the 13th century, eggs and milk were symbols of wealth, making the drink a rare delicacy. Since then, it has become a winter favorite, and cultures around the world have put their own spin on it. It may no longer indicate wealth, but plenty of people wait all year to see eggnog reappear in stores.

Though it had been celebrated for over 1500 years, Christmas wasn't declared an official federal holiday in the United States until 1870. Toward the end of that year's legislative session, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law a bill adding Christmas to the list of governmental days off, possibly in an effort to promote holiday unity in the years following the Civil War.

Typically referred to by its first line "'Twas the night before Christmas," Clement Clarke Moore’s poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" helped create many of the modern myths surrounding Christmas. Santa's look, for example, is directly influenced by the poem's lines, which say: "He was dressed all in fur," "He looked like a peddler just opening his pack," and "He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf."

If you think putting candles on Christmas trees is a fire hazard, you’re right. But people did it anyway before the invention of electric Christmas lights. Instead of leaving the lights on for hours, families would gather and light the candles on the tree. They would look at them for a minute or two and then blow them out, making for a beautiful, but short-lived, tradition.

"O Tannenbaum," indeed. Germany is where Christmas trees as we know them today got their start. The tradition kicked off in the 16th century among German Christians, who would either bring trees inside or build wooden pyramids adorned with evergreen branches and candles if trees were not available. The custom brought the splendor of the outdoors inside and spread rapidly to households around the world.

There are too many similarities between Santa and Odin for it to be a coincidence. Before a poem inspired our modern image of a jolly man in a red suit, he dressed in furs, wore a wide hat, and had a gaunt face. In other words, he looked like Odin when Odin went out in disguise. Odin also lived near the North Pole, had a group of men who made presents that Odin delivered, and rode an eight-legged horse that likely inspired Santa’s eight reindeer.

Gingerbread cookies shaped like people were first commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I of England, who enjoyed having the sweet cookie fashioned in the shape of visiting dignitaries. The queen had an official gingerbread maker on her staff, and the unique treat soon became popular around the holidays.

According to legend, candy canes were invented by a choirmaster in the 17th century. The choirmaster was having trouble keeping his young singers quiet during a Christmas pageant at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, so he gave them sugar sticks to keep their mouths occupied, shaped into shepherds’ crooks for the season.

In the middle of the night on December 25, 1776, George Washington led his men across the Delaware River to conduct a surprise attack on a group of 1,400 Hessian soldiers. Camped around Trenton, New Jersey, the soldiers were unprepared for the American assault, and Washington was easily able to defeat the enemies with his strategic timing.

On Christmas Eve in 1914, the German, British, French, and Belgian troops fighting in World War I laid down their arms for a temporary truce that involved singing Christmas carols, exchanging gifts, and playing a friendly soccer match. Before long, the soldiers' superior officers recalled them to their posts, but the brief truce showed that even war isn't immune to the Christmas spirit.

Putting out milk and cookies for Santa isn’t a terribly old tradition — it dates back to the 1930s, during the Great Depression. In this time of hardship, parents wanted to teach their children generosity — so they began leaving out treats for Santa, to say thank you for presents and share their gratitude.