The Top 6 Most Popular Christmas Traditions

Imagine Christmas. I bet the first thing that crosses your mind is the Christmas tree, or perhaps the stockings, or what about the mistletoe? Think of carols. Thinking of Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer? People have become so accustomed to these customs and traditions that it is almost impossible to celebrate Christmas without them. Below are the top 6 Christmas traditions:

1. CHRISTMAS TREE – This, perhaps, is the most famous symbol of Christmas, and I think you will agree with me. The practice of setting a tree emanates from the pre-Christian era. Tribes offered sacrificial trees like oak and ash to please their gods.

The ancient Romans kept decorated trees in their homes in honor of their Saturnalia festival. The Germans, on the other hand, decorated the trees in their abodes with apples, candies and colored papers. It was Martin Luther King who started the tradition of candle lighting on Christmas trees, as inspired by the stars shimmering through the lives of trees outside.

Prince Albert (husband of Queen Victoria) introduced the idea of putting up a Christmas tree in England from his native land Germany. Finally, the Pennsylvanian Germans brought the Christmas tree to America by the end of the 19th century.

2. SANTA CLAUS – Looking at Christmas through the eyes of a child brings us to hanging of stockings on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to drop by with his presents. This jolly icon sprang from a 4th-century-AD Bishop named Nicholas. He was known for his generosity and fondness of children. Later, he became the patron saint of children, thus St. Nicholas. Father Christmas was an Anglo-Saxon version of Santa. He was presumed to punish naughty kids and give rewards to those who behave.

Moreover, the German, British and Dutch settlers in North America had their own version of this figure. It was the Dutch’s ‘Sinterklaas’ that caught everybody’s attention who now became the Santa Clause we know.



3. MISTLETOE AND HOLLY. Some 200 years before Christ’s birth, Druid priests made use of this evergreen plant in their winter celebrations. It was highly valued as it preserves its greenness even on the harsh months of winter.

The ancient Romans regarded the plant as a symbol of peace while the ancient Celtics attributed magical healing powers to it.

The practice of kissing under the mistletoe most probably emanated from the Scandinavians. The associated the plant with Frigga, their goddess of love. It was believed that good luck and happiness radiate to those who kiss under it.


4. RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED-REINDEER. Robert L. May (a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward Department Store) was asked to write a Christmas story to bring in sales in 1939. He wrote about a young reindeer named Rudolf who was rejected by his fellows due to his shiny red nose. However, everything changed when one Christmas Eve night Santa chose Rudolf to lead his sleigh for the night. 10 years later, May’s brother-in-law, John Marks, wrote the lyrics and the melody for the song “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

5. CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS. Legend has it that there was a nobleman whose wife met an untimely death. He wasted away all that he had leaving his three single daughters in poverty. One night, the daughters washed and hung their stockings near the fireplace to dry. Upon seeing this, St. Nicholas was deeply moved, came in the house during the night, and placed a pouch of gold in each stocking. The family was elated with the surprise and that’s how the tradition began.




6. CHRISTMAS CARDS. The first Christmas card was crafted in England 160 years ago. Henry Cole was pressured to write personalized greetings to all his friends. So he commissioned John Calcott Horsley, an artist, to create a painting. It had three panels and bore the inscriptions “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”, thus the birth of the first Christmas card.







Christmas is just around the corner, have you already shoopped presents for everybody? If not, come and visit us at Christmas Gift Ideas for 2010.